If the Athletics stayed in K.C. (Commissioner LeMay)

I'd posted this at baseball-fever.com, but hadn't here yet. I dont' think I'll have any other baseball ones, I'm still busy with "If Baseball Interated Early"'s history analogue, etc.; but, here goes one more.

Author’s note: Before a major computer crash, I had the start of 2 timelines. One was Babe Ruth as a Red. There wasn’t a lot different, except a cheating scandal involving Hal Chase – Chase is traded to the Giants in mid-1917, a bit earlier than OTL – and a few others, who are found to have thrown the 1917 World Series. (Chase is more open.) This led to William Howard Taft as Commissioner for a few years, & someone followed him. If I’d found a way to integrate the majors earlier it could have kept going, but the earliest easy place was 1937-9. Ruth would be in 3-5 World Series, win a couple, and have about as many home runs as OTL, while Lou Gehrig would be the start of the Yankee dynasty we all know. Ruth would own Cincinnati, they’d have a bigger, newer park than OTL’s Crosley Field, which lasts till Great American Ballpark, but otherwise, not as many butterflies as one thinks, so I’d forgotten about it before the crash, anyway.

The other? The Athletics staying in Kansas City. It was about a different Commissioner, such as Curtis LeMay. I don’t remember a lot of the early part that I had done, it was only up to 1970 anyway. But, I wanted to do it as a shorter piece, anyway, just to give the basic detail. Then, I’ll do more if I have time.

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Part 1: The Curse of Bud Selig

Who knows what might have happened had a different man been named Commissioner of baseball in late 1965. Well, January of ’66, really – that’s how long it took deadlocked owners once news leaked out that William Eckert was being considered, a man who knew nothing of the game. Well, okay, it might have been Zuckert who was considered, and Eckert recommended, but some owners got them confused, the press got more mixed up about each man’s credentials, and the whole thing fell apart for both men.

They couldn’t have kept the Braves from moving to Atlanta, though some like to dream. The city had exhausted all legal challenges, and the Commissioner wasn’t in office a few months when Atlanta played its first game. The Commissioner, in this case, was Curtis LeMay, who referred…Zuckert…we think. No, he referred Eckert. Or…well, owners were looking at Zuckert, when…let’s just say they finally offered LeMay a ton of money. Senator Symington finally pushed him into it, telling him, “Do something about Finley!”

(Note: I’m not being too facetious in writing this alternate history of the deal, given that LeMay referred one and owners got him confused with the other. It’s quite plausible that confusion could lead to leaks and neither man being named.)

Anyway, it’s what followed, involving Tom Seaver, that brought on what some in Atlanta called “The Curse of Bud Selig.”

The head man of baseball had decided that Seaver could sign with the Braves. Seaver had been part of exhibitions that meant he was no longer eligible under NCAA rules. He was going pro, that was certain. But, rather than make the Braves – as some suggested – cause them to lose the rights to Seaver, the new Commissioner decided the Braves hadn’t been flagrant in what they did, so they could just keep him.

Commissioner LeMay tried to alleviate Selig’s hurt feelings; he promised that Selig would get an expansion team. However, when the Braves – behind Seaver’s 25 wins and Hank Aaron’s 44 home runs – won the N.L. pennant at 97-65 (by 3 over the surprising Mets, 7 over the Cubs), Selig proclaimed: “That should be our pennant! They better enjoy this World Series, because that’s more than they deserve, and all they’re going to get!”

(Note – Aaron hit 5 of his 44 against expansion teams, he’d be expected to hit 8 all things being equal. His average increases, too, a bit, to about .305, given how he did in OTL.)

Baltimore, of course, easily dispatched the Braves in 6. The Braves surprised them by winning game 2 in Baltimore, but the Birds and Jim Palmer overpowered the Braves in game 3. Tom Seaver got back at Mike Cuellar with a win in game 4, but the Orioles came back to win game 5 versus Phil Niekro, 7-4. They captured the World Series in Game 6, with an easy win back home in Baltimore. Still, many considered this the best Braves’ squad in history, certainly on a par with 1957. Indeed, many said Hank Aaron would have won the MVP award were it not for Seaver siphoning off some votes, giving the award to Willie McCovey in a very tight vote. Still, the Orioles had gone 109-53.

(Note: They lost Wally Bunker and Moe Drabowski to the Royals, 2 hurlers who did quite well for an expansion club. Put them in instead of the worst 2 Oriole hurlers, and it’s a wash, even with no expansion teams to play. They’d have more like 103-105 wins in 1970, though, before another 100+ win season after expansion in ’71.)

Baseball clearly needed to be split into divisions by 1969. The N.L. pennant race had been very good and very close; the Cubs fell flat at the end, after leading by as many as four as late as August 22nd. But, the Mets got to within 1.5 of the Braves before the end. The Braves and Cubs had fought hard all the way before that. The World Series featured very close games in games 2, 4, and 5, and excited the Deep South when college football would normally dominate. Still, there were rumblings about the Senators – who had finished 6th, 30 games behind the Orioles – and the Phillies – who had been totally putrid – moving, even with what had happened to Kansas City’s Athletics. It was by no means certain, but there were plenty of cities who craved teams.

The N.L. had begun back in ‘67 to explore expansion by 1971. And, Charlie Finley was making lots of noise, despite the fact that he was no longer in baseball. He would be again, however, with expansion; not that owners were all that thrilled.

More on that in a moment. First, some player moves of note.

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Part 2: Clendenon, Allen, trades, and player rights

In the time that cities fought for the right to new teams, existing teams showed there was easily room for 100 new players. Because more holes needed filled as time wore on, there was lots of trading, especially in the 1968 offseason. However, one man threw a big hitch into some of the trades; a man named Donn Clendenon.

A native of Atlanta, he hadn’t wanted to go to Houston in a trade, talking about retiring instead. (Note – this is OTL.) The Pirates found another player to go instead, but still wanted to trade him, with some of their other young talent coming up. The Astros felt they had a decent shot at contending with another veteran slugger, in a league they sensed was growing very balanced.

With no expansion team to claim Rusty Staub would be the centerpiece, there was no way for Commissioner LeMay to see a trade was vital, like if Staub had been part of the trade to an expansion club. However, as teams talked, the problem became trickier.

Clendenon was approached by the Players’ Association, and convinced that – instead of retiring, since the Pirates really wanted to send him to Houston – he should be willing to challenge the Reserve Clause. He felt he wouldn’t be playing more anyway, so he said, why not? He sued to challenge their right to trade him when another attempt was made.

What had happened was, the Mets looked like they could contend, with the right pieces. They began to inquire about the rights to Clendenon. They had plenty of spare parts, especially in pitching, but they needed offense. Meanwhile, the Phillies wanted more power to go with Dick Allen, who was perceived as a major malcontent. The Mets felt Allen was younger, could possibly play third, and would cost little more than Clendenon would, for much more production. The wheels began turning on a trade with the Phillies, as the Mets realized Clendenon might not report anywhere. The Phillies traded Allen in June, for good young players like Duffy Dyer and pitcher Gary Gentry. Then, the Phillies tried to acquire Clendenon, and Clendenon refused to report.

The Phillies were absolutely woeful, at 54-108, in 1969. They were 18-34 when they finally pulled the strings on the Allen deal. The Mets were more willing to consider such a big deal, because they didn’t just have the Cubs, who were in first by 3 at the time over Atlanta, to hop over. The Reds, Giants, and Dodgers were also ahead of them at this point, but just barely. The Mets knew they had a good shot at contending, if not outright winning, but for now they were in sixth.

Their first pennant wouldn’t come until 1972, but the excitement over this ’69 team pushed them to front page status, ahead of the Yankees.

The Mets sent a number of promising players, including Gentry, former first round pick Dyer, and outfielders, promoting Amos Otis to the majors. It was a little early for Otis, who blossomed in ’70. Otis stabilized an outfield in ’72 that featured Rusty Staub – who was injured for a little over half the year – and aging Cleon Jones and Tommie Agee..

The Cardinals might have considered Allen, but were nowhere near contention. They were in 9th when the Allen deal was made; only the woeful Phillies separating the two-time defending N.L. champs from the basement. (The Cards were way ahead of the Phillies.) They decided not to panic; 1965 hadn’t been a great year, either, though this team was supposed to be better. As it was, they rallied to 80-82, thanks to the strong pitching of Gibson and Carlton. Only Brock and Gibson were deemed safe – not even Carlton was, as he became embroiled in a contract dispute. They wound up making a number of trades in the offseason.

Allen felt really good with the Mets; he’d been freed from a horrible situation in Philadelphia, where he’d hinted at a trade demand. The New York press, always eager for a story, provided him a mouthpiece to air all sorts of dirty laundry about the Phillies – including his side of an incident in 1965 that Phillie management tried to sweep under the rug. The fact other ex-Phillies agreed with his side, and that it involved an original Met, Frank Thomas, made it juicier, and it earned him some sympathy at first. As long as the Mets kept winning, his antics were okay; Allen was seen by some as divisive, but he was newsworthy, and he quickly lifted the Mets to third.

He couldn’t field at third, though, where the Mets wanted him. Ed Kranepool did well at first. So, the Mets moved him to left later that summer, where he was less of a liability. He slumped at first in New York, since Shea Stadium was such a pitchers park, but he still grabbed a lot of attention and put fans in the stands, to see if he’d hit one of his long home runs. Many recall the Phillies’ first visit to Shea since the trade, when he blasted what some say was a homer of over 500 feet. He seemed to glare at the Phillies’ dugout all the way around the bases. A reporter asked him afterward about it, and he said, “I wanted to go to Jersey to see a horserace, but I wasn’t going to miss this chance. I’d been waiting to pay them back for how they treated me all these years!”

The scowl from Philadelphia was mostly gone. Still, comments like that – wanting to go see a horse race way over in New Jersey – and a few other issues involving showing up a little late meant Gil Hodges had a lot to handle. He called someone he knew from his playing days, one very familiar with racial taunts and the eye of what seemed to be an entire nation. Maybe he could help.

Allen didn’t mind New York too much – it was diverse enough, and it provided him with media attention. Still, he’d ruffled feathers even his first few weeks in New York. Hodges asked Jackie Robinson to work with Allen personally. It helped for a while, but Hodges was worried that he might need to hire Jackie as bench coach as 1970 wore on, and Jackie Robinson was starting to become ill by this time.

Allen made what many called an unintended peace gesture at first, after what Jackie – and Hodges, and Roy Campanella, etc. – told him. On the one-year anniversary of the trade, he said, “You people are all just upset ‘cause that no good Walter O’Malley stole your Dodgers out from under you. You should have some sympathy for me; our race has been havin’ Walter O’Malleys steal from us for generations!” He then said, “If it’ll make you feel better, maybe we oughta just rename the Mets the ‘Brooklyn Dodgers’.” He then challenged O’Malley to sell the naming rights!

As one Philadelphia paper put it, “He gets hung up on names for weird reasons. Now he’s trying to get all of Brooklyn on his side, while antagonizing all the former Giant fans.”

New York’s press honeymoon wore off in 1970. The Reds raced to an incredible record after 100 games. The Mets were out of things very early, and struggled to get to .500. Allen’s lack of production – because of the big ballpark, and lack of protection in the lineup – compared to last year was blamed for the Mets being unable to recapture the magic. They had been the trendy pick to win it all in 1970. With the media coming down on him more, the team itself didn’t seem to support Allen like he wanted. The fact Allen slumped to .278 didn’t help; he had 32 homers, but failed to reach 100 RBIs. He was walked a lot, and missed over 20 games with injuries. Still, some wondered – do they trade him, or get help behind him? Could trading him net both offense and another good pitcher besides Koosman?

Things had coming to such a head some say Phillie management would have suspended him for something in ’69 had he remained with them. The Mets’ big improvement after acquiring him meant his trade value wasn’t bad. Still, in 1970, the Mets finished 22 behind the Reds, in 6th. The Cardinals and Phillies were in 9th and 10th, respectively, showing that a couple smaller trades between them hadn’t worked out well for either side. But, the Mets felt that perhaps Carlton – who had done quite poorly because of the distractions of the dispute – could give them some help.

They knew they needed offense, too, though. And, they didn’t seem to be able, for sure, to get a pitching ace and good power for Allen. Besides, fans came to see him in droves. Claims he was divisive were now spread to an entire metropolitan area, as he talked a few more times about the Dodger move, but seemed to ignore the Giants. But, at least he was trying. And, with him permanently in left – though he spelled Kranepool at first some – his defense was up to mediocre, enough so that he was compared to Babe Herman less and less. He was having fun.

But, the White Sox came, then, and offered Tommy John. A multi-player deal was worked out, and the White Sox, with Allen’s potent bat at first full-time now, improved almost 30 wins from 1970 to 1971; in ’71 they snuck ahead of the Yankees for 4th in the new A.L. East, at 82-80. The following year, he’d lead them to a division title. His offensive production picked up, and the White Sox had found the man who would bring fans back to the ballpark.

As one later writer said, “Hodges tried as best he could to draw analogies to things he’d seen in his playing days. He felt if Allen looked at things from a different perspective, he would lose some of his stubborn streak. Allen had issues that went beyond the ball diamond. Still, you had to give Hodges credit for trying whatever he could.”

