WEBVTT - When Baseball Stopped: 1981 and 1994 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:03.480 Welcome to Special Teams, a production of My Heart Radio 0:00:20.360 --> 0:00:23.840 Greetings and Welcome inside Special Teams Jason Smith and Mike 0:00:23.880 --> 0:00:27.000 Harmon from Fox Sports Radio. Every week we take a 0:00:27.040 --> 0:00:29.600 look at a team and I put that in quotes 0:00:29.640 --> 0:00:31.280 because we get to play with the format quite a 0:00:31.360 --> 0:00:34.240 bit here on the show. One individual year in sports 0:00:34.280 --> 0:00:39.120 and what made them so memorable. With no sports having 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.000 been going on this way for a while now due 0:00:42.000 --> 0:00:44.720 to the coronavirus pandemic, we thought this might be a 0:00:44.720 --> 0:00:46.559 good time to look back at some of the Special 0:00:46.560 --> 0:00:49.240 Teams in the years in which we had work stoppages 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:51.879 and we didn't have any games. This will be the 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:55.280 Major League Baseball Strikes and Lockouts edition as we look 0:00:55.320 --> 0:00:58.320 back at two specific years in which the Major League 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:01.640 Baseball season got interrupted. At one point, it got interrupted 0:01:01.680 --> 0:01:03.760 for the rest of the year, and we look back 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:05.920 and see what teams were robbed, what teams were set 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:09.600 to have great seasons, maybe win the World Series, big 0:01:09.640 --> 0:01:12.080 time records that could have been broken. So this is 0:01:12.120 --> 0:01:16.280 the Baseball Strikes and Lockout Podcasts with Special Teams. I'm Jason, 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:18.160 and the man you're gonna hear right now is Mike Arming. 0:01:19.120 --> 0:01:22.440 Absolute madness. We've seen it. We talked about labor piece 0:01:22.480 --> 0:01:24.920 and take it for granted, right because we talked about 0:01:24.920 --> 0:01:29.640 the giant piles of money and players and sometimes they 0:01:29.800 --> 0:01:34.000 stick their feet in their mouths Hi Patrick ewing Uh 0:01:34.160 --> 0:01:37.360 from your NBA sessions. Yes, we make a lot of money, 0:01:37.400 --> 0:01:40.520 but we spend a lot of much on infamous quote 0:01:40.760 --> 0:01:44.760 from the NBA world. But all the mechanics of trying 0:01:44.760 --> 0:01:47.880 to put this thing back together and as we've talked 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:50.680 about a lot with the pandemic, trying to figure out 0:01:50.720 --> 0:01:53.200 how to get it back together again, what makes sense, 0:01:53.280 --> 0:01:56.640 what's the next iteration? How do you make it function? 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:00.160 What's fair, what's right? And how do you bring two 0:02:00.200 --> 0:02:02.559 sides together to say, all right, here's how we're gonna 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:06.080 Frankenstein together a season. And as we're about to talk 0:02:06.120 --> 0:02:10.640 about it gets a little bit uh odd. So what 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:14.639 was the first strike slash lockout? We're gonna look back 0:02:14.639 --> 0:02:19.760 at the night one Major League Baseball strike which began, 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:24.520 as many other seasons we're going to we had Fernando Mania. 0:02:24.600 --> 0:02:27.960 This is when Fernando Valenzuela made his debut. And you know, 0:02:28.040 --> 0:02:32.520 for people who were born later, what was Fernando Valenzuela. 0:02:32.639 --> 0:02:34.680 What was Fernando Mania like? It was kind of like 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:37.920 what Lynsanity was with the Nix and Jeremy lit a 0:02:37.919 --> 0:02:40.920 few years ago. And every time Fernando Valenzuelo would pitch, 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:43.640 look at this who is this guy? He closes his eyes, 0:02:43.680 --> 0:02:46.320 he looks up to the sky. I mean, everywhere you 0:02:46.360 --> 0:02:49.799 went it was about Fernando Mania. So you know, being 0:02:49.800 --> 0:02:53.280 a lusty I used to uh pull out the Fernando 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:57.000 to the mound that big wind up. Okay, all right, 0:02:57.120 --> 0:02:59.519 and here's still kind of ocasionally one would get away 0:02:59.560 --> 0:03:03.200 and a guy to have to wear it, but blust 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:05.799 that one. I'm doing my Fernando impression. But I got 0:03:05.880 --> 0:03:07.960 hit in the face. Yeah. Sorry. I love throwing the 0:03:07.960 --> 0:03:10.640 ball like Fernando valence Whille. It's what I do. Never 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:13.720 hit anybody in the face. Uh to four eight e 0:03:13.960 --> 0:03:17.880 r A. All the complete games. I mean, just fantastic 0:03:18.000 --> 0:03:21.160 stuff from from this kid or so we were totally 0:03:21.160 --> 0:03:27.520 he was a kid, yeah as a kid, never matter. 