The Baseball Digest Archives

September 1980

In September 1980 the Philadelphia Phillies were only a couple of months away from celebrating the first World Series title in franchise history, which is pretty astonishing when you think about it. It seems impossible to consider that they never stumbled their way into a title in the World Series era, but nope. Those late 70’s teams were consistently strong, winning 3 consecutive NL East titles without a pennant to show for it. They finally completed the task in 1980, led in no small part by Baseball Digest cover subject Steve Carlton, on his way to a third Cy Young Award.

The article that most piqued my interest in this month’s issue was the one which discussed a new way to rank pitchers. It was basically a twist on WHIP, using simple math to calculate the differences between a pitcher’s hits allowed to innings pitched as well as strikeouts to walks. This metric obviously didn’t take off, but the results were somewhat interesting. Any stat that ranks Tom Seaver as the second greatest pitcher in history is OK by me. Upon a closer look, however, it loses me when I see that Lefty Grove is nowhere to be found. For a metric to work, it needs to make sense on the extreme margins. If it confirms that the greatest are the greatest, then you’re more willing to trust what the remainder of the data tells you. Without Lefty Grove ranked highly, I’m not buying this. Nice try, but no dice.

One fun aspect of looking through old magazines is to see early mentions of people who would go on to greater fame. Take a look at this brief note which mentions the Expos’ recent signing of the son of a former All-Star outfielder. It would take some time, but eventually the son’s fame did eclipse that of his father.

The retro ad of the week is actually one of a series of ads that appeared in this issue. There were ads for 4 different simulation games. Oddly enough, none of these were for Strat-O-Matic. I have played Strat-O-Matic, but none of the others. Have any of you ever sampled any of these alternates? If so, how did they compare to Strat-O-Matic?

As for some of the other articles in this issue, what was described as the elusive mark of 700 at bats in a season wasn’t elusive for very long. Willie Wilson eclipsed that mark this very season. The classic defensive play that artificial turf robs us of is a shortstop’s ability to plant his feet and make a deep throw. And as we know the perennial complaint of any retired player is that modern players are too soft. Here’s an exact quote from the article about the outfielders of 1980 from Enos Slaughter. “Players today are different. They don’t play the game like they did in my era…. I always gave 100 percent.” The more things change… Change a few words, and there is no shortage of players from 1980 who would say the same thing about today’s players. And in turn modern players will register similar complains in the future. It’s as predictable as death and taxes.

I’ll end this one on a lighter note. We can always use a good Yogi Berra quote, can’t we?

A Couple Of Passings

At this point it’s appropriate to mention that 2 noteworthy players from the above era passed away just yesterday. Ed Ott was the starting catcher for the champion 1979 We Are Family Pittsburgh Pirates. He also holds a notorious place in Mets history. In 1977 he slid hard into second base attempting to break up a double play. Felix Millan took umbrage, feeling that Ott had slid in a bit too hard, and threw a punch at Ott. It wasn’t a fair fight. Ott lifted Millan up and dropped him to the ground. Millan suffered a broken clavicle and never played another major league game.

We also lost U.L. Washington, who was the starting shortstop for the Kansas City Royals team that the Phillies defeated in that 1980 World Series. Washington was the typical light hitting shortstop of that time, but he stood out from the pack with the way he played with an ever present toothpick in his mouth. He just looked so damn cool standing at the plate with all that swagger. There were plenty of players in that era who have been long since forgotten. Baseball fans of a certain age will always remember U.L. Washington.

SNL Recap

This was a little more like it. Sydney Sweeney’s debut as host brought a more relaxed atmosphere than last week’s tension filled episode had. Sweeney did not prove herself to be a natural sketch comedienne, but she is a skilled actress. She inhabited her characters quite well, and she also did a great job of sharing the spotlight. There were 3 separate sketches in which she essentially co-starred with one of the female cast members, and the rapport in each case was clear. Sweeney also has, let’s call it a noticeable physique. The writing staff certainly noticed, among her roles this week was a cheerleader and a Hooters’ waitress. The latter one felt unnecessarily cruel. Sweeney’s waitress collected thousands of dollars in tips despite incompetence while her less endowed colleagues (and Bowen) were ignored by the clientele.