The same stands that – after his Brooklyn comments – saw numerous banners signed “Giants fan” saying “We were robbed, too!” saw another big banner unfurled on the last day of the 1969 season. It read “Wait Till Next Year!” An average of 28,000 fans had come to see the Mets the following year, 1970, and life in the Big Apple was good. “Next year” would come, in 1972. But first, there was expansion. That, alone, was a mess.
 
Part 3: Expansion – Not As Easy As it Seemed

Commissioner LeMay had promised Bud Selig two things: He’d urge owners to look into expansion, with Milwaukee being the first city, and he would no longer tolerate owners moving willy-nilly, as the Braves had.

He knew he’d been too late to save the Braves. If someone stepped in before ‘65, maybe, but if baseball had stopped the move in ‘66, they’d have found themselves sued by the Braves’ owner and by Atlanta. He was military, but good enough at politics to realize what he had. However, he also had the ear of Senator Symington, who – after the long, drawn-out deadlock over who would be Commissioner – personally went up and begged him to serve. Symington had been fearful that Finley would take advantage of the lack of a Commissioner and wear A.L. owners down till he moved.

LeMay had stepped in. In late 1967, Finley again planned to move. Owners were ready to okay it, but LeMay - in addition to pushing for overseas trips (like the Dodgers’ in ‘66) and doing other things to help in the business area - had done baseball a big favor. He’d looked for a new owner behind the scenes. Eventually, he found one. He told Finley he had two options. Keep the team there, or sell the Athletics to Ewing Kauffman.

“You mean the A’s,” Finley retorted.

“’A’ is right – with you, it stands for ‘absurd,’ or ‘anarchy,’” LeMay responded. He was military, yet political enough to know he’d have to give something to get along with owners. So, he promised Finley, “If you choose to give up the Athletics, and keep on your best behavior, you will be considered highly for an expansion team, if you can raise the funds. However, I have learned that – had other owners not felt forced by the death of Arnold Johnson – you never would have gotten a team in the first place.”

Finley threatened to sue, but realized he’d have no support, with how he’d antagonized owners. However, he insisted that he had run the A’s well, and that he could put enough together to get an expansion club. He could always find others to lend money. And, he knew there would be at least one team in trouble, as the Senators had been bleeding red ink, and were about to be sold, as they would soon be to Bob Short..

Short had bought the Lakers, moving them from Minnesota to Los Angeles. Attendance at Senators’ games floundered through 1969, even as they finished at 79-83. It might have been a little better, had there been divisions, and had they had a chance to beat bad teams. Now, the situation was more than hopeless. Fans couldn’t see 3rd or 4th as possible; they finished well into 6th. (Note: they were 86-76 in OTL, and while 4th, looked very promising, whereas here, they’d be nowhere near 5th). Fans lost interest. They were more interested in the Redskins; the Senators’ best club still couldn’t finish .500.

As expansion was discussed into 1969, a couple cities were obvious; San Diego was at the top. They had a name – the Padres – and assurance they’d get a club. Milwaukee was the other. The White Sox struggled enough it was possible they could move with another owner getting an expansion club, but when Finley suggested this, with him getting the Chicago club, Symington barked, “I’d rather give Al Capone an expansion club in Chicago!” LeMay, not yet as unnerved by Finley as the esteemed Senator had been, simply said it made more sense for Chicago’s current owners to keep trying, while Selig got the expansion club. “Milwaukee has a perfectly good stadium, just like San Diego, and good ownership, which is what we want,” he added.

The other two cities were murkier. Montreal looked possible for a time, but then they couldn’t reach a stadium deal as 1968 wore on, so it seemed they might not get a team. Still, the potential owner, Charles Bronfman, was very rich. In 1969, they formed a plan to increase Jarry Park’s attendance to 32,000, and build an Olympic stadium. Montreal was back on the running. Seattle, on the other hand, had approved a stadium in a 1967 vote, but as 1969 turned into 1970, there were major delays in it. LeMay declared that if Seattle didn’t get an A.L. club – as they’d expected in 1968 - San Diego would have to, in order to satisfy Gene Autry, who wanted another team on the West Coast.

Among other cities, Dallas was a thought, but Houston’s owner got a coalition together to block it in the N.L.. Bob Short also threatened to block it because they didn’t have a stadium yet, though his intention was to keep it fresh in case he had to move the Senators there himself. Oakland had a stadium but lacked certainty of ownership. Toronto had an owner – Jack Kent Cooke - but lacked a good stadium. New Orleans was shy on both and too small, though they were a possible future site. Denver had no natural rivals and would be less convenient, but was a nice option if other things fell through, as they had a very good stadium and possibly rich ownership.

Official announcements were made in mid-1969 that San Diego and Milwaukee were in. If others couldn’t be found for sure, this was fine – they could both join the A.L., which was more keen toward expanding. Still, LeMay pushed for both leagues to expand; he wanted to be more in charge strategically. They didn’t really like how he ran expansion, but at least he was accepting their input. One scribe, in June, 1970, described it as LeMay “Planning strategy, with all available information, to invade football territory and reclaim some for baseball. He’s going about it well – the tour of the Dodgers in Japan in ’66, promoting the chase of Aaron and Mays toward Ruth’s record, and other things. He wants to make baseball viable in as many places as possible.” Privately, owners desired a different man next time; league attorney Bowie Kuhn was discussed. LeMay probably wouldn’t seek re-election anyway.

By the 1969 Winter Meetings, plans for Jarry Park had been finalized; expansion would take it to 40,000 seats by 1971. Though Montreal hadn’t gotten the Olympics yet, the organizing committee became part of the presentation that showed it could be a very viable big league city. Bronfman’s wealth was the real key, as long as a stadium was there. “They were lucky we had enough time to give them,” one owner said. “We wouldn’t have jumped on the chance this early, but with Seattle out unless things happen really fast, we’re announcing Montreal as our third city.”

Indeed, not only had Seattle fallen out of the running due to bickering over stadium sites and owners backing out, a few others had, too. Whereas before, cities seemed to be lining up for baseball, by the end of 1969 they all seemed to have problems. Autry’s insistence that San Diego enter the A.L. if Seatle wasn’t chosen, along with the N.L. President’s excitement over expanding into Canada, were the only things that prevented the A.L. from expanding by 2 while keeping the N.L. at 10 for the time being. However, they could tell that Milwaukee and Montreal would likely enter the N.L., with the A.L. getting San Diego and…someone. Chicago still was only truly stable in the N.L., and Selig wanted his club to be in the N.L. if they could be.

Bob Short, who borrowed most of the money to buy his club as it was, offered a “Calvin Griffith” plan. Just as Griffith moved to Minnesota, and Washington got an expansion club, he’d move to Dallas – really, Arlington – and Washington would get another team. Washington attendance had picked up, but they knew Short was struggling. While they didn’t want to move a team, they promised to look into it.

LeMay liked the idea of putting an established team in Dallas. He privately gave Short his blessing, and started a hurried look for Washington investors. None had enough cash, though. One group looked promising, led by Joseph Danzanski. But, that fell through by May, and would have even a few years later as the Padres struggled. By late June, no potential Washington owners were found. The league felt none would be. Owners were forced to admit that Short wasn’t making any money in Washington, and the previous owner had major problems, too. If that was the case with a now-established team, an expansion team would be worse off financially.

Then, Finley stepped forward. He promised that he’d mended his ways. He pledged to stay in Washington, too, because he said he “Understood the complex nature of the antitrust exemption, which Congress holds over our heads.”

He had no comment when reminded of his preference for Oakland – or, really, anyplace that gave him money and a ballpark. Symington said, “If the Senators are going to move, take them now, don’t wait a year. And, don’t give Finley a team here; Washington doesn’t deserve a man who threatens to move everywhere but the Moon!”

He’d looked into the ownership problem with LeMay, and agreed that, sadly, baseball in Washington wasn’t going to succeed with Short, and a fire sale in ‘70 would make it worse. Washington was on its way to 9th place, around 35 games back, with only the White Sox worse. They still leaked red ink. Fans that had come in ’69 now stayed away consistently. Privately, a few owners said it would have been ideal to expand by 2, but divisions of an even number of teams were best in each league. Still, there were concerns about whether all the franchises could survive.

It was best if the A.L. got 2 Western division cities, so the Tigers could stay in the East, if the Senators stayed. Now, that wasn’t as necessary; Short announced in July that he was moving the Senators, and Arlington Stadium would be expanded for 1971. Most figured they’d have been a lame duck team in ’71 anyway. Now, it meant Milwaukee would go into the N.L., unless Bud Selig didn’t mind being put in the A.L. East.

Finally, in July, 1970, owners couldn’t wait any longer.

Finley eventually admitted he preferred Oakland, and showed owners he had a group lined up to pay an expansion price, partly due to his sale to Kauffman. He would give big headaches to A.L. owners, who didn’t necessarily want him. Still, Stoneham would block any move by Oakland into the N.L.. On the other hand, Seattle‘s new stadium wasn’t close to getting started, or having a location. Denver wound up second to Oakland, now that Texas was getting the Rangers.

In the end, the owners went with a stadium that was already there, and a city that sort of felt they’d been denied a club. Many wondered if the Bay Area could support 2 clubs; the Giants had fallen off in attendance since 1967, though it was decent. Owners felt that, if Oakland were totally turned off of the new team – fans were just starting to come back in Kansas City – it wouldn’t be as big of a loss; they’d have the Giants. In a way, maybe that team would end up in Denver in a few years, anyway, and they’d be rid of Finley.

So, Finley received the Oakland team, which he just called the A’s. He’d kept pretty quiet, and actually been helpful. In return, he’d gotten his wish. But, in hindsight, it figured that he would. He always did whatever was in his best interests. He manipulated things to get another club. Now, he’d be Oakland’s headache.

All that remained was to set the divisions - each league would have 2 divisions of 6. The Cubs insisted on the East for TV and newspapers, so they wouldn’t have 27 West Coast games. (Each team would play 18 against division rivals, 12 against the others.) The Cardinals insisted on staying with them. However, the Mets wanted the Reds in the East, since they looked like the next dynasty. They couldn’t put 2 West Cost team in the N.L., though. Finally, LeMay stepped in, and suggested that both West Coast clubs go into the A.L., letting the Cubs and Cardinals be in the West, and still have only 18 games on the West Coast. This let the N.L. expand into Canada as they desired. Alternatives were more confusing, and/or would totally mess things up geographically.

So, the divisions in 1971 – in order of finish - would be:
A.L. East: Baltimore, Detroit, Boston, Chicago, New York, Cleveland
A.L. West: Kansas City, Minnesota, California, Oakland, Texas, San Diego
N.L. East: Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New York, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Montreal
N.L. West: St. Louis, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Milwaukee,

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Part 4 – “Cleaning Up the Act,” Great ’71 Stories, and the Strike Threat

Commissioner LeMay faced another problem in 1970, when “Ball Four” hit the shelves. Owners had said they wanted to just sweep it under the rug, but LeMay refused. “Let’s show fans we want to clean things up,” the military man insisted.

What he referred to was the problem of drugs in baseball, which author Jim Bouton had shown were readily available. LeMay declared an amnesty period for any player who wanted to give them up, and said there would be then “clubhouse inspections” for drugs. Owners were concerned, because they didn’t want to rock the boat; they were already leery of player strike threats, if the Supreme Court ruled in the owners’ favor.

He got numerous former players to come speak to current ones about how all they’d needed was a lot of food. LeMay also hinted at fines and suspensions once 1971 rolled around, if things didn’t improve. “He’s brought his military mind to this one,” one writer commented, “as he expected a clean, smoothly run ship. He’s forgetting that he’s not running an army, he’s running a game with grown men playing like boys.”

Still, some took heed. Dock Ellis, in particular, slumped badly for a spell for the Pirates in 1970, as he seemed extra anxious on the mound. He later remarked, “I was suddenly thinking about everything out there, The Commissioner was right, though we didn’t want to admit it, as players; some of us were using drugs to escape the pressure.” He didn’t say how many, but there were a number of players caught over the years, though that wouldn’t come till the early 1980s – those who’d played in this time period stayed clean; LeMay’s tough talk before the Union got too powerful had scared them straightr...

Owners quickly downplayed that, as it was still easy, in this simpler time, to tell fans that the problem had been eliminated. Instead, they focused on the “last real pennant races” – the Reds won handily, but the Twins, after not really challenging in 1969, stuck tight to the Orioles, only 1.5 back before being swept by them in early August, ending up 10 behind Baltimore. Owners also focused on expansion in 1971; there were some very good stories which came out of the expansion year for fans to follow.

Jim Lonborg had been coming off of injuries, but the Oakland A’s had taken him in the expansion draft. He had a decent 1971, and a very good 1972 that earned him a spot on the All-Star team. The star of the Impossible Dream Red Sox of 1967, he never had another great year like ’67, but his was one of the nice success stories that marked the ’71 expansion clubs. It was also one of those that Finley hyped in his first years.

Another nice story was Bob Johnson. He went from the Mets to the Phillies in the multi-player deal that sent Allen packing. Eventually, he went from a very bad 1969 and 1970 to the ’71 World Series, where he helped the Pirates beat the Orioles’ 4 20-game winners. Pittsburgh had talent to send the Phillies, even with Clendenon having challenged the reserve clause. They also had one of baseball’s smallest players, shortstop Freddie Patek, who was part of the ’71 champions, but whose slump in 1972 was one reason they lost a close pennant race in their division.

