The Baseball Digest Archive

August 1984

Here is the story of a first baseman for one of MLB’s legacy franchises, a team that had a title drought so long that few fans were alive long enough to have remembered the most recent championship. The first baseman in question let a ground ball go through his legs at a crucial time during a postseason game, which was one of the main reasons why that drought continued for years to come. In this instance, I’m not talking about Bill Buckner, but 1984 Cubs first baseman Leon Durham.

The circumstances surrounding Durham’s error and Bill Buckner’s two years later were not exactly the same. Durham’s flub came in the LCS, not in the World Series, and in the 7th inning, not in the 10th. The Durham play was in the decisive 5th game, however, and opened the floodgates. The Cubs were leading the Padres 3-2 at the time and his misplay allowed the tying run to score; with San Diego going on to win the game & the first pennant in franchise history. For assorted reasons Durham’s error did not have the same level of infamy that Buckner’s did but it’s still gotta be rough that Leon Durham’s solid career was marred by that terrible moment.

One thing to keep in mind about old magazine issues is that the cover date is not the same as the date when an issue hits the newsstands. This issue is dated August 1984, which means it was released in early July, which means the content was written sometime around late May. I bring this up because one of the articles talks about how beanball wars were largely a thing of the past. That was a bit premature, because shortly afterwards the league saw one of its biggest brawls yet. In an August game against the Padres Atlanta starter Pascual Perez hit San Diego’s leadoff hitter Alan Wiggins. The Pads retaliated by throwing at Perez each time he came to bat, finally culminating in a massive brawl that took more than 10 minutes to break up. After order was restored a second fight started the next inning, and this time a few fans even joined in. In short, beanball wars were still a thing.

There is an article here listing the 7 biggest surprises of the 1984 season up to that point; in retrospect some of these choices were not surprising at all. One of those alleged surprises was Tony Gwynn’s emergence as one of the top hitters in the league. Time has proven that Gwynn was a pretty good hitter; his leap forward in 1984 was no surprise at all.

As always it’s fun to look at these issues and realize how many of the ongoing arguments in baseball are evergreen. A perfect example this month was discussion about the game’s ever changing strike zone. In this case veterans were lamenting the change in the zone’s height, the consensus was that high strikes were no longer being called.

There are some great snapshots in time when it comes to the names of the players featured in articles. Hal McRae in the twilight of his career! A 19 year old Dwight Gooden taking the league by storm! The perennially underrated Jose Cruz!

One of Baseball Digest’s recurring features was The Game I’ll Never Forget. A player, sometimes current and sometimes retired, talks about his most memorable game. They are usually what you would expect, a player shares memories of his career highlight. This month’s subject, longtime Dodgers shortstop Bill Russell, went in a different direction. He brought up two games. One was a game against the Reds in which he made 3 errors and was booed mercilessly by the fans. He felt that game was a turning point in his career. He saw his name back in the lineup the next day; it showed him that manager Walter Alston still had confidence in him. Then, he mentioned the infamous World Series play from 1978 when Reggie Jackson stuck out his hip on the base path which deflected a throw from Russell and led to a big inning from the Yankees. I suppose it was memorable, but…

I’ll close with an ad from this issue. Remember the Bullworker? It was one of those pieces of exercise equipment constantly advertised on TV. It led you to believe that a short workout could have one develop the type of physique that the spokesman had, a guy who looked like he was chiseled out of marble. Who knows how many people purchased Bullworkers, used them for a month or two, and then shoved them in the back of the closet?

An American Legend

In his 88 years on planet Earth Kris Kristofferson had so many twists and turns in his life that it seems implausible that it all came from one man. Rhodes scholar, soldier, singer/songwriter, acclaimed actor, he lived the sort of life that self-proclaimed badasses could only dream of. I’m not sure how to feel about the fact that he was a celebrity for so long that there are generations of people who largely know him as an actor, and nothing else. In fact, the headline on People magazine’s obituary stated that “Blade actor Kris Kristofferson dies.” Um, that’s not the first thing that should come to mind for him, but you do you.

