Thursday, October 6, 2011

1974

We interrupt this football season, sort of, to return you to baseball. After four straight footballs (two college, two pro), an Evel Knievel, a tennis and a golf (from most to least recent), baseball returns to the Sports Illustrated cover in the form of Jim "Catfish" Hunter's smiling mug.

Press time was always a problem for me and SI, as sports-geek kid me simply wanted data on my favorite players and teams and SI was always a little bit behind what was happening now. For example, when the Oct. 7, 1974, edition had to go to the presses, SI didn't yet know which teams had won the Easts, so Ron Fimrite had to spend a little time on both the Yankees and (eventual champion) Orioles in the American League half of his playoffs preview and both the Cardinals and the (eventual champion) Pirates in the National League half.

I imagine, though, that delay might've helped SI find its thoughtful and sometimes-askew voice. Because it simply couldn't compete with your daily newspaper on telling readers who won and who lost yesterday, it stepped back and did more analysis and off-beat stuff. This issue has something on lacrosse and one of those long takeouts with sketches on bullfighting. Those long takeouts with sketches are always great to read as an adult now, but kid me knew to just stay away from those things.

Even not knowing which teams might advance from the East Divisions, Fimrite expects the two league-championship series to go to the West champions: "Neither team finished its season impressively. The A's backed into the American League West title, losing to the White Sox on the evening the tenacious Texas Rangers mathematically eliminated themselves by losing to Kansas City. And the Dodgers required the services of their season-long whipping boys, the San Diego Padres, whom they defeated Saturday night for the 16th time in 18 meetings, to clinch at least a tie for their division championship. Neither team was annihilating the opposition in the last days of the long season, but the demolition potential nonetheless exists. The major concern for the Westerners in the playoffs was that they would be confronting Eastern Division champions sharpened at the finish by far keener competition."

Fimrite refers to Charlie O. Finley as Oakland's "Mephistophelean owner," and I look forward to investigating this weekend what that might mean. He spends a little time, too, on the Washingtons of Oakland--designated pinch-runner Herb and Claudell, who didn't play baseball at Berkeley High School (which makes it pretty remarkable that he's hitting .280 as a 20-year-old rookie).


Baltimore is obviously a dangerous foe for Oakland, Fimrite writes, given that the Orioles took the A's to five games in 1973 and eliminated Oakland in 1971. With Jim Palmer's and Dave McNally's recoveries from injuries, Baltimore's pitching to match Oakland's. Manager Earl Weaver platoons outfielders, first basemen and catchers, but he tends to send out third baseman Brooks Robinson, shortstop Mark Belanger and second baseman Bobby Grich every day.


As for Los Angeles, Fimrite imagines that the Dodgers might've won 110 games had they not lost Tommy John at midseason to injury. Even as it is, "the Dodgers are simply hard to hold off," Fimrite writes. Los Angeles still has a 20-game winner in Andy Messersmith, Don Sutton has improved in John's absence and third-starter Doug Rau is promising.


They'll be tested, because, of Pittsburgh, Fimrite writes, "The Pirate offense consisted of having Rennie Stennett, Manny Sanguillen, Al Oliver, Willie Stargell, Richie Zisk and Richie Hebner pound the stuffing out of the ball. The Pirates were plainly the best-hitting team in baseball, and they swung at everything thrown in their direction, eschewing the base on balls as the coward's way to first base."


Games 1 and 2 of both series are Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6, respectively. Curt Gowdy, Tony Kubek and new Indians player/manager Frank Robinson will be at Oakland-Alameda County Stadium this weekend to handle NBC's coverage. Jim Simpson and Maury Wills (who no longer holds baseball's record for single-season steals) will be at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh for Game 1 of the N.L. affair. NBC is not carrying Game 2, as it conflicts with the network's Week 4 AFC football coverage.

Speaking of which, I figured out the times on the schedules printed in the October Football Digest. They're all local to the home teams. I'm switching them here, however, to Paducah time:

-- Colts at Patriots, noon Sunday, Oct. 6;
-- Bills at Packers, noon;
-- Falcons at Giants, noon;
-- Saints at Bears, noon;
-- Redskins at Bengals, noon;
-- Raiders at Browns, noon;
-- Steelers at Oilers, noon;
-- Broncos at Chiefs, 3 p.m.;
-- Vikings at Cowboys, 3 p.m.;
-- Lions at Rams, 3 p.m.;
-- Cardinals at 49ers, 3 p.m.;
-- Eagles at Chargers, 3 p.m., and
-- Jets at Dolphins, 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7.

My guesses for what we'll get to see on Channels 6, 12 and 3 ...

22 comments:

  1. I would have been very annoyed that we missed the Vikings/Cowboys game to watch the Cardinals.

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  2. I'm reading through the Sports Illustrateds from 1961, and I find that I still skip the long takeout articles with sketches. I'm just not that interested in hunting, fishing, or anything that involves horses.

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  3. KFVS always carried the Cardinals games, didn't it? I, too, was crushed to see that we would be missing Minnesota-Dallas.

    I'm not sure what is going on here, but I like the look of the hotel at the beginning.

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  4. That is some type of documentary about the Dutch team at the 1974 World Cup. The 1974 Netherlands team is one of the most beloved soccer teams of all time. Look at these scores:

    First Group Stage:
    Netherlands 2, Uruguay 0
    Netherlands 0, Sweden 0
    Netherlands 4, Bulgaria 1

    Second Group Stage:
    Netherlands 4, Argentina 0
    Netherlands 2, E. Germany 0
    Netherlands 2, Brazil 0

    In six matches, they outscored six major soccer nations by a total of 14-1. That is incredible.

    Of course, they then lost to West Germany 2-1 in the final.

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  5. The new ABA season opens Oct. 18, and I'm really excited about the Kentucky Colonels. They made it to the Eastern Division finals last year, and they've got Louie Dampier and Dan Issel from UK, Ron Thomas from U of L and Bird Averitt, who's from Hoptown.

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  6. The Disappearance of Flight 412 was heavily promoted during the NFL Monday Night Football telecast of two weeks ago.

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  7. Oakland and Los Angeles open the World Series on Saturday, Oct. 12, 1974, at Dodger Stadium. The A's and Dodgers needed four games each to eliminate the Orioles and Pirates in the league championship series.

    Baltimore beat out 10 hits, including home runs by Paul Blair, Bobby Grich and Brooks Robinson, in a 6-3 Game 1 victory on Sunday, Oct. 6, in Oakland. But then the Orioles failed to score for 26 straight innings over three games. Down 2-0 in Game 4 on Wednesday, Oct. 9, Baltimore got its leadoff man in the bottom of the eighth, Don Baylor, on base with a single. Rollie Fingers came on for Jim Hunter then and retired the side. In the bottom of the ninth, Baylor came back up with two out, Enos Cabell on second and Jim Palmer (running for Boog Powell, who had just singled in Blair) on first. Fingers struck out Baylor on four pitches, and the A's were headed back to the World Series.

    The Dodgers, meanwhile, swept the weekend games at Three Rivers Stadium, racking up 21 hits over the two games. In Game 3 in Los Angeles, however, the Dodgers found themselves behind, 5-0, before they ever even came to the plate. Willie Stargell and Richie Hebner homered, and Walt Alston replaced his starting pitcher, Doug Rau, with Charlie Hough before the top half of the first inning was through. The Pirates won Game 3, 7-0, but the series got back to normal on Wednesday, Oct. 9, as Los Angeles recorded 12 hits and a 12-1 victory. Don Sutton got his second pitching victory of the series, and Steve Garvey hit two home runs.

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