Another really nice story was that the Athletics had gone from challenging in the pennant race – finishing third and tied for third the last two years – to first in the A.L. West, the only division without a good pennant race in 1971. In fact, Kansas City finished a whopping 21 games ahead of Minnesota, the only club above .500 in the division. The A.L. East’s was good till a September Oriole surge, as was the N.L. East’s till the Pirates surged then. The N.L. West’s was fantastic.

1971 was the first time the Athletics made the playoffs in 40 years; fans came in droves. Their rotation of Hunter, Blue, Odom, and Splitorff – a draftee from Kauffman’s group’s first draft – couldn’t beat the Orioles, though; they were swept.

Another star for Kansas City would be Frank White. Kauffman sponsored tryouts for locals, as one way to get fans back after the public relations disasters of Finley’s years. White came to the bigs in 1972 as a middle infielder in September, and earned a spot as a utility man in ’73. He’d start by 1975 at 2nd. The Athletics also featured Rollie Fingers, who was turning into a relief stalwart. Reggie Jackson hit 33 home runs for them.

They kept the green and gold, but added blue in, too. They generally used royal blue script, but saved green and gold for special occasions. It was an inadvertent discovery of the power of uniform sales later, as fans began to purchase each. (Note: Think Royals’ uniforms with ‘Athletics’ in script, with a gold border around “KC” in the cap, and the crown for the elephant in the logo when they move into Royals’ Stadium, the crown a nod to the Monarchs. Green is in the uniform to break slumps, or just for fun.) They didn’t have all the combinations of the ’79 Pirates, but they tried a few then.

The Pirates’ World Series win was another great story of ‘71. They were the first team to field 9 black players for a game. Matty Alou got a Series ring as a 4th outfielder. Rennie Stennett was a superb sub in several infield spots. Most importantly, Roberto Clemente shone in the postseason. They seemed like they could repeat, their club was so packed. They featured youngsters like Bruce Kison, who started 21 and relieved in others; they couldn’t swing a deal with the expansion Expos for Nelson Briles, picked off the Cards after a poor 1970. Briles was one of the Expos’ best players for a few years. They’d also tried to get Vic Davalillo, but couldn’t manage a trade there.

Not getting Davalillo hurt in 1972, as Alou aged and Bob Robertson was hurt a lot by injuries, and slumped terribly, forcing Willie Stargell to first base. Davalillo wound up with the Athletics as a 4th outfielder in 1972 and ’73, the latter as part-time designated hitter as well.

The joy of new teams was marred by strike threats after the Supreme Court’s decision that kept the Reserve Clause intact; though as a split ruling, it opened the door for free agency later. It was clear that the players’ union would have to find another way to get player rights; with the decision months earlier than it might have been, they were able to get some players to choose to let their contracts be automatically renewed without re-signing them in 1974, rather than 1975.

For 1972, as players began digging in, saving money for a possible work stoppage, owners began discussing a lockout. Commissioner LeMay, however, was incensed. He declared there would be absolutely no work stoppage on either side. “Baseball has hired me to oversee it. I can’t oversee a game that isn’t played. This is a game that has withstood much worse than this, and we will come together as a unit.” Rumors swirled that he’d threatened to take both sides “Back to the Stone Age” if he had to.

Owners comforted themselves that they only had one more year of his rule. Besides, Bowie Kuhn, their attorney, was advising them that it was in their best interests to try to play, anyway; even though some teams were really losing money.

One of those was the Rangers. Bob Short’s ill-fated trade for Denny McLain was a disaster. Finley made money only because he ran the A’s on a shoestring; they had what some called “the look and feel of a AAA team.” They drew under 850,000, and only made a dent in Giants’ attendance, because the Giants were in a great pennant race. (Note: It ate into it more in our 1969, but the A’s were contenders. Here, they’re bad.)

The Oakland A’s were called this because the full name was “Acorns,” after the old minor league team. The joke was that they might change their name if they didn’t do well, but instead of Oak, they would choose the letter “O” as their symbol. And, that the way Finley ran his club, “They’ll have run through all the vowels in a couple years.”

Steve Busby and George Brett, both selected in the draft, were rushed to the majors in September. Finley called the former “Buzz” Busby for his speed, and told the other that he had a great bat, he just needed the perfect nickname. Brett would start the ’72 season in the minors again, but start regularly by 1973.

After 1971, the Astros and Reds made a major trade. Jack Billingham – acquired from the Dodgers by the Astros for the stretch run in ’69 – and Joe Morgan, plus a few others, went to the Reds for a few players.

Cincinnati and Pittsburgh looked ready to fight for the N.L. East in ‘72, while Atlanta looked to have run its last great race, with a somewhat aging offense. Hank Aaron hit 49 home runs and nearly stole the 1971 MVP from Willie Stargell; he would have, had the Braves finished first. Tom Seaver won 23, after winning 265 in 1969. He lost the Cy Young Award by a narrow margin to Ferguson Jenkins, who won 27 and kept the Cubs in contention till September. Seaver was handicapped by the Launching Pad at Atlanta for half of his starts, inflating his ERA, but Wrigley Field was a good hitters’ park, too.

In all the looking at how the Reds may have hopped over the Braves, and could hop over the Pirates, few looked at the Mets. Like in the A.L., the team with the most wins had won the pennant. The Pirates were still seen as the team to beat for 1972.

As he promised, LeMay sat down with players and owners and insisted they come to an agreement. He eventually got the teams to agree for the good of baseball. He’d destroyed any remaining amount of the support he’d had among owners, but he’d earned the respect of the nation for “making baseball work.” Bowie Kuhn, the next Commissioner, would try to make things a little easier. However, he’d have to deal with free agency as it began.

LeMay’s last year, meanwhile, featured a couple great stories, and turned what should have been one of the great underdogs, given their history – the Kansas City Athletics – into a World Series favorite.
 
Part 5 – 1972 – The Amazing Mets

The Kansas City Athletics had paid their due, and then some. After years of poor play – save for 1947-1949 – after Connie Mack’s second fire sale, they’d come to Kansas City, only to be raided, treated like a circus, and altogether messed up for years. They’d had a great, but inexperienced team led by Dick Williams in 1971, who would win five divisions and three pennants in seven years with the club, before leaving in favor of Whitey Herzog before the 1978 season. He’d manage a few other winners, and while he never won any more pennants, winning so consistently wherever he went, and developing younger players, led him to the Hall of Fame; Whitey Herzog made it, too. He left them midway through 1981 for the Cardinals, as failing to win in 1979, then starting so badly in ’81, led to his firing on a team that had grown impatient. Herzog would win two more pennants with the Cardinals, and another, ironically, back in K.C. in 1989, where he’d come back in mid-88. In’71, Kansas City ran away with the division, losing the ALCS

In 1972, Paul Splitorff was an excellent fourth starter, to join Vida Blue – the reigning A.L. Cy Young winner who went 15-9, missing a few starts with injuries - Catfish Hunter, and Blue Moon Odom. They’d beaten another surprise team, the White Sox, in 4 in the ALCS. People could tell by their 96 wins and big win in the West that they were ready to take on an N.L. team as a very deserving Cinderella.

They’d been expected, though. Once in the World Series, they met a real Cinderella.

Nolan Ryan was just another flamethrower before 1972. The Mets saw him transform this year into an ace, one who captivated the entire city, hurling ten shutouts. Tommy John, acquired to be the ace if Koosman couldn’t hold up, wound up second fiddle to Ryan, winning 14 but nursing a few injuries. However, Jerry Koosman slipped a bit more, and young Jon Matlack came on to help Jim McAndrew; at times, each of them was actually considered the second best starter on the Mets.

The Mets battled the Pirates, for first and then for second when the Reds got hot in mid-May. Their outfield of Milner, Otis, and Staub was helped by Jones and Agee, and by Willie Mays, who came from the Giants in June. Their infield wasn’t great, but it was good defensively. At catcher, Jerry Grote had numerous injuries, meaning they had to trade for someone, but their farm system was still good enough to do that.

Because of injury problems mentioned earlier, the Pirates faded a bit; they wound up 4 games behind the division winners. The Mets and Reds were tied going into the final weekend in New York. Ryan tossed a complete game to win 4-2, and then the Mets almost clinched, as a pinch-hitter for Grote knocked in a go-ahead run in the 8th. Then, in the 9th, Pete Rose bowled over the Mets’ backup to tie the game, leading to a brawl. Rose homered to win the game in extra innings, and the Reds and Mets were again tied. The veteran Koosman was called on to close out the division title, though he’d had a poor 1972; Matlack and McAndrew were in the ‘pen if needed. The Mets won 5-2, with Matlack closing it out, letting Tug McGraw – who had a great year – rest for the NLCS..

Up next was the N.L. West winner. The Astros had traded quite a few players after 1971, sending Nate Colbert away for pitching help, too, since they’d gotten Lee May from the Reds in the Joe Morgan deal.

However, the Cubs got Tommy Davis back in late June after an injury, and they had Jenkins and Holtzman as a powerful 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. Billy Williams had an MVP-type year. The only drawback was, they’d traded Burt Hooton and a spotty reliever, Mike Marshall, for offensive star Willie Davis and a couple relievers till Tommy Davis returned. The Davis’ helped this year for the Cubs, but Marshall blossomed with the Dodgers starting in ’72, and L.A. wound up a very close 3rd, only 3 games out.

The teams battled it out in an excellent pennant race. With the A.L. East’s also being close, baseball featured 3 excellent races out of 4 divisions again; again, the A.L. West was the snoozer. In the end, the Cubs won. Fergie Jenkins won on the game’s final day to prevent the Astros – who also won their game – from tying them. When Holtzman outdueled Ryan in game 1 at Shea, the Cubs were only 2 wins in 4 games from their first pennant since 1945. And, they’d be coming home for the last 3.

The Mets, who had won 5 more games in the regular season than the Cubs, won 3 straight to win the NLCS 3 games to 1. Tommy John beat Jenkins – on three days’ rest since he won the last game of the regular season - in New York. After Jerry Koosman showed he was coming back to his old form to win game 3, Jon Matlack beat Holtzman 3-0 to win the pennant for the Mets; they’d wanted to save Ryan for game 5. But, at least the Cubs had made the postseason.

An all-Chicago World Series would not come, though the idea had captured the minds of Chicago fans like crazy. It had even convinced the Cubs’ owners – now that Series weekday games were being played in the evening – to put lights n Wrigley Field, under pressure to get more revenue; the White Sox looked like they would contend for a while now, with Allen there.

The Mets’ GM said later, “Ryan was the key – we didn’t have a righthanded hurler who could command that kind of presence, and we weren’t sure if John or Koosman were going to blossom into that type in the offseason ’71. We didn’t have a reliable third baseman because the infielders from the White Sox trade hadn’t panned out, but we figured we could make due with Garrett at third if we had a superb outfield, which we did. So, we kept Ryan, mostly because we needed a good righthander.

The death of Gil Hodges was also a huge factor in the Mets’ run. Yogi Berra had taken over, and everyone was trying to win for Gil.

With Hunter starting game 4 and winning the pennant, Blue Moon Odom started game 1, outdueling Nolan Ryan in New York, with Gene Tenace getting a couple key hits.

Game 2 featured Tommy John for the Mets, versus Catfish Hunter. McAndrew came in to get the win in relief, as the Mets didn’t want to go down 2-0 going back to Kansas City. They even used Koosman, putting Matlack in position to start game 3. Willie Mays pinch-hit for the pitcher in the middle innings of game 2, with the Mets down one. He struck out, but the Mets tied it, and he remained to play outfield in a double switch. He made a play in left that was much easier than he made it look, a sign of his age, but then hit a double off Fingers in the 8th that put the Mets ahead. The Mets tacked on another, and won 4-2, to tie the Series at one going back to Kansas City.

Game 3 saw Matlack, among others, beat Blue 5-2. Kansas City won game 4, this time in extra innings, as Nolan Ryan and Blue Moon Odom kept it scoreless through 9. Koosman finally started in game 5, and he showed his old form, beating Hunter 3-1; the only World Series game Hunter would lose in his career.

Back in New York, the Athletics were down 3-2. With their backs to the wall, they used a number of pitchers, and Hunter came back for an inning of relief to win on one days’ rest. Rollie Fingers wound up with the save, as he faked an intentional walk and then struck out Rusty Staub to get the momentum back in the bottom of the 9th; as the Mets tried to rally. One out later, Kansas City had knotted the Series at three.

Nolan Ryan and Tug McGraw beat Blue Moon Odom 2-1 in game 7. It was a great cap for a great season. Many said it “brought baseball back into the public consciousness,” though 1971’s – with weekday games played at night – had started it. Some say it was one of the best Series ever, even though the Athletics and Reds played 2 over the next 3 years that equaled it in intensity, Kansas City and then Cincinnati winning in 7.

However, it wasn’t just the dominance of the major markets of New York and Chicago in ‘72. It was a combination of a number of great stories that had transpired that season, with Hank Aaron continuing his assault on the home run record – he stood at 675 now – one of the big stories that promised to lead into an even more stellar 1973.

(Note: Aaron was given a couple more homers in 1969 and 1971; even with 1-2 fewer in 1970 with only 20 teams, starting in 1971, he’d play fewer games in spacious Dodger Stadium, the Astrodome, and Jack Murphy Stadium than in OTL, with only Shea Stadium seeing him more. Also, 1972 might be a tad better for him than 1970 because the pitchers are les experienced. So, a net gain of 2 is plausible.)