This week’s cold open was another drab outing. Here, Heidi’s Dana Bash had a series of Biden surrogates (Gavin Newsom, Karine Jean-Pierre, Alejandro Mayorkas, and somehow, Draymond Green) all made pains to point out that “behind closed doors” Biden is engaged and assertive. They made it seem as if Bill Brasky occupies the White House. It ended with Biden accidentally cutting off a FaceTime call.

I had a little bit of trouble deciding which of my 2 choices was the top sketch of the week. My runner up is the wedding sketch, in which Sweeney and Sarah were makeup artists finishing up preparation just as Heidi’s bride to be learned that she was about to be left at the altar. They needed to feign sympathy while ensuring that they receive their payment, positive Yelp reviews, and the obligatory selfie for their business website.

The NYPD sketch wins my gold medal. Sweeney and Chloe were interns sitting in with a cold case squad. They are able to quickly solve the long dormant cases with their social media skills.

Jost and Che had a stronger than usual Update. They got a lot of mileage out of the Mitch McConnell “seen here….” joke template. The correspondent pieces were both OK, albeit with a retread feel. Heidi added to her list of characters as a Woman Past Her Prime. A piece like this is right in her wheelhouse, just as much as the array of crazy-eyed characters that Kate McKinnon loved to play. And it was Ego’s turn to don an outlandish costume, as she portrayed the stingray that was recently in the news for becoming pregnant even though she had been living alone in a tank. Life finds a way, am I right? Here, she implied that it was Che who had impregnated her.

Quickly looking at other highlights, I liked the pre-taped bit in which Sweeney and New Chloe portrayed interior decorators for Airbnb’s. Please Don’t Destroy was decent; the trio had just learned of the death of a close friend. Sweeney was attempting to sympathize, but as they gave the details of the death it proved to be cartoonishly absurd. 2 surprise cameos this week; one wasn’t all that much of a surprise as Sweeney’s recent costar Glen Powell appeared a couple of times, and Gina Gershon briefly appeared in a premise involving Bowen actually being straight.

Wrapping things up, it was a tight battle for Employee Of the Week, but Heidi just beats out Chloe this week. Musical guest Kacey Musgraves previewed her upcoming album with 2 new songs; I’m a big fan of hers but neither really blew me away. Overall, the episode probably earns a gentleman’s B. There was nothing this week that is likely to show up on a retrospective special, but I was never bored. Next week it’s Josh Brolin’s turn; this will be his third stint as host.

Ballot Breakdown - Jane’s Addiction

There isn’t always an exact correlation between an artist’s popularity and its impact. Look no further than Jane’s Addiction. They only released 5 albums in their career, with gaps as long as 8 years between some of those releases. Plus, there was only a very brief period in which their sound matched what mainstream radio and MTV were playing. And yet, Perry Farrell has been a pretty significant public figure for some time. It’s tough to think of the explosion of the alternative music scene, and its accompanying culture, without placing Farrell and Jane’s Addiction at the forefront.

I was a DJ & music director for my college radio station in the late 80’s, which was the precise moment when some of the so-called college rock bands were beginning to break out of that little box. The bigger commercial breakthroughs were still a couple of years away, but some of the artists that emerged just as I was getting ready to graduate had started to lay the groundwork. Nothing’s Shocking was one of the last albums that caught my eye while I was still a college student. Farrell’s distinctive vocals, which were admittedly an acquired taste, immediately stood out. And Jane Says remains one of my all-time favorite songs.