0:03:27.520 --> 0:03:30.760 It was so Fernando valence Whala debuting for the Dodgers 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:32.480 on the West Coast. People didn't get a chance to 0:03:32.480 --> 0:03:35.120 see him. The mystery was there for him. It was awesome. 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:39.440 Another big highlight before the MLB striking eighty one Paul 0:03:39.520 --> 0:03:43.400 Tucking in Rochester Triple A teams played a thirty three 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:47.480 inning game, a game that had to be settled a 0:03:47.520 --> 0:03:51.320 different day because they decided finally after thirty two winnings 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:55.000 were done playing. It was Easter Sunday and these two 0:03:55.040 --> 0:03:58.560 teams had to finish a game a few months later. 0:03:58.920 --> 0:04:01.200 And I'm telling you, I read the book Bottom of 0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:03.280 the Thirty Three, which came out a few years ago. 0:04:03.680 --> 0:04:05.600 It is one of the top three sports books of 0:04:05.600 --> 0:04:09.240 all time. It is so incredibly interesting because the the 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:13.280 author goes into um life on Pawtucket and what life 0:04:13.360 --> 0:04:16.600 was like, and there's stuff on Cal Ripken and Wade 0:04:16.640 --> 0:04:19.159 Boggs and Rich Gedman and what happened to all the 0:04:19.240 --> 0:04:21.760 players playing in this game that went thirty three innings 0:04:21.800 --> 0:04:24.240 and fans who were at the game, And it's like 0:04:24.279 --> 0:04:27.440 you're reading a great fictional book about a thirty three 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:30.919 ning baseball game, except it was real. And I'm telling 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:33.400 you I I read sports books all the time. Bottom 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:35.760 of the Thirty three one of the best sports books 0:04:35.760 --> 0:04:38.159 you could possibly buy and read. It was it was 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:41.559 just fantastic. And the thing is, I read it knowing 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:43.200 full well I forgot who won the game, so I 0:04:43.200 --> 0:04:44.480 didn't go look up or anything I want to go. 0:04:44.920 --> 0:04:46.920 I kind of want to be surprised. And then as 0:04:46.960 --> 0:04:50.000 I read the beginning that I go, oh, okay, I 0:04:50.000 --> 0:04:54.240 think this guy is big for a big reason. All right, 0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:56.520 we'll get to that. But it is. It is like 0:04:56.600 --> 0:04:58.920 one of those books that John You'd figured John Feinstein 0:04:58.960 --> 0:05:00.800 would write and he would take all this time to 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:03.400 do research on these teams. It is just that good. 0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:07.760 And this was Pawtucket in Rochester, so the major I 0:05:07.880 --> 0:05:09.720 used to go to the live school library and I 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:13.120 take out whatever sports book I couldn't to do book reports. 0:05:13.120 --> 0:05:15.880 And eventually they banned me from taking any sports books out. 0:05:15.960 --> 0:05:20.160 Wow you got because you never returned them. It was 0:05:20.240 --> 0:05:23.760 like on the nineteen nineteen White Sox, I still have it. Sorry, no, no, 0:05:25.440 --> 0:05:27.280 But it'd be like, you just get a book report 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:31.120 on the the Yankees two weeks ago. I don't care 0:05:31.160 --> 0:05:34.560 about the history of the insert teen here. It's like, no, 0:05:34.760 --> 0:05:37.560 you will, and I'm gonna tell you why it's compelling. Next. 