LeMay only served one term as Commissioner. But, overall, he’s seen to have done a good job. Bowie Kuhn was clearly preferred by owners, though, so LeMay stepped aside rather than try to seek another term. Besides, he’d be 70 in just a few years. “I hadn’t wanted to go into politics, but in this role, I was anyway,” he joked later.

1973 would be quite stellar. Kansas City’s Athletics would win their first World Series since 1930, for one thing. However, other happenings made it a year to remember, too. Not only would Hank Aaron break the all-time home run record, Charlie Finley had talked American League owners into an experiment to increase offense, when expansion failed to do so; the Designated Hitter rule was established.
 
Part 6 – The Times, They Are A-Changing

Atlanta had been given the last 10 games of the 1973 season as home games, just in case Aaron got close enough to break Babe Ruth’s record. He hit 3 in Milwaukee this year, games which Bud Selig promoted to the hilt. “Watch the Milwaukee record breaker,” fans were told. Any home run Aaron hit as a visitor would be deemed the record breaker, which made it confusing when there were three of them. Two were off the Brewers’ Al Downing, though, so he took the “credit” for surrendering the record breaker.

However, the real 715th home run came in the club’s 161st game, off the Philadelphia Phillies. Aaron said he wished he’d been able to set the record in Milwaukee, but the fact Milwaukee fans could still see him play was a blessing, at least. He was also glad he’d been able play in the field the entire time. The Braves finished 3rd, hovering around .500, but they’d kept drawing fans to see Seaver (the Cy Young winner) and Aaron.

The Athletics, meanwhile, had a juggernaut. Reggie Jackson hit .305 with 36 home runs, and Sal Bando had 30. Gene Tenace, Rick Monday, and DH Deron Johnson each had 20 or more, and Hunter, Blue, and Splitorff each won 20+. While they lacked a perfect leadoff man – Bert Campaneris and Joe Rudi each had poor on base averages – the Athletics were, ironically, the kind of team Earl Weaver loved – pitching, defense, and the 3-run homer. They beat the Orioles in the ALCS, while the Reds swept the Giants – who had bested the Dodgers by a game in the N.L. West.

In the World Series, without a DH in odd-numbered years, the Athletics won in a great 7-game matchup. Catfish Hunter, 3-0 in the Series, won the finale, 3-1, in Kansas City.

Ah, the DH. Charlie Finley’s idea had worked, unlike his orange baseballs and other odd plans. But, it was just one more sign that things were changing drastically. Willie Mays retired after the season, and there was a new home run king, Hank Aaron.

The Giants were in a great pennant race with the Dodgers in 1973. The Dodgers’ top 3 of Sutton, Messrsmith, and Hooton was barely keeping them on top, but the Giants looked quite potent. They needed help in the bullpen, though, so they got a starter from the Padres, Mike Caldwell, and some relief help, while sending youngster Dave Kingman to San Diego. “Kong,” as he would become known, became noteworthy not only for long home runs, but also for being the prototype DH, as he was tried in a variety of fielding positions for the Padres, but never worked out. Since he was in the A.L., he could be moved to DH, but his batting average never got very high, and playing in very spacious Jack Murphy Stadium, he wound up being sold elsewhere after a while.

The trade kept Willie McCovey in San Francisco, as they needed to keep him despite concerns he might be getting old. This, combined with a very good pennant race, kept an even larger number of fans from leaving. The Giants were concerned about having to move, but only held preliminary talks before being sold; they were the only other N.L. team on the West Coast, so the place they’d talked of moving was Seattle. McCovey remained a Giant his entire career, till he retired in 1980.

The biggest change, though, was in what the union planned the next year.

Since the defeat of the reserve clause case, they’d tried to find a way around it. Late in 1973, they decided to test free agency another way. Andy Messrsmith of the Dodgers agreed to play without signing the contract he was automatically offered, as did Dave McNally. (Note – Same guys, earlier because the Supreme Court decides earlier.)

In 1974, as a season of miracles unfolded in the A.L., Messrsmith ended up in the World Series. The Orioles made a furious push, only to come up 2 games shy of the Red Sox in the end. (They would mount a successful comeback versus the Yankees in 1980, and overcome the Red Sox from a big margin back in mid-August to win in 1982) Sparky Lyle had an excellent season for Boston, and the American League’s offense and attendance rose, this time because their league featured two great pennant races.

Yes, two. The Rangers had been sold in the offseason, as Bob Short’s years in Texas had been an unmitigated disaster. Billy Martin took the helm late in ‘73, and suddenly they rose to contention in the A.L. West, along with the Kansas City Athletics, Oakland A’s, and Minnesota Twins. Only the Angels and Padres failed to contend in the grueling pennant race – though some quipped that it was “a grueling race for mediocrity.”

Meanwhile, in the A.L. East, Boston, Baltimore, and New York fought with Cleveland and Chicago for the top spot till the Indians faded, and the Red Sox had a winning streak, with the Yankees trying to keep pace, and the Orioles and White Sox falling. Then, Baltimore had an amazing September, and the Red Sox barely managed to hold them off, winning 92 and beating Baltimore by 2, the Yankees by 3, and the White Sox by 6. Their 92-70 was the same record they’d had in 1967.

The Rangers, however, were the real story, along with the A’s. The story of that 1974 A.L. West is one of wackiness. A special story wound up unfolding in the World Series, after a great NLCS which the Dodgers won over the Reds.
 
Part 7 – The 1974 American League Weirdest, and a Team Finally Does It

Say you’re writing a 1974 preview magazine. The Dodgers’ trade for Jimmy Wynn, plus the Reds’ continued dominance, means an NLCS match between those clubs would be plausible. The Giants were old, and while the ’74 Braves challenged the Reds early, the Reds and Dodgers looked like the safe bets. And, they were.

You might have picked the Orioles in ’74 as the safe bet, but if you’d gone with Boston in the A.L. East, you wouldn’t have been criticized much. The Red Sox had made some good decisions, mostly by not making them.

Let’s start with 1971. They’d lost Jim Lonborg, who’d been hurt in ’70, in the expansion draft. This meant they had one fewer pitcher to put in a package deal like they’d hoped, to trade George Scott. So, while they made minor deals, they didn’t trade Scott, so they didn’t have to trade for someone like Danny Cater a year later. Sparky Lyle had been expandable after 1971, but not after ’72, when they lost the division by half a game to the White Sox. This led to the rule that make-up games would always be played.

So, come ‘72’s offseason, Scott had a poor year compared to his first few years, but still one of Boston’s better years offensively. Several others had emerged as future stars; Joe Lahoud improved some, though not much, and Dwight Evans had played very well after being called up in July.

Still, Ray Culp had floundered, Roger Moret was hurt most of the year, and most of their pitching got old in a hurry. Sparky Lyle had pitched in 80 games in ‘72, saving a then-record 40, and many joked that his arm would fall off. He received votes for the Cy Young Award. Most importantly, having Sparky there let Bill Lee start, whereas he might have been moved to closer. Still, they needed more pitching.

To get hurlers for ’73, Boston tried to package Lahoud, Scott, and non-pitchers together with Ron Garman, ironically for Lonborg. Lonborg was dealt to the Phillies, though, so the Sox sent Cecil Cooper to Milwaukee for righthanded relief help, and looked next to the Expos and Mike Torrez. The Expos weren’t willing to trade Torrez without the Red Sox giving them a starter in return, butt Montreal did give Boston Steve Renko; the Red Sox sent them Garman, Ken Tatum, and Ben Oglivie. Oglivie went to the Brewers later. The Sox got outfield depth in each move, too.

Then, George Scott, Lahoud, and minor leaguers went to the Angels for Jim Fregosi and Bill Stoneman, who’d come to the Angels the same offseason. Fregosi would help at short and even second and third, with Aparicio aging. Stoneman was expected to be one of the anchors of the rotation for Boston in ‘73, as he’d had a good 1972. He flopped.

With Scott having such a good year in ‘73, and other ex-Red Sox doing well, that trade was a poor one. The others worked well. Lyle had an average 1973 but a great ‘74.

Come 1974, their rotation was Tiant, Lee, Lynn McGlothen, and Mike Curtis; Renko was the fifth starter by the end of ‘74, as he’d floundered. Stoneman was in his last season, but Fregosi helped the middle infield. McGlothen and Curtis had stepped up very well in ’73, and there was no need to trade for bullpen help in ’74, with Lyle and others there.

Boston’s centerpiece was Reggie Smith. Despite injury concerns, they chose not to trade him. He won the A.L. MVP in a close vote over Jeff Burroughs.

Back to this preview, if you picked the Red Sox, and guessed Smith would bounce back like that, you’d be called daring, but not too bold. A few picked them, with that outfield of Yaz, Rick Miller, and Smith, with Dwight Evans at first (moving to right at times, with Smith in center), and Orlando Cepeda starting the year at DH, with Fred Lynn and Jim Rice coming up in August off the bench, in the outfield, or at DH. It was easy to understand a pick of Boston.

If you’d picked anyone but the Athletics in the A.L. West, though, it would be seen as crazy! They were 3-time defending division champs, had won the World Series, and even if Blue Moon Odom couldn’t recover from an injury plagued year that saw him start sparingly, and only relieve a few times in the ’73 Series, they still had 3 great starters. The Sporting News polled sportswriters, and almost everyone picked them first.

The tiny fraction who didn’t picked the Twins, because of Bert Blyleven, Rod Carew, and others, but the Athletics were picked 2nd. The Twins had stayed with the Athletics till an awful July knocked them out in 1973. they wound up over 15 games back again, and with no division titles yet in what was supposed to be a weaker division when it was formed, fans were getting restless; as ws Calvin Griffith. Maybe, some said, he would pull the strongs on a big trade to get them to the top. Still, 3rd was almost as likely.

Oakland was picked 2nd by a few daring writers, but they made comments in their own columns about how they’d be “a mile behind Kansas City.” And, Texas was picked last or 5th by almost everyone. San Diego was lousy, sure, but…well, maybe you could see Texas ahead of the Angels, since the Rangers got Jenkins for Bill Madlock, as the Cubs – worried about Jenkins’ arm being overused, but also only a year removed from a division title – kept the rest of the club together for one more try, moving Santo to first base. The Cubs still had Holtzman, after all. If Finley made the A’s self-descruct, maybe they’d be in 5th, behind the Rangers.

But, the Rangers 1st? Or Oakland first? It would be insane to pick either, right?

And yet, Paul Splitorff lost 17 for Kansas City. Vida Blue suffered arm problems from the excess pitching he’d done early, and finished below .500. Odom was 1-5. Hunter and Fingers kept the Athletics close, but Kansas City didn’t win the division. They finished 85-77, as poor performances early led to infighting between several players. Little fights and things that might have been ignored before became fistfights, and the team seemed frustrated by the fact they couldn’t manage to pull away like before.

Enter the Rangers. Fergie Jenkins won 26, Mike Hargrove was Rookie of the Year, Jeff Burroughs had an MVP-type year, and everything seemed to come together. The Rangers went 86-76, and managed to fight till the final week for the division crown.

The Twins had been picked by a few, as noted. They finished in the mid-80s in wins, too. When Kansas City faltered, they fought for the division that final weekend with Texas and…Oakland? Yes, Charlie Finley’s Oakland A’s, the most unlikely bunch anywhere.

Steve Busby led this crew, with a no-hitter and 20 wins. Charlie Finley had done a great job of scouting and finding the best available talent. He’d acquired so many castoffs and rejects, designated runner Herb Washington actually seemed normal. “He has an eye for talent that you wouldn’t expect,” one rival GM noted. “He runs the club in an odd way, but he gets results that you wouldn’t expect.”

The pennant race was originally just the Athletics, Twins, and surprising Rangers, but the A’s kept hanging close, and finally, in early June, Finley swung a deal. The Dodgers were way ahead, and the Cubs realized that “one more shot” wasn’t happening. So, they traded Ron Santo and Billy Williams to Oakland for minor leaguers. Oakland swung a few more deals, as Finley admitted he really wanted to draw fans. He’d had trouble all four years in Oakland, fans were just starting to come now that the club was winning. San Francisco’s 1973 division title, in a great pennant race, hadn’t helped; he’d drawn less than 600,000. Finley was again threatening to move the team, to which Horace Stoneham reportedly said, “Where? I’ll help you load the moving vans.”

The Twins, too, had suffered in attendance, causing Calvin Griffith to look to the Mets. Minnesota native Jerry Koosman would cost quite a bit, but he was having aa down year, and with larry hisle able to play center, if they could get Wayne Garrett from them, they’d give up their centerfielder and third baseman Eric Solderholm, along with a youngster named Lyman Bostock. A few other players were included on each side, with the Mets already 8 games behind the Reds, after having been 20 behind again in ’73. The Twins threw in a couple young starters, too, none of whom panned out.

It was the move they needed to spark fan interest, and Koosman won 20 in ’76; however, by then, Bert Blyleven would be traded in early June, with the Athletics again winning big, as Kansas City got Amos Otis and others in a few trades. The ’74 A.L. West wasn’t decided till the last day.

In the ALCS, the Red Sox were held to 2 runs through 8 innings in game 1. Luis Tiant was just as tough, and Sparky Lyle entered in the 8th to prevent a rally. Boston won in 11, on Carlton Fisk’s home run. This propelled them to a game 2 win as well, and while Bill Lee lost game 3, the Sox won in 4, to advance to the World Series versus the L.A. Dodgers, who totally dominated their division.