By the time their third album, Ritual de lo Habitual, came out, the world was much more open to a band such as JA. Been Caught Stealing did not cross over to pop radio, but it was all over rock & alternative radio, and MTV gave the video plenty of airtime. The press loved Farrell as well, he was a very quotable guy and he had the kind of vibe that was very hard to pin down. What is this guy’s deal? Is he perpetually wasted, or what? Also, they didn’t sound like anyone else. They could produce a song with an epic sonic sprawl just as easily as they could produce a solid 3 minute rock song. Not everyone has the breadth to record both Stop! and Mountain Song.

There were early signs of discord. In the wake of their popularity Farrell established the Lollapalooza festival, a massive multi-artist festival with sideshows that was a huge success and still exists to this day, albeit in a single location rather than as a touring fest. Jane’s Addiction soon broke up and Farrell divided his duties between running the festival and leading his new band, Porno For Pyros. Porno was OK, but they were no Jane’s. Without Dave Navarro, there was something missing. (Side note, if Jane’s Addiction are elected, this would still only be Navarro’s first induction. When the Red Hot Chili Peppers got in, they included every man who ever drummed for the band, but omitted Navarro. I’m not sure what that says about Navarro’s ability to get along with others, but it’s also worth noting that JA drummer Stephen Perkins was also in Porno For Pyros.)

Jane’s Addiction has intermittently reunited for reunion albums and/or tours, but these days Farrell is as much of an impresario as he is a musician. The band left quite a legacy in their brief time; the question is, was that enough? I’m a bit torn; I believe the Hall could use some more representatives from the golden age of alternative rock, but I also believe there are several other artists more worthy than they are. On the other hand, beggars can’t be choosers. Perhaps a Jane’s Addiction induction could crack the door open just a bit wider. On yet another hand, a Jane’s Addiction could also mean that voters in subsequent years could decide that that’s enough and close the proverbial door shut.

If elected, will they perform? - They have been working in the studio, and had toured last year, so the answer is yes. Unfortunately they have been doing a lot of it without Dave Navarro, as he has been suffering from a serious bout of long COVID for quite some time. They would perform, whether Navarro will be physically able to is the open question.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hit - Just Because

My Personal Favorite - Jane Says

The Streaming Orphans - Homefront

One of the ramifications of an older series being unavailable on any streaming service is that it can very easily fade from memory. Homefront is a great example. It ran for 2 critically acclaimed yet low rated seasons on ABC in the early 1990’s. If it’s remembered at all nowadays it’s because it served as an early starring role for Kyle Chandler. It was an eminently charming and likable show, however. It would be nice if there were at least some outlet for the show. I’m not claiming that its vanishing is any sort of irreparable loss to our culture, but it had its place.

Homefront was set in a fictional small town in Ohio in the immediate aftermath of World War II, and the main focus was on the returning soldiers. No heavy melodrama here, the tone was set by using Accentuate the Positive as the theme song. Despite the sunny vibes, the show did not completely shy away from addressing issues. The location was a factory town, and the reintroduction of young men to the workforce - and the accompanying push to force the women that had kept the factories running in their absence back to acting as homemakers - was a big running plot line. As was the story of an African American soldier who continued to face racism at home despite his wartime heroics.

There were also some mildly soap opera-ish storylines. One of the leads was a young woman eager to see her boyfriend return from overseas only to discover that he had brought a British war bride back with him. There was another crucial war bride character; the factory owner, and de facto town patriarch, lost his son in the war, but his Italian widow came to live with the family.

Kyle Chandler’s character was the lead, the sort of mildly bland leading character that served to ground the ensemble; his major plot line was that he was a young outfielder for the Cleveland Indians. He was one of several cast members who would become more recognizable in later years. The factory owner was Ken Jenkins, years before he became Dr. Kelso in Scrubs. John Slattery joined the cast a few episodes in.

This is technically a streaming orphan, but it’s also one of those shows for which you can find many episodes uploaded to YouTube. So it’s not a show that’s completely lost as long as you’re willing to take a dive into a YouTube rabbit hole.

Closing Laughs

It’s 10PM, do you know where Kate Middleton is? Anyone with news about her whereabouts, please pick up the white courtesy phone. As for the rest of you, see you all again on Wednesday. Bye bye.