He was one of the top Nashville songwriters for a spell. Most of his major commercial success came on the country charts; Why Me was one of his few crossover hits. He did write several songs that have become standards, and not just Me and Bobbie McGee. Sunday Morning Coming Down is one of those songs that seemingly every great country singer did a fabulous cover of. He of course also joined fellow legends identified by their first names Willie, Waylon, & Johnny in The Higwaymen.

And yes he had a magnificent second act to his career as an actor. He started in the 1970’s, where his rugged good looks and whiskey soaked voice made him a much in demand leading man. He really found his stride as he moved into middle age & beyond. That age-induced gravitas when added to his “I’ve seen some serious s***” demeanor made him an ideal villain. John Sayles in particular put him to great use. He shone in Lone Star, but to me both his and Sayles’s finest work came in the film Limbo. He was pure malevolence.

Let us not also forget that it was Kristofferson who publicly supported and comforted Sinead O’Connor when she was booed off the stage at Madison Square Garden days after she tore up a photo of the Pope on SNL. Remember, she did that as a protest against the Catholic Church’s coverup of child sexual abuse; that stand looks a lot more reasonable in hindsight. (In a related note, there is a story concerning an encounter between Kristofferson and Toby Keith that pops up intermittently. There are conflicting reports over whether or not the incident actually happened. Make of that what you will.)

Kris Kristofferson was a real one and a true icon. He made it to the age of 88; I’m pretty sure that even at that age he could kick my ass without breaking a sweat. That point is moot anyway, I would never mess with him. Rest in power.

The Season Ain’t Over Yet

MLB’s inability to proactively get ahead of the approaching Hurricane Helene came back to bite the league, because how could it have worked out otherwise? Everything that needed to happen yesterday to produce Max Chaos (who, by the way, was the lamest member of the Legion Of Doom) happened. The Mets & Diamondbacks both won, and the Braves lost. As a result, both games that were postponed last week will need to be made up. The Mets & Braves play a doubleheader in Atlanta today that will settle the playoff field.

The Diamondbacks can only look on helplessly. They lose every tiebreaking scenario, so their only route to the postseason is if one of the teams sweeps today’s double dip. If they split, both New York & Atlanta go in, with the Braves facing San Diego and the Mets heading out to Milwaukee. A Mets sweep send them to San Diego, with Arizona going to Milwaukee & the Braves done. Similar result with a Braves sweep; Atlanta in San Diego & the Mets headed home. I believe I got that correct. And of course because nothing comes easy; game 1 of the Wild Card series in San Diego is scheduled for 8:38 eastern time on Tuesday night. Whichever team winds up facing the Padres has got a tight schedule to make it to the west coast. This is not me whining; San Diego fully earned that home field advantage, but boy does this put their opponent in a bad position right at the outset.

Retirement Season

The end of a season comes with an additional realization that dozens of dudes have played their last major league game, it’s just that most of them don’t know it yet. For every Charlie Blackmon or Kevin Kiermaier who had already announced their intentions to retire, there are many more who will spend their offseasons sitting by the phone impatiently awaiting job offers that will never come. It’s the sports equivalent of the circle of life; one young player entering the league means one veteran will exit.

NBA training camps are about to open and we have already had a prominent retirement, this one from a player who may wind up with a unique distinction. Former league MVP & Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose has retired. Every single eligible player who has won MVP has been enshrined into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Will Rose be the outlier? His career was off to a magnificent start, but two major knee injuries brought an end to that. He was largely a journeyman (literally, he bounced around among several teams) and by the end he was the classic Respected Veteran Presence, rarely getting into games yet valuable for the wisdom he could pass along to younger players.

So, is what he did at the beginning of his career enough for the Hall? Keep in mind that standards to get into the basketball Hall are relatively low. There is certainly precedent for players whose peaks were shortened by injury to make it in - Bill Walton, Ralph Sampson, etc. but as a one-and-done college player Rose doesn’t have the college resume that the other players I mentioned have. My instinct is to say that it will be a “no” on Rose (maybe the argument would be different if he had ever been on a championship team) but it figures to be an interesting conversation.