In the Series, Don Sutton outdueled Luis Tiant in game 1, and the Dodgers took game 3 as well, beating Bill Lee. However, Tiant returned the favor in game 4, and the Sox took game 5 in Boston as well. When Sparky Lyle – the Series MVP - got Bill Buckner to pop up to the first baseman to end game 6, the Boston Red Sox were World Series winners for the first time since 1918. They would have decisions about who to start in 1975, as they had tons of offensive talent – Lynn and especially Rice had great offensive numbers in limited duty over the last 2 months and in the playoffs. (They ended up trading Cepeda, making Miller the fourth outfielder, and putting Rice at DH, with Lynn starting in cener.) But, for now, Boston was atop the baseball world.

The book “Beyond the Sixth Game,” written in 1985, chronicles that offseason and years of confusion that followed, as well as discussing free agency after that, and baseball’s troubles until 1984, when it seemed the game got a chance to redeem itself, and did..

As for now, in January of 1975, an arbitrator ruled that Messrsmith and McNally were free agents, free to sign with any team. Over 100 players accepted teams’ previous offers without signing in 1975, just as those two had done. Still, despite what some feared, the Series between the Reds and Athletics, which the Reds won, was not the end of small market teams winning consistently.
 
Part 8 – Free Agent Follies

Owners threatened to lock out the players in 1975, but Bowie Kuhn ordered them to open the gates. He insisted that baseball had had years of great pennant races and good will to the fans with teams that had never won, or hadn’t in a long time, suddenly winning. “We are not going to let that good will disappear,” he insisted.

Kuhn said he wasn’t worried about keeping his job, if it was for the good of baseball, and in 1979, he would be rehired; something some said was proof the owners really liked free agency, or at least many did.

Before 1975, the Yankees traded for Tug McGraw, who’d had a disastrous 1974, as the Mets continued to retool their farm system. Nolan Ryan signed for a few more years for the Mets, but then he wanted to go home to Texas or Houston by 1979 or 1980; he would be traded to the Reds in ‘77. Tommy John was injured, and wound up undergoing a new, innovative surgery. 1972 seemed like decades ago for the Mets.

The Reds also had a decision. Tony Perez had planned to become a free agent, but at this point, they didn’t have a surefire replacement. Don Gullett had already announced he would play without a signed contract; just accept being “renewed.” The Reds still hadn’t won a World Series since 1940, so they convinced Perez to sign a three-year contract, though for more than they wanted to pay him. He could play third, too, if need be, though Pete Rose was going to be tried there. Gullett, meanwhile, wasn’t signed to a longer deal, as Sparky Anderson felt that with enough young pitching, he could be replaced. Already, too, there were some concerns about his arm.

The Big Red Machine won the next 2 World Series, bridging the gap between the era before and after free agency began. They won 4 straight divisions, before the Phillies won one in 1977. The Dodgers, who came close in 1971-‘73, repeated their ’74 title in 1975, only because – after Messrsmith left for Atlanta – Walt Alston did a masterful job working Charlie Hough and youngster Rick Rhoden into the rotation. They were only 86-76, but won by 4 games over the Giants, after being way ahead in late May; the Giants were a game ahead in early August, partly thanks to the trade in mid-June of Willie Montanez, who had just been acquired, Gary Matthews, and others to the Braves for Darrell Evans and others. Evans played third, but also subbed for McCovey at first, especially in ’76, when McCovey lost his starting job before a nice comeback in ’77-‘80.

Walt Alston retired after 1975, sensing that it might be hard for his Dodgers to win pennants with the Reds in the East, and therefore that he’d likely not get another World Series appearance like 1974. Tommy Lasorda took over, and let the club to 2 more straight division titles, till the Brewers surprised them in 1978. Like with Williams and Herzog, both men would be Hall of Fame managers. L.A. had a deep farm system, and was in a large enough market, they didn’t worry about free agency. They could even sign some. The Reds mostly worried about keeping their own.

Kansas City was in the same boat. Reggie Jackson was the one they were most concerned about. He liked it there, but he wanted to be a superstar in a major market. George Steinbrenner signed quite a few with the Yankees. The Athletics decided to give it one more go in 1975, though.

Catfish Hunter made history for the Athletics, as the majors’ last 30-game winner, capturing his 2nd straight Cy Young. Blue and Splitorff were good again, but the latter still struggled a few times, and the team wouldn’t have a consistent 4th starter till Dennnis Leonard and Larry Gura started to pitch well a couple years later. Reggie hit 35 homers.

Kansas City beat Boston in 5 tough ALCS games, as Hunter won game 5 in Boston before taking games 3 and 6 in the World Seires. However, the Athletics met their match in the Reds, and went down to defeat in a great 7-game Series. Cincinnati scored a run in the 9th to tie, and then won it in the top of the 11th.

A number of Athletics had vowed to test the market; now, it was up to Kansas City to re-sign as many as they could. They had a great farm system. Hal McRae, who had been the DH in ’75, after coming over via trade, could play a corner outfield spot if he had to,

Rick Monday also left, though, joining the Dodgers. Bill Buckner was traded to the Cubs, so L.A. needed an outfielder. Joe Rudi went to the Angels, in his home state. Reggie Jackson signed with the Yankees. Bert Campaneris stayed, though he was a backup infielder by ’78. So did Sal Bando, Gene Tenace (though he was traded after 1979 to the Padres), Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue, and Rollie Fingers, also traded after ‘79.

Hunter had been signed to a 2-year deal before 1974, but he signed a 3-year extension after his 25-win season in 1974. His 25 wins, followed by 30, meant he was one of the top hurlers in the game, and that, plus his Series dominance, helped get him into the Hall.

The Athletics tried to regroup for 1976, after the free agent departures. They traded for Amos Otis, who provided great help to solidify a young outfield. The Mets, at 78-84 and in 4th, 30 games back, in ’75, had Bostock from the Koosman trade, after all. Still, he ended up spurning them for the Angels after ’77. The joke was that most California players would want to go home; just not to Oakland.

Oakland saw increasing discontent with Finley. He tried to send Steve Busby down to the minors in 1974, after his 20-win season for a poor ball ‘73 club, but was prevented by Kuhn, Though Finley was glad, when the A’s contended in ’74, he was upset enough by the ruling that anyone could play 1975 without signing offer sheets, he tried to sell Busby and others, a move block by Kuhn. Fans who started to come to see them stayed away again, as Finley was trying to have a fire sale a year after something that should have made him really happy! Only 950,000 had come out in ’74, though, and the way Finley was acting in ’75, with the Giants again contending, that number sank to slightly under 800,000. Finley again talked of moving.

Busby would sign with Cleveland as a free agent before 1976, and others would leave, too. George Brett had only been up all of 1974 and a few games each of the last 3 seasons, but he made it clear he’d also leave as a free agent; the years of service didn’t yet matter at this point..

One player who really liked free agency was Dick Allen. He’d had no specific players – like he did Ron Santo after a trade to Oakland – with whom he quarreled, but he’d had enough problems with White Sox management that he chose to play 1975 to become a free agent. Finley sent veterans to Chicago for Allen, as the White Sox were out of the race in May, hoping his storied power would draw fans. Instead, he had a poor year, and fought with Ron santo several times. He found few takers, because of his attitude, but he’d helped Chicago enough that he figured he’d draw some interest.

The Phillies convinced him to sign with them as a free agent, instead of retiring. He saw things had improved, and they were on the verge of contention. They managed to finish only 3 games behind the Reds in 1976, and challenged till the end, though never in front more than a couple games, and that not after August. In 1977, he was a role player on the league champs, though he only got 1 at-bat in the World Series. The Phillies had won the ’77 pennant mostly thanks to a trade for Sparky Lyle in ’76, when the Red Sox, who had failed to repeat their 1974 World Championship, traded him and Reggie Smith for young talent, fearing the players’ ages were catching up to them.
 
Part 9 Yankees Return to Form, Pay a Price, but Get it Back later

Tom Seaver was another who benefited, but he hadn’t played 1975 intending to become a free agent. Instead, as 1976 came, the Braves were horrible. They had already traded Hank Aaron to Milwaukee, where he played outfield and first, before ’75; he had 17 home runs his last 2 years there, finishing with 755.

Seaver had wanted to remain a Brave, but other than him, the team was awful. They’d contended in 1974, but even with the addition of Messrsmith, the ’75 Braves fell to 31 games back in 5th, a game behind the Mets and only a few games ahead of the last place Expos. Seaver had still won the Cy Young, his 3rd, only because there weren’t any other great pitchers in the N.L. that year.

The Yankees had been inquiring about an ace for over a year. With the Red Sox’ pitching getting older, they felt they had a good chance at a pennant if they could get one in ‘76. They had already signed Reggie Jackson, acquiring Oscar Gamble and then sending him to the White Sox with cash and several others – most notably LaMarr Hoyt - for Bucky Dent and Goose Gossage; they also got Carlos may in mid-’76 from the club. New York also signed Don Gullett away from the Reds for 1976, causing Cincinnati to sign Wayne Garland from the Orioles. As Sparky Anderson said, “A middle reliever who showed real promise as a potential starter, nurtured under Weaver’s tutelage, should do well.”

Garland would win 21 for the Reds in ’76 and get Cy Young votes before arm trouble hampered him the rest of his career.

The Yankees knew Gullett had missed time with arm problems in ’75, though. So, they hoped to land Seaver. They traded Scott McGregor, Rick Dempsey, and Tippy Martinez for Doyle Alexander and Grant Jackson, with some other players included on each side, in spring training. They sent a few minor players for Cliff Johnson of the Astros. Still, they held on as long as they could to the pitcher the Braves coveted.

In the end, they gave in. Baltimore had really improved, Boston was defending division champ, and they felt they had to make a splash to keep up with their rivals. So, a few weeks into the season, they got Seaver for Cliff Johnson, Ken Brett, and others, and swallowed their pride. They gave up s Southerner who they knew could draw people to Atlanta, where attendance had really sagged - Louisiana Lightning, Ron Guidry, became a Brave, in exchange for Seaver.

Catfish Hunter outfueled Seaver 2-1 to win game 1 of the ALCS; the Athletics had won a very poor division. However, Gullett won game 2, New York took Game 4 behind Seaver, and Gullett won the finale in New York on 3-days rest.

With the Yankees using so many pitchers in the last games of the ALCS, they were forced to start Doyle Alexander in Game 1, and he lost, 6-2. This set the tone for the rest of the Series, as the Reds won, 4-3, in 10 innings in Cincinnati. Seaver had had some trouble, and came out in the 7th with the score tied at 3 – Ken Griffey had already had 3 hits. Goose Gossage got them out of a bases loaded jam, and pitched through the 9th, but once he left, the Reds won, with Sparky having used 6 pitchers. Back in Yankee Stadium, they beat Gullett 3-1, then won the finale 6-3.

Come 1977, the Yankees wouldn’t be denied. They beat the Phillies in 6, with Reggie Jackson hitting 3 home runs in the finale, and Seaver won his 4th Cy Young award, becoming the first to win in each league as well as the first with four. Ron Guidry would return, though, as a free agent for 1985, and the Yankees would win the division. He’d win a World Series in ’89, his last year, in the ‘pen with the Athletics after a trade.

The Dodgers had traded for a then-slumping Reggie Smith from the Red Sox in mid-1976, as the slumping Sox traded a few veterans who were doing poorly, like John Curtis. A lot of people worried that L.A. (or the Phillies) and the Yankees would “meet every year.” Thankfully, that wasn’t to be the case. In fact, as Guidry did great for a 78-84, 4th place Braves’ team in ’78, the Yankees slipped, and the Red Sox snuck back into first, despite slumping late. The Yankees didn’t have enough, and the Red Sox regained the division lead, and won by 4 games.

Dennis Eckersley lost the Cy Young to Jim Palmer – Palmer’s third, as he lost to 30-game winner Hunter in ‘75 - in a close vote between them and Gaylord Perry, but the Sox had finally gotten a division title out of the trade of Sparky Lyle, as they acquired Sixto Lezcano and several others in sending Lyle to the Phillies in June of ’76. They needed him to fill the void when they traded Smith. Rice, Lynn, and Evans was the outfield, with Yaz at first, and Lezcano at DH, along with spelling all of them when one was injured or needed a day off at DH. He’d been signed by the Phillies as an amateur free agent in 1970. (Note: Since the Brewers aren’t a team yet in 1970, the Phillies could easily do so.)

The Red Sox met a familiar foe in the playoffs, as the Athletics were back. And, the Reds and Brewers had won their divisions. Small-town teams would still be able to contend.

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Part 10 - Small Markets Winning; Where Will Awful A’s End Up

The Kansas City Athletics had slipped in ’76, though still managing to win with an 88-74 mark. However, Kansas City’s commitment to younger players paid off. Catfish Hunter started to decline in 1977, finishing below .500, though he was still good. The Athletics fell short, though, as the Rangers won the division for the first time, losing in 4 to New York. Vida Blue was only mediocre. But, they got a new manager – Whitey Herzog – and the Athletics still had quality players to build around.

Most people thought the Rangers – or, if their numerous signees got better, the Angels – would win the division in ’78, but a few picked the Athletics, knowing their history. Kansas City delivered, as Vida Blue and Dennis Leonard became staff aces. Larry Gura was signed as a free agent, as Kauffman had enough money to sign a few. Paul Splitorff pitched well, and Hunter had his last good year as a sport starter; he’d pitched an awful lot of innings. Sal Bando had a good year, but most impressive were the youngsters.

