I mean it was BEGGING me to buy it!

200pxworld_series_logo_1979I was at Borders Books yesterday and it jumped out in front of me.  There was no way I could avoid it.  I had no idea it was on dvd…and I can’t figure out why they thought it would sell in Boston.  But it did.  One copy anyway.

THE ENTIRE 1979 World Series!  I can’t freaking believe it!  I’ve mentioned here before the significance of this series for me.  I talk about it all the time when the opportunity presents itself.  I was 10 years old and my parents let me stay up to watch.  I’m sure my father stayed up for some, but for the most part I was on my own.  I started off rooting for Baltimore but I fell in love with the Pittsburgh Pirates after the first game.

So, I am spending this rainy Saturday afternoon watching game 1 of the 1979 World Series.  Brooks Robinson threw out the first pitch to Doug DeCinces.

The Pirates lineup:

  1. CF – Omar Moreno
  2. SS – Tim Foli
  3. RF – Dave Parker
  4. LF – Bill Robinson
  5. 1B – Willie Stargell
  6. 3B – Bill Madlock
  7. C-  Steve Nicosia
  8. 2B – Phil Garner
  9. P –  Bruce Kison (Ended his career with the Red Sox in 1985 – He didn’t even get out of the first inning!)

The Orioles lineup:

  1. CF – Al Bumbry
  2. SS – Mark Belanger (born in  Pittsfield, Massachusetts!)
  3. RF – Ken Singleton
  4. 1B-  Eddie Murray
  5. LF – John Lowenstein (Sign seen at Game 1 "Snake & Sleeves say "Tonight Let it be Lowenstein" – a reference, for those of you too young to know, to a popular beer commercial of the time.  "Here’s to good friends, tonight is kind of special…")
  6. 3B – Doug DeCinces
  7. 2B – Billy Smith
  8. C –  Rick Dempsey
  9. P –  Mike Flanagan (From Manchester, New  Hampshire.  How amazing is it that Jim Palmer didn’t start?  That would never fly today.)

I’m looking at Tim Foli and remembering I thought he was cute. But after the first game, I still wanted the Pirates to win.  Watching the first inning here, I can’t believe they won the series.  🙂

Howard Cosell and Keith Jackson are calling the game (with Al Michaels and Don Drysdale).  Four men calling this game yet no over-hyped fan fare.  Boy, I miss these days.  Although the graphics are just killing me.  And you forget that there was a time when you needed to wait until each half inning was over before you found out what the score was (FORGET about finding out who was on base, on deck or how many balls and strikes there were).  Cosell keeps calling DeCinces "Doogie".  I’m cracking up.

Terry Tata is one of the umpires.  I found out not too long ago that he’s related to a dear friend of mine.  Small, small world.

Howard Cosell just called Willie Stargell a great human being and then continued to go on about what a wonderful person he was off the field (of course, he then strikes out).  Man, I loved him.  When Kison was getting in trouble in the first, Stargell kept going to the mound to talk with him.  It was obvious he was the team leader and they all respected him.  You don’t see a lot of that these days.

The weather that day was similar to the way it is here in Boston today.  Someone had a sign  "This weather is for the birds!".  Some clever signs at this World Series.  I guess it snowed the morning of this game.  Ah, even then MLB wouldn’t hold a game for weather. 

Stargell Stars!!!!!!  I had completely forgotten about those!  How did anyone NOT love that guy?

There’s a Bowie Kuhn sighting.  He, apparently, got lots of grief for canceling game 1 the night before.  Man, I don’t remember any of that. 

No Sox until tonight, if at all…I doubt there will be a game tonight.  Is it raining in New York?  If not, I’ll probably watch the Yankees game (if they’re showing it on Extra Innings).  If not, I’m sticking with the Pirates for a while!

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