The Late Great Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith was another show biz survivor; as the Dowager Countess and Minerva McGonagall she extended her stardom well into her senior citizen years. Those roles were only a small part of her career; her standing as one of the inner circle legends of both stage and screen would have been well secure even if she had never stepped foot in either Downton Abbey or Hogwarts. She eventually completed 3/4 of the EGOT, missing only a Grammy.

My personal introduction to Maggie Smith came from her frequent appearances as a guest on the Carol Burnett Show as well as her role in Murder By Death, so I first thought of her as a comic actress, with no idea that she was a heavy hitter in serious live theater. She was a great example of how a top notch actor can use those dramatic skills so effectively in comedy. She was a master of the great facial gesture, which can come in very handy for a comedic role. I also remember well her co-starring role with Michael Palin in The Missionary; some of her lines probably seemed mundane on the page but she had a way of bringing out the magic from page to screen. There is an old cliche that certain actors can read the phone book out loud and make it sound like literature. That sounds like Maggie Smith.

Those same qualities served her well in those later in life roles. She had a lifetime of accumulated authority built up and could make the sternest face you will ever see. Dame Maggie Smith was 89, and was one of the greatest there ever was.

Some More Ceremony Clarity

Shortly after the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame announced the first batch of presenters & performers for next month’s induction ceremony they also revealed many of the actual pairings. In addition, Ozzy Osbourne told a London reporter that he is planning on performing, which means every living inductee - with the exception of the surviving members of A Tribe Called Quest - will be performing on their own behalf. Here is what we have so far:

Mary J. Blige - Dr. Dre, Method Man, Ella Mai, Lucky Daye

Cher - Dua Lipa

Foreigner - Sammy Hagar, Slash, Chad Smith, Demi Lovato

Peter Frampton - Roger Daltrey, Keith Urban

Kool & the Gang - Chuck D

Dave Matthews Band - Julia Roberts

Ozzy Osbourne

A Tribe Called Quest - Busta Rhymes

Jimmy Buffett - James Taylor, Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally

More to come, including who will present Dionne Warwick, and how will the inductions of MC5/Big Mama Thornton/John Mayall/Alexis Korner/Norman Whitfield be handled, as well as non-performer Suzanne de Passe. Jelly Roll has also been named as a guest, but I haven’t seen who he has been paired up with yet. The Hall’s social media feed merely states that he is performing; no further info. In addition, the Hall stated that The Roots will be performing to celebrate several of the inductees, so that could mean that they are serving as the house band in the way that Paul Shaffer’s CBS Orchestra used to, or perhaps they will be honoring the deceased inductees.

50 Years Ago - Lenny

I was obviously too young to have the proper perspective, but I was aware of this movie when it came out and it was where I first learned who Lenny Bruce was. Dustin Hoffman starred in the biopic, directed by Bob Fosse, which chiefly focused on Bruce’s constant battles with censors.

It’s tough for those of us who were not around at the time to fully appreciate Lenny Bruce and what he stood for. There isn’t a lot of surviving footage, and most of what there is isn’t really clips of him telling jokes, we mostly see him sitting on stage talking about his plethora of legal cases. I would bet that now the initial image that people think of when his name comes up is his depiction in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. It might be a challenge for us to “get” what was important about him, but he broke so many barriers concerning the sorts of topics that standup comics can talk about onstage. After Bruce it wasn’t just “take my wife please,” comics could be topical, and yes, offensive. Lenny Bruce and Mort Sahl walked so that Richard Pryor and George Carlin could run.

I don’t quite remember what I saw first - this movie, or actual Lenny Bruce footage. As I mentioned, the movie was largely concerned with his downfall, so there weren’t a lot of laughs to be found here. It’s more of a depiction of the downside of fame, and how that downfall can be accelerated if the person in question is one who revels in pushing buttons with little regard for personal consequences. Hoffman was predictably strong as the title character - knowing his extreme Method acting, he must have been exhausting on the film set - and the movie briefly made Valerie Perrine a big star as well. (As tough as it can be for actresses to sustain careers, back then it was even more brutal. There were so many talented actresses who had one or two big movies only to be quickly tossed aside for someone new.)

Closing Laughs

September ends today. Please be sure to wake Billie Joe Armstrong up. Thanks all for reading; see you on Wednesday.