Willie Wilson didn’t get 200 hits like he would next year, but he provided a very good leadoff bat in his second season. Hal McRae, Al Cowens, and others gave the Royals a speedy team that could win with anyone. Rollie Fingers was effective, and when it was all said and done, Kansas City had come back to the top in the West.

They played a Red Sox team that had been 62-28, then drifted downward to a 101-61 mark, not looking like the powerhouse Red Sox of 1974-’75 and ‘77, but good enough to maybe win the pennant.

Boston won game 1, but the Athletics stormed back to win game 2 behind Vida Blue. Larry Gura won game 3, with help from a big home run by Sal Bando, and relief help from Hunter and the man who would replace Fingers after ’79, but who for now was a middle reliever – Dan Quisenberry. The Red Sox won game 4, but Dennis Leonard shut them down in game 5 in Boston, winning 4-1 to take the pennant. Some said that Game 3 was the key, and that if the Sox had kept Sparky Lyle after May of ’76, they wouldn’t have lost. Others said the Sox had finally broken the 58-year jinx, only to find themselves hamstrung by the Athletics now.

The N.L. pennant winner was the Milwaukee Brewers, who beat the Dodgers by 2 games, and beat the Reds in 4 in the NLCS. The Brewers boasted an incredible offense, with Ben Oglivie, Gorman Thomas, Larry Hisle, Cecil Cooper, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Don Money, and Darrell Porter – like Thomas, from the expansion draft when the Brewers entered the league - behind the plate. Mike Caldwell won 22, and a Cy Young, barely beating Ron Guidry’s 23 wins for an awful club. A small market team won in ‘79, too, as the Pirates beat the Brewers in the NLCS, then won the World Series.

Kansas City won the World Series in 5, as the Brewers were to young and inexperienced; their offense was very good, but beyond Caldwell, their pitching wasn’t that great. Doug Bird, who had gone to the Mets in the Otis deal, wound up pitching for them in ’78.

One small market team that didn’t do well was the A’s. Finley’s antics meant the team –drew a respectable 840,000 their first year, slipped to 800,000 their second, then to just over 600,000 their third, as the Giants were in a great pennant race, too. Then, they drew over 900,000, but lost a lot of good will from their good 1974 season. He didn’t sell season tickets, didn’t have radio or TV deals, and suffered from good pennant races across the Bay. He kept bugging Horace Stoneham to let his club move to the N.L., and always got a flat “no.” He hoped the rivalry would help A’s attendance.

As the A’s began their ‘75 “fire sale,” trying to trade good players who he knew would be free agents, fans grew frustrated. He sent Billy Williams to K.C. in June for a few players, and tried to convince fans an aging Santo and Allen could bring them a pennant when they quickly fell out of contention.

George Brett could not be salvaged. Brett hadn’t wanted to stay in Oakland after ’75, even if they’d stayed in his native California. He signed with the Angels as a free agent for 1976. This made Carney Lansford expendable when he came up, though Brett was tried some in the outfield in ‘77. Lansford and Dickie Thon wound up going to the woeful Mets for Craig Swan, with a few other players on both sides thrown in. The Mets had traded Nolan Ryan (Reds) in ’77, and sent Tommy John to the Giants in ‘76 ago, fearing both would sign as free agents with other teams, which they did, Ryan with the Astros, John with the Yankees.. By the time 1980 rolled around, and they were bought by Doubleday, they’d be in full rebuilding mode, only slowly winning back fans.

Oakland attendance was bad by the end of ’75, and promised to be awful in ‘76. Finley tried every gimmick. He let pinch-runner Herb Washington – the sprinter signed the year before – play outfield to see how he’d do. Washingtonbroke a thumb trying to bunt, came back, and hurt his shoulder when he crashed against the wall, and couldn’t play any more. The attempt to sign Oakland Raiders football players to play baseball also fizzled. Bowie Kuhn had to get on Finley a few times about how he handled players, too.

Finley was blocked from moving to New Orleans after ’75. Oakland wouldn’t let Finley out of his lease, and A.L. owners were also concerned about the region’s size. Finley had threatened to move the club since 1973, though a winning season in ’74 eased that a little. As 1975 turned into 1976, he threatened to move them to New Orleans, Seattle, Toronto, Denver, and a few other places. Attendance plummeted for the last place A’s as 1976 continued. At times, it was in the hundreds, despite the Giants doing poorly.

It dragged on for months. Kuhn eventually said Finley could go to one, and the league would buy out the lease, which they were ready to do. Kuhn envisioned 4 new teams – Washington, New Orleans, and two of Denver, Seattle, or Toronto. Finley had actually had verbal agreements with the last three, just as he had New Orleans.

The N.L. wouldn’t expand, but the A.L. liked the idea of joining the N.L. in Canada. (Note – this happened in OTL, with Seattle having sued over loss of the Brewers, as did Kuhn’s idea of 4 new teams, which the N.L. rejected.) D.C. was considered, but again investors couldn’t be found. Meanwhile, Seattle had been promised a team when their Kingdome arrived; it had.

As it was, after threatening to “just put the team at some dock on the Bay,” Finley got his wish. However, there was a flaw. The White Sox were concerned about attendance, but at least they had the Yankees and Red Sox in 9 games a year. They didn’t want to move to the West, if Finley went East. So, they also pushed for expansion if Finley moved East, though Finley preferred New Orleans. He realized he wasn’t going to get approval; and Houston might kick up a fuss in the N.L., anyway; like the Reds had worried about his attempted move to Louisville a dozen years earlier.

The epitaph on Finley’s years in baseball was written a few years later. “Having him as owner meant having to keep a lot of promises that he made. He was a force behind expansion, and would have forced earlier expansion had he moved the Athletics.”

Eventually, it was solved. In the July, 1976 A.L. meetings – when it was realized if baseball expanded, it would be by 2 clubs – one owner was heard to shout, “Bill Veeck is the voice of reason; what has this world come to!”

Veeck would have bought the White Sox in late 1975 without a second thought, if free agency hadn’t been in effect. Since it had been, however, he was concerned. Because he held off for a time, the White Sox tried to move to Toronto; Seattle had also courted them, but the Labatts people had bid a little higher. League owners were concerned about cities filing suit if they blocked too many moves. They couldn’t easily say the A’s – or, perhaps, the White Sox - were viable where they were.

A.L. owners wanted a team in the large media market of Chicago. They didn’t want it to have to be an expansion club, either.

Commissioner Kuhn began pushing for expansion to four cities. Soon, however, it was clear that the N.L. wasn’t interested; they’d had to be prodded a little to expand in 1971, though there had clearly been 3 cities ready by then. They’d also had to be prodded into going to divisions; one story has it that if Montreal hadn’t been ready with Jarry Park, they would have expanded to Milwaukee and San Diego in ’71, and had one league of 12, just like in the 1890s. Gene Autry, of course, had wanted a team out West with him, and other things had forced the N.L.’s hand.

Now, in 1976, the N.L. could easily say “no” to any further expansion.

The A.L., on the other hand, saw Seattle and Toronto ready for teams, and Toronto having been promised one, or one of two. They had Chicago and Oakland bleeding red ink; in a desperate bid to draw fans, the previous White Sox owners had already traded young talent in Dent and Gossage to the Yankees for Gamble and cash, and in early March, sent Brian Downing – a native Californian who they feared would leave someday for the Angels – and others to California for Bobby Bonds, who had a good ’76 and great ’77 for the Sox and who seemed willing to come to Chicago.

When Veeck finally decided he had to buy the team – which was lowering in value and ready to move for ’77 – he signed a few players. However, the Sox were without stars in their prime, save for Gamble and Bonds. They looked bad. Richie Zisk would have been a good pick-up, Veeck said, but he’d be a free agent at the end of the year, and go to Texas as a free agent, where he won a division title in ’77. Veeck admitted privately to other owners that his, too, was like an expansion club. “Free agency coming when it did, then my having to delay for a few months, caused this team to be bled dry.” Still, he was trying to run the Sox and entertain. And, in 1977, his White Sox, behind Bobby Bonds and others, would contend till late, before ending up 10 game behind the Yankees.

As fans wondered if two, or any, teams would be added, Charlie Finley approached Veeck as he’d approached the previous owners, about moving to Chicago while they moved. A.L. owners had rejected it a few months ago – they were afraid of having Finley ruin what should be a lucrative market.

Veeck had an idea, though. Let Finley sell a large share to the Labatts family, and write in the contract that he can only run management and player deals – and that he needed some kind of GM besides himself. He could entertain some, but he’d have help running a baseball team, instead of just trying to market it like he was selling insurance.

Veeck insisted that Chicago had to stay in the A.L. East. Since Toronto would move there, Seattle and either New Orleans or Denver could be added in the N.L. West; Seattle because they’d finally gotten their stadium, te other because Finley had looked close to moving there, too, and it was also new territory. The Toronto club would be called the Blue Jays. Exhibition Stadium was nice for baseball, though very snowy. Finley could market with crazy stunts all he wanted off the snow.

Owners agreed that idea was good; Veeck had talked to Finley about how he was forced out of baseball in ’53, and that the same thing could happen to Finley. Pat Gillick would be hired by the Labatts people, eventually, as Finley allowed them to run the business side of things, and he would run promotions. I it was here that the owner had proclaimed Veeck a “voice of reason.”

So it was that baseball chose to buy the A’s out of their lease, and let them move to Toronto. Finley was forced to give a partial share to someone who would act with some sanity, and provide financial backing. The owners of Labatts got more of a share, till Finley finally was forced to sell it all to them because of his divorce.

Denver received the other team. New Orleans drew a huge cry from Houston, which was doing poorly, even though it would be in the other league. Also, Denver’s stadium would be less of a problem, and their ownership, led by oil man Mike Davies, was wealthier.

Finley hired Billy Martin as manager, over GM Pat Gillick’s objections. However, team president Finley scouted well, and overrode Gillick at times, though Gillick’s trade after 1979 season vaulted the Blue Jays into instant contender status. Rollie Fingers was acquired. He’d be “pretty much the whole bullpen” to Martin in ’80 and ’81, the latter of which saw him win the Cy Young Award. This was after Finley sold his remaining shares. Finley kept Gillick on till he told his majority, partly because there were some good deals, mostly because the other owners were footing the bill.

Three out of four division winners were again small markets in ’79, as the Pirates downed the Brewers, and the Orioles downed the Angels, who greatly reaped the benefits of the trade of Lansford and Thon for Swan, as well as George Brett’s historic season, with over 20 doubles, triples, and home runs. Pittsburgh beat Baltimore in the Series.

As the 1980s dawned, baseball faced problems, though. And, Bowie Kuhn, despite the fact owners were upset at him for convincing them to stop the lockout in ’75, would have to deal with them in his 2nd term, as the owners really didn’t know who else to pick. Kuhn would serve through the end of 1986. And, he’d have his hands full the first year of that 2nd term, as the 5 year deal with players led to a strike in 1980. (Note: Things are earlier here, too, with the Supreme Court decision and the free agency ruling a year earlier.)
 
Part 11 - 1980-3: Strike Problems, Resurgence, then more Problems

The Brewers had two very good years, finishing with the most wins in the N.L. in ’78 and 2nd most in ’79, winning the first NLCS and losing the 2nd. Their third place in ’80 wasn’t just due to overconfidence, or the Dodgers’ determination, or the Astros’ signing Nolan Ryan. It was also due to something that struck down one of their pitchers, and one of their better hitters in the next few years. The problem of drugs in baseball.

Owners and players alike had responded to Curtis LeMay’s harsh talk. Informational pre-season meetings, warnings, and so on caused a few to clean up during the “amnesty period” the LeMay had offered, that only due to the insistence of the players’ union.

By 1980, however, a new group of players had come up, and drug use was again on the rise. It seemed to be more prevalent in the N.L., in certain places. There was reportedly quite a bit of activity there and in Philadelphia. Los Angeles had a pitcher who would eventually get busted for drugs a few times. And, the Brewers, being in the same league, and Cardinals to some extent, also saw it. Some in the A.L. were also aware of them, of course, but the fall of the ’81 Brewers - and the Pirates in the 2nd half of the season – were especially telling. Pittsburgh had finished. 500, but 5th, in 1980, just below Atlanta and their tandem of Niekro and Guidry, when both halves of 1980 are considered.

Yes, both halves. From the last game on June 11th, to the All-Star Game at the start of the first full week of August, there was no major league baseball. Players were on strike, and the Yankees, Athletics, Expos (by 1.5 games over the Pirates, and 3 over the Reds and Phillies) and Dodgers were division leaders. It left George Brett of the Angels on a hot streak, one which he’d resume August 8th on his way to .377. (Note: While Anaheim Stadium was more of a pitchers’ park then Royals’ Stadium, he’d also have a bit more protection in the lineup, and the ability to focus on only getting hits on a woeful team, thus evening it out. The addition of Denver gives him a few more hits.) Rod Carew, who hit .390 in 1977, hit .337, then .316 and .319 before .342 in ’83, his last big year. He and Brett seemed to teach each other about hitting. The strike left Blue Jays’ 2nd year star Rickey Henderson without a chance to steal 100+ bases in 4 straight seasons; he did it the next 3 years, 1981-3. Henderson hit .308 with 65 steals in 1980. the strike also left Steve Carlton 17-5 in 2/3 of a season.

One player not impacted much by it was Mike Schmidt. He hit 38 home runs and had 102 RBIs despite playing only about 100 games, like all the others, along with a .302 average. (Note: the time missed actually eliminates a big slump.) He’d hit .310 with 48 home runs in ’81, en route to his 2nd straight MVP Award, but he’d had such a good year in ’80, some said he’d have challenged Maris’ mark if he’d gotten hit in those 50-odd games.

The 2nd half division winners were all different, but not for lack of trying. The Twins somehow managed to win the 2nd half in the A.L. West, though the Athletics swept them easily. The Orioles were down by 4 to the Yankees in early September before roaring back. The Astros won the N.L. West. And the Phillies, thanks to Schmidt’s hot bat, staved off the Expos and the shocking Braves. Atlanta finished only a game back in the 2nd half, causing them to rise ahead of the Pirates when the full season is considered. The Reds wound up tied for 2nd to the Phillies, 1.5 games back, for the whole season, with Mario Soto going into 1981 as the ace.

The Orioles continued their mastery of the Yankees, winning the division series in 4, but losing to the Athletics in the ALCS. The Phillies beat the Astros in 5 great games to capture the N.L. flag. They went on to win their first World Series ever over Kansas City.

Cecil Cooper’s league leading batting carried the Brewers to 3rd in each half of the 1980 season. Milwaukee looked like they might still compete and even with the division in ’81.

However, they started slightly below .500, tied for 3rd with the Astros and just ahead of the Giants, in June. They were already 9 games behind the streaking Dodgers, with the Cardinals well ahead of them in 2nd. So, they made a trade.

Milwaukee and St. Louis had discussed trades all offseason; the Brewers didn’t want to let David Green go to a team in their division, not without real relief help. The Cardinals had been talking trade with the Padres, as well. St. Louis swung a deal to send a veteran to New York for minor leaguer Willie McGee, in case they couldn’t get Green, though McGee didn’t come up till 1982.

With Ted Simmons slumping, the Cardinals were reluctant to let go of Terry Kennedy now. Still, they knew the Padres were looking for a good young catcher. They began talks with the Brewers and Padres about a 3-way deal. It was completed in mid-June, just before the trading deadline.

St. Louis got defensive wizard Ozzie Smith, and Luis Salazar, who had very good ofeensive years in ’80 and ’81, and could play many positions, especially in the infield, from San Diego, They also got pitcher Dave LaPoint from the Brewers. The Padres got Cardinal shortstop Gary Templeton, Terry Kennedy, and relievers from both sides, as they looked to start a youth movement. The Brewers got Steve Mura, Gene Tenace – acquired by the Padres after the 1979 season - from San Diego, along with a couple pichers from each. They then sent Larry Hisle to the Blue Jays for more pitching; he ended up as mostly a full-time DH for the Jays in their pennant run. Minor leaguers changed hands, but the most important thing was the relief and veteran help the Brewers tried to get. Ironically, while they’d discussed exchanged hurlers Lary Sorensen and Pete Vuckovich, the Brewers’ Sorensen would end up with the slightly better ’81. And, Vuckovich would be hurt most of 1983 and all of ’84.

The attempt to acquire all the veteran help was unsuccessful, as they finished 82-80. They rebounded to go 86-76 in ’82, but that was only good enough for a tie for 3rd with the Giants. St. Louis won the World Series in ’82, while the Padres – with Tony Gwynn playing quite a bit after a September call-up the year before – were 83-79, in 3rd.

A key part of St. Louis’ World Series win was their trade of Sixto Lezcano – acquired by the Red Sox from the Phillies in the Sparky Lyle trade. They’d gotten him for the 2nd half of 1980, when despite finishing last they thought they could contend. They couldn’t, and he was hurt a fair amount in 1981, so they sent him as veteran help to the Phillies for Lonnie Smith, who was poorer defensively but who fit the Cards’ offensive style better. Other players changed hands, too.

Toronto’s Rickey Henderson was compared to Al Kaline, especially in later years. 1981 was his only 200-hit season, as he got there on the dot, just as Kaline had in 1955; Henderson missed a fair amount of time later due to injuries, though he came close. He his in the .340s, as Kaline had, with his next best season almost 20 points below that, in 1990, whereas Kaline’s next best was 1961. Henderson showed blazing speed throughout his career, if course, and 1981 with his 100 steals – marked the first of 3 straight years he’d accomplish that feat. He was helped by the fact Exhibition Stadium was one of the top hitters’ parks in baseball, but he also had a lot of pitchers watching for him.

With Rollie Fingers tossing 127 innings, his most since 1977, and saving a then-record 40 games, the Blue Jays engaged in a spirited race with the Yankees and he surprising Orioles and Tigers, with the clubs finishing in that order. Detroit was only 7 back when it was all finished, the White Sox and Red Sox tied for 5th at 10 back. Cleveland, despite a 78-84 mark, finished in last; they would make it to .500 the following year, and still only be in 5th. Fingers edged Seaver for the Cy Young Award, and his Blue jays edged the Yankees by 2 games in a bit of a surprise; Toronto had finished 3rd, a fair deal back of the leaders and in 4th in one of the halves, in 1980.

Once in the playoffs, the Blue Jays handled the Rangers easily, as their pitching was far better than Texas’. However, the National League winners had much better hurlers.

The Braves couldn’t quite keep up their surprising 2nd half of 1980, as they sank to around .500, and .4th place. The Reds kept looking just good enough to contend, as they finished with 90 wins, thanks to Mario Soto’s 16 wins leading their staff. Still, Johnny Bench got hurt for a couple months, and the Phillies, with Schmidt’s awesome year, and Expos, with Andre Dawson’s 30-30 campaign (30 home runs, 30 steals) and tim raines’ amazing rookie year (111 steals), were too much. Over in the N.L. West, the trade didn’t quite vault the Cardinals to the top, as the Dodgers bet them in a by a game very good pennant race, the first really great race between the rivals.

Los Angeles then captured the pennant, and won the World Series in 6, despite the excellent play of league MVP Rickey Henderson.

He said they’d be back; they weren’t. Fingers was injured in mid-’82, and the wear on the pitchers – even with Brian Kingman spelling Luis Leal and the others more – took its toll. Steve McCatty – 2nd in the Cy Young voting in ’81 – and Mike Norris tried to hold their own, but the Jays never quite got it going. By the end of ’82, Henderson was running like crazy every time; he stole 130 bases that year, as the Blue Jays finished 77-85, in 6th place. Ironically, the only team worse was their main challenger from 1981, as the New York Yankees sank to last at 75-87, partly because of Seaver’s poor year. They traded Tommy John to the Angels later in the year.

Still, Rickey Henderson’s incredible play, Schmidt chasing a Triple Crown for a time, and some very good pennant races in both leagues – the Athletics tried to mount a furious comeback against the Rangers, who wilted a little in the August heat, before coming up short, in addition to the three mentioned – meant 1981 was a very successful year for baseball. Fernandomania – the Dodgers’ young Fernando Valenzuela won the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year Awards – Wade Boggs’ sweet hitting (.285 in half of 1981, .324 over a full 1982), Pete Rose’s .316 at an advanced baseball age, the Mets nearly sneaking into fifth as the Pirates slumped horribly – and, other things drew lots of interest.

1982 saw more fun. Toronto’s Dave Stieb, in his first full season as a starter, won 17 with an excellent ERA. Jim Palmer nearly tied Seaver with 4 Cy youngs, going 16-4 and losing because he hadn’t had as many decisions. Baltimore roared past the Tigers, White Sox, then the Red Sox after being 10 games back in 4th in early August, thanks to MVP Eddie Murray, runner-up Doug DeCinces, and Rookie of the Year Cal Ripken, Jr., who was moved to shortstop but also backed up DeCinces when he first came up at 3rd. The Braves nearly fell to the Phillies in the N.L. East, after having a big lead, while the Angels held off the Athletics by a few games.

The ALCS lived up to the hype, as Jim Palmer, who had done poorly in Game 1, lost for the 2nd time in a pitchers’ duel to the Angels, who made their first World Series. George Brett had 3 home runs in one gam, and Fred Lynn was the Series MVP. The Cardinals swept the Braves. Pete Vuckovich and the Cardinals were beaten in game 1 of the Series, 3-1, but the Cardinals won the next 2, as their opponents’ pitching faltered. Despite George Brett’s excellent Series, St. Louis won games 6 and 7 back home in St. Louis for their first World Series title since 1967.

It had been a good World Series. However, an incident in Milwaukee during the playoffs led to some extra scrutiny, and eventually, federal investigators honed in on a number of drug dealers in a case in Pittsburgh. By the Winter Meetings, the talk was not of trades, or the promising new ’83 season – all the talk was of drugs in baseball. The scandal reached as high as the World Series winners themselves.
 
Part 12 – Baseball’s Drug Scandal and Aftermath, NFL Notes

(Note: It’s not known exactly how many were on something at this time; I just used names from the 1985 drug trials and a few others which had appeared elsewhere at that time – chalk it up to changes causing it to be just those caught here)

In the 1982 offseason, almost a dozen players were given Federal immunity in exchange for testimony against drug dealers. They fingered others. Commissioner Kuhn was determined to come down heavily. Before spring training, he suspended those involved in drugs indefinitely. The players’ union balked, but not much. Considering the number who would be suspended – something which kept a lot of deals from being made at the Winter Meetings, and caused one player to be replaced with a one-year loan – some in baseball felt that was prudent. Eventually, the suspension were in effect till the All-Star break at least, with rehab required, as well.

Not every team lost someone, but a majority did, including some important, top offensive stars. Season preview magazines wondered if some clubs might have to employ a few AAA-level players if enough allegations proved true. (All based on players involved in the Pittsburgh trials of OTL, Kuhn suspended someone indefinitely at first in 1980, then cut it down to ten days, but this is without the threat of a players’ strike so close, and also with more hard testimony, worse than just being caught once.) A few Kansas City players later noted that they were lucky they weren’t sentenced to jail time, as they might have been if caught. (As a few were in OTL late in ’83; this prevents that from happening, as they’ve been forced into rehab before that could take place.)

Trying to right the ship, Kuhn noted the positive things about the game. Would Robin Yount or Dale Murphy – or Andre Dawson or Mike Schmidt – win the N.L. MVP? Would the Orioles complete their unfinished business from last year? Could theDogers and Braves, with good farm systems, each overcome a loss due to the scandal?

One preview put it this way: “With a few teams relegated to almost AAA status, this is not the time to revel in the losses from the scandal. There probably won’t be a great race between the Dodgers and Cardinals this year, like the last 2; that’s fine. The N.L. East might be pretty weak; again, that’s okay. The Dodgers look to be the class of the league, and if they can win, or the Braves’ Ron Guidry finally wins a pennant, that’s enough. Fans are looking for something they can rely on right now….

“In the American League, if the Orioles can finish the work they started at the end of last year, and stave off age and the retirement of a great manager – the same way the Giants did 50 years ago – or if the Red Sox can win one more for Yaz, or Angels can win this year’s World Series, despite an aging team in some spots, that’ll be great. There are plenty of things fans can look forward to. Like Babe Ruth and the lively ball, though, after the Black Sox Scandal, they just want a sure thing, that’s all.”

More thought the Orioles would falter, but they broke through a tight race late to climb to the top, while Chicago, after a hot start in 1981, suffered their 2nd straight slow one. They struggled around .500 till after the All-Star break, when it was too late to catch up. They ended up 3rd, a game behind the Tigers. If there was a division of parity, it was the A.L. West, where Denver wont heir first division title, with a very good pennant race occurring between them and the Padres, after the Rangers slumped in July and August, and the Angels really showed signs of age in places, winding up with 76 wins. The Rangers’ Rick Honeycutt lost the A.L. ERA title in the last month, too, as he faltered on the road, and fell to 2nd behind the Athletics’ Atlee Hammaker.

The Braves had re-signed Tom Seaver, who wound up with a .500 record, and they stormed through the N.L. East for several months. Then, they started to fall flat again, but the Phillies couldn’t get any closer than 4 games, despite Tug McGraw – who had come over after 1979 from the Yankees – doing some of his best relief work since ’80, and quite a few complete games and even a couple relief appearances from Steve Carlton (17-15) and John Denny (21-9). The rotation of Guidry, Niekro, and Seaver was joined by good, young hurlers. The Dodgers, meanwhile, faced no serious challengers, and then beat the Braves in 5 to capture the N.L. pennant.

Baltimore won the pennant, though Doug DeCinces had been injured almost half the year. Ripken remained at shortstop, though. The Dodgers won game 1 in Baltimore, but could only win 1 in Los Angeles, as Jim Palmer got his last postseason win, and the Orioles won the World Series in 6.

By the end of 1983, almost all suspended players were back with their clubs, thanks to successful rehab, and would stay out of trouble. The way the teams treated these players varied. Some, like the Cardinals, were wary; Whitey Herzog worked out a deal to send Keith Hernandez to the Mets for relief help. He tried to find a taker for Lonnie Smith, though outfielders were hard to find in return. Others, like the White Sox and Dodgers, hoped to wait. Alejandro Pena had a great 1983, so if Steve Howe couldn’t come back, L.A. had a deep system. The White Sox kept Lamarr Hoyt, but looked to sign a free agent or two; he’d be around .500 in 1984, then finish 17-10 in 1985, as the “New Hitless Wonders” battled the Yankees in a great A.L. East battle. Other teams were even more willing to take a chance. The Reds quickly signed Dave Parker, for instance, hoping to boost the offense on the club that had finished 4th in 1983. Still others simply released them or let them walk away as free agents.

Younger players, or those in their prime, tended to bounce back rather well, though a few were either slowed by injuries, which especially hampered those who relied on their legs as a major part of their game. Still, even they bounced back with determination to have a good 1984. The Athletics, in fact, after a very poor start that saw them in last part of the way through, wound up in 2nd place. It did seem with some, though, that taking a half year off or more caused them to need a little time to get back to normal. Pitchers tended to be helped by the layoff, as their arms could recover some.

Teams that had suffered a fair amount made other trades, too. In addition to Herzog’s trade with the Mets, he engineered a trade that sent veteran catcher Ted Simmons, who had one of this best seasons in 1983, to the Brewers with some pitching help for a younger catcher by a few years, Darrell Porters, and Davis Green, who had turned out to be not as good as he’d been hyped to be. The Brewers had bounced back to battle the Astros for 2nd, well behind the Dodgers, but the Cardinals had finished 5th, barely ahead of the Cubs. They thought they could bounce back, but they weren’t certain.

As 1984 went on, arguments about drug testing went back and forth. Eventually, with the threat of a strike looming, a compromise was reached so the players wouldn’t walk out. However, when Bowie Kuhn’s 2nd term ended, enough felt he’d been too soft on the players, he wasn’t rehired. Owners would want Peter Uebberoth, but they’d waited too long, and he’d been hired by another group. So, they went with Bart Giamatti.

Giamatti loved to speak of the purity of the game; he was a great fan of baseball, and wanted to encourage the fan, and support them wherever possible. This was vital, because the NFL was without a few headaches they might have had.

As noted, the city of Oakland, fearing losing another team – one that acted professional – knew they had to give a lot to please Al Davis. They hurriedly gave him every concession he wanted, to keep the Raiders in Oakland. Though he really coveted Los Angeles, since Oakland had been ensuring he stayed since 1977, he could show no reason why he should move. When any case against the NFL looked too bleak, he asked the NFL to consider expansion. “Our league can easily handle two Los Angeles teams,” he said.

His raiders wound getting Marcus Allen in the draft, as Davis kept lobbying for expansion. The NFL vowed to look into it after their labor woes were over. Oakland barely lost to the Jets in the playoffs in ’82, but won the Super Bowl the next year. Meanwhile, the USFL was causing great problems.

After the 1983 season, Bob Irsay’s lawsuit against the NFL was filed. He wanted to be able to move with no league restrictions. Pete Rozelle – sensing hostility from the USFL culd cause a lot more players to leave – decided to allow Irsay to move, but quickly called for local buyers to come forward for expansion teams in Baltimore and Los Angeles. The Baltimore team would be called the Colts, while the Indianapolis club would be forced to take on a new name. Davis sold his Raiders, and got the 1985 expansion Los Angeles Invaders instead.

The USFL flopped the 3rd year, as fans saw their concerns were being met.

Baseball, however, was doing very well, too. 1984 was dominated by the Detroit Tigers, who won the World Series. But, the Cubs (yes, the lovable loser Cubs), Mets, and Twins provided very interesting stories first. And, the Chicago Cubs, thanks to the Mets’ inexperience, finally won a pennant for the first time since 1945. Though they lost to the Tigers in the World Series, it was still just what baseball needed. After a year of uncertainty, fans could once again enjoy fresh, new stories and new teams. Especially when it was one like the Cubs.
 
Part 13 – Lasts Shall Be First

While the Cubs had been in last by a couple games in the N.L. West in 1983, the Mets had been that way in the N.L. East. Neither had awful seasons, though they had few bright spots; for Chicago, it was Ryne Sandberg and a few others. For the Mets, it was Jesse Orosco, acquired in a trade when the Twins made a push to win the 2nd half in 1980, Dickie Thon, and Carney Lansford.

Preseason publications tended to pick the Orioles, Braves, and Dodgers to repeat, with possibly the Padres in the A.L. West, after they’d gotten Graig Nettles and Goose Gossage. A small number picked the Tigers, or the White Sox, in the A.L. East. The Padres wound up winning the West, while the Tigers ran away with the A.L., sweeping the Padres in the ALCS after a 12-inning game 2, the closest of any of the 3 games.

The Twins, it was said, may have been saved by their 2nd half title in 1980, as well as an excellent 1974. Some of that 1980 core was still around in 1984, when Calvin Griffith declared if the team didn’t start drawing people, he’d have to move the ballclub to Tampa. Despite the Padres winning pretty handily, the Twins stayed close enough that – despite a September fade to 3rd – they managed to draw a million.

Over in the N.L., two last place teams saw their dreams come true, but they weren’t dreams of staying. Rather, they were dreams of something that hadn’t happened for either, except for very brief glimpses at the start of seasons, since 1972, when they met in the NLCS. The way each got there was quite unique.

The Mets rode a very young team, including an inexperienced pitching staff and catcher who were all helped by Keith Hernandez, who finished 2nd in MVP voting. The Phillies actually looked poised to win the division, but they hit a tailspin in the end, finishing 9 games behind the Mets, in third; the Braves managed to sneak into 2nd, on the strength of Guidry’s pitching; Guidry left as a free agent after the season.

The Cubs, meanwhile, had some choices to make regarding young players, several of whom were traded for Rick Sutcliffe, and veterans, as they considered a trade of Bill Buckner for Dennis Eckersley. They were thankful Leon Durham bounced back to hit .287 with good power, but the key was Ryne Sandberg. Sandberg’s MVP performance included great clutch hitting. The Cubs were somewhat fortunate, as the Dodgers, after a few really good years, had tons of offensive woes, and slipped to 4th, just behind the Astros. The Cardinals, ironically, were the Cubs’ closest rivals for the division, as the Astros finished just below .500. Chicago won with as close a battle as New York had.

Wrigley had gotten lights after 1972, when there was pressure on several fronts. They could have moved the Series to a Saturday start, too, though.

First, though, the Cubs had to win the pennant. Rick Sutcliffe won the opener over Rookie of the Year Dwight Gooden, by a score of 3-1. Then, Steve Trout beat the Mets in Shea Stadium, as the club had trouble with lefties, despite Lansford’s and Thon’s bats. Thon had 18 home runs on the year, batting 5th behind George Foster, but Foster was clearly aging, and the other good power hitters were lefties, Hernandez and Strawberry. And, Hernandez had only decent power. Lansford, who batted 2nd, wasn’t a great power hitter in Shea, anyway. He could surprise with his power, but what was really needed was what the Mets would do in the offseason, trade for Gary Carter.

For now, they went back to Wrigley down 2-0. Then, Ron Darling beat the Cubs. He’d come with Walt Terrell in the trade of Lee Mazilli a couple years back. The Mets’ 4th starter would face Scott Sanderson.

The Mets and Cubs were tied at 4 in the 10th. Hernandez hit a home run to put the Mets up 6-4, off of Lee Smith. Jesse Orosco had been pinch-hit for, but stood a chance to gain the win, as Doug Sisk entered. However, he and Tom Gorman pitched poorly enough that the Cubs pushed 2 across, and they went to the 11th. Darkness threatened to send the NLCS to Sunday, but in the bottom of the 11th, Ryne Sandberg brought home the game-winner. The Chicago Cubs had won the National League pennant.

“It was our inexperience in the postseason,” manager Davey Johnson said. “We’d never faced anything like it; Gooden was really posed, but even he made a mistake or two. Then, Terrell just gave up too many hits. That game 4, then, we could have won it a couple times, but we used our best reliever to get us into a chance to win. We’ll be back, though, I’m sure of that,” he promised. They would lose the NLCS to the Cardinals next year, as it expanded to 7 games, but they would win the following year, beating the Red Sox in the World Series.

In the end, worry over what might have been done without lights mattered litt;e Kuhn would have just made them push the start to Saturday. As it was, it mattered little. Rick Sutcliffe got ahead 1-0 versus Jack Morris, but couldn’t hold it, as the Tigers won 6-2 in Wrigley. Dan Petry lost game 2, but the Tigers kept doing well, and Jack Morris pitched another masterful game in game 4, as Kirk Gibson hit a key go-ahead home run. Detroit wound up winning in Tiger Stadium.

Rick Sutcliffe likely would have stayed had the Cubs lost the NLCS. However, he had given them their first pennant since 1945. Now, he signed a free agent contract with his hometown Kansas City Athletics. He hoped to provide them the same.

It would take a while. The Athletics had suffered quite a few problems. However, they had a great young pitching staff, and when 1989 rolled around, and he World Series Earthquake delayed Game 3 for a week in San Francisco, it would be Kansas City whom they were playing. Ironically, Cy Young winner Bret Saberhagen so dominated things, Stucliffe only got a change to pitch to one batter. Saberhagen had come back to pitch in game 3 as well, and tossed 2 shutouts, allowing only 9 singles the entire time. Saberhagen was named the World Series MVP.

It would be the last Kansas City pennant till the present day. Problems with baseball’s economics made some even worry, after Kauffman’s death, that baseball would go back to having teams go generations without contending; including the Athletics. However, they’d won 6 pennants and 3 World Series in Kansas City, despite those problems.
 
Epilogue

Part 14 – A Few Other Matters

1993 expansion finally came, and Miami and Tampa entered the N.L., pushing Cincinnati to the N.L. West for a year.

Bart Giamatti died in office in early 1989, after being appointed Commissioner after Bowie Kuh left; Peter Uebberoth had taken another job by the time it was opened. Some speculate that his death was hastened by contention with owners over hiding the steroid scandal that was beginning; owners didn’t want anything to get out after the drug problem caused 1983 to be impacted so badly. Still, Giamatti did make sure an eye was kept on a few players.

Boston Red Sox fans had to wait another 30 years before another Series win, but with the win in ’74, they weren’t quite as upset about losses to the Yankees. In fact, the Athletics were said to be the originators of the “new curse” by some, since they beat them in the ALCS in 1975 and 1978.

Chicago’s White Sox won a World Series in 2005, but it was 1985 that saved them. Since they weren’t close to the Padres by the trade deadline in ’84, they nixed a trade that would have sent Doug Drabek packing. Instead, they traded him and some others a year later, and wound up contending as they had in ’83, as the “2nd Hitless Wonders,” with Walker, Hulett, Fletcher, and Law in the infield. George Brett, however, led the Angels to a pennant that year, though they lost the Series to the Cards despite his heroics. Brett and Dave Winfield each earned a Series ring with Toronto in 1992; ironically, Brett wound up in the city he’d have been in had he stayed with Finley’s expansion A’s.

Denver’s Bears won a surprise pennant in 1993, over the too-weary winner of the Blue Jays/White Sox pennant race. They were the beneficiaries of 2 things; Bill Veeck’s suggestion that they start deadening the ball before he died, and his last signee, Harold Baines, who was among a number of free agents they signed. Denver wound up losing to the Giants in the Series.

Dick Howser had won the World Seires with Detroit in 1984, but had to resign in midseason in ’86 because of health problems.

Dickie Thon played an excellent 15 years for the Mets. While he only won a few divisions, and one World Series, his power and play were good enough that some consider him a borderline hall of Fame candidate, especially with the steroid era as it was after he retired. However, he’s hampered by Yount and Ripken having overshadowed him, plus the poor offensive environment of Shea Stadium. Most feel he’s more equivalent of Alan Trammell, a player with good credentials, but not great.

Giant fans saw their team move to Oakland in 1993, as Oakland had failed to get an expansion team, with the N.L. not wanting a 2nd team in the Bay Area. The Oakland Giants won the World Series in their new park across the Bay, though Barry Bonds really disliked it because it cut down on his numbers. They also won a pennant since, losing to the Angels in 2002. It’s said if they hadn’t found local bay Area buyers, they might have moved to Arizona, where the Expos moved after 2002. Speaking of Bonds, he wound up being harmed enough by the park to finish with 744 home runs, though he insists he could have played another year and passed Hank Aaron.

Minnesota managed to win the pennant in 1988, but lost to the Dodgers in the World Series. It was the Mets’ 3rd division title in 4 years, but only one pennant to show for it.

San Diego finally won a pennant, but it took a shift in leagues after 1994, which let Houston stay in the N.L. West and the leagues split into 3 divisions. They won the pennant in 1998. Ironically, their last season in the A.L. saw Tony Gwynn hit .403 in the strike-shortened campaign, the first man to hit .400 since Ted Williams. The Padres were a wild car in ’98, when they won the pennant and were swept by the Yankees. When the Expos moved to Arizona, it let the Phillies move into the East with the 2 Florida teams, Atlanta, and New York; Philadelphia had been in the Central with the Brewers, Pirates, Cubs, and Cardinals, thus letting the N.L. West have 4 teams and the others 5. After 2002, Houston moved to the Central.

Sparky Anderson might have quickly been hired to coach the Tigers, but when he won a division in ’78, he remained in Cincinnati, winning another pennant in ’87 and a World Series in ’90. Ironically, ‘87’s saw him losing to the Tigers, who beat the Athletics, a team without a lot of offense. He also played Pete rose enough in ’85 to let him get the career hit title.

St. Louis won a World Series over the Yankees in 2001 in very dramatic fashion. They lost the Series to Boston in 2004, then.won it in 2006.
 
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