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.719 For three years, I did a book report on the 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.400 baseball Life of Sandy Kofax, Like, I know so much 0:05:43.440 --> 0:05:46.360 about Sandy Kolfax's life because for three years I did it, 0:05:46.640 --> 0:05:48.760 and then one for the fourth year. I think it 0:05:48.839 --> 0:05:50.760 was like fifth or sixth grade. I went to do 0:05:50.839 --> 0:05:52.840 it and I couldn't find the book, and I said, Mom, 0:05:52.839 --> 0:05:55.160 where's my Sandy Colfax book? She said, I threw it 0:05:55.200 --> 0:05:57.040 out because I wasn't gonna have you do another book 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:00.560 report on that book. Read something else. I'm like, okay, 0:06:00.720 --> 0:06:03.039 you meanwhile, like I never read. I read all the time. 0:06:03.120 --> 0:06:05.240 I just want to do a you know, book report 0:06:05.279 --> 0:06:08.240 on Sandy co Fax again. But she threw the book away. 0:06:08.480 --> 0:06:11.080 I just like, Sandy co Fast, what do you want 0:06:11.120 --> 0:06:17.039 from me? So the season begins and the players strike 0:06:17.240 --> 0:06:21.680 on June twelfth. This was over free agency compensation. The 0:06:21.760 --> 0:06:25.640 owners wanted compensation for free agents to sign in other places. 0:06:25.640 --> 0:06:27.760 In other words, kind kind of like the NFL. You 0:06:27.839 --> 0:06:29.440 trade a guy, you lose a guy, you get you 0:06:29.440 --> 0:06:32.919 get a compensatory draft pick. Well, the owners wanted compensation 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:35.039 if a free agent one of their players went and 0:06:35.080 --> 0:06:37.960 signed someplace else. The players said, wait a minute, that 0:06:38.000 --> 0:06:40.400 doesn't mean we really have free agency. It's you know, 0:06:40.440 --> 0:06:43.240 it's almost like a trade. So this is what they 0:06:43.279 --> 0:06:46.960 struck on. There were fifty plus games missed, and I'm 0:06:46.960 --> 0:06:49.640 gonna tell you exactly what happened to finish the season here, 0:06:49.640 --> 0:06:51.880 and you're gonna say, no way, major League Baseball is 0:06:51.920 --> 0:06:54.800 not gonna do that. No, this is exactly what they did. No. 0:06:54.960 --> 0:06:58.880 But Jason, I mean, remember, people are well well aware 0:06:58.880 --> 0:07:01.000 of what a guy like Rob Man for a dozen't 0:07:01.000 --> 0:07:05.960 do in the job now, the Astros and Red Sox 0:07:06.040 --> 0:07:10.360 decisions here in so anything else you say that a 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:13.560 commissioner did, I gotta think people kind of shrug at 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:16.600 this point, going yeah, I'll buy that. Yeah, but this 0:07:16.680 --> 0:07:19.280 was easy stuff. It wasn't well Rob Man for his 0:07:19.320 --> 0:07:22.360 easy stuff too, so he had easy stuff. They did 0:07:22.360 --> 0:07:25.960 what the players strike on June twelve, and they missed 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:30.440 fifty games before they recommenced the season. What Baseball decided 0:07:30.560 --> 0:07:33.240 was all those teams that were in first place on 0:07:33.360 --> 0:07:35.880 June twelve of the four divisions, because this is back 0:07:35.880 --> 0:07:38.559 when Major League Baseball was just n least n L West, 0:07:38.600 --> 0:07:41.280 A least n L a L West, they were the 0:07:41.320 --> 0:07:44.880 first half winners. So these four teams that won the 0:07:44.960 --> 0:07:51.880 first half clinch playoff berths. So that means Oakland, the Yankees, Philadelphia, 0:07:52.000 --> 0:07:55.000 and the Dodgers all clinch playoff spots. So no matter 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:56.760 what they did in the second half of the season, 0:07:57.120 --> 0:07:59.440 they were in the playoffs. I mean, how insane's going 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:02.280 on three on vacation. We just decided to stop on 0:08:02.320 --> 0:08:04.800 the twelve. Oh yeah, you're in the playoffs. Oh that's awesome, 0:08:04.840 --> 0:08:09.480 Thank you so much so management, it was come. It 0:08:09.600 --> 0:08:12.640 was insane, right. So now the first question is, okay, 0:08:12.680 --> 0:08:15.840 what if the same team wins the division in the 0:08:15.880 --> 0:08:18.200 second half of the season. That was a problem. So 0:08:18.320 --> 0:08:21.960 Major League Baseball decided, well, if a team wins both has, 0:08:22.440 --> 0:08:25.120 they would have to play the team who finished second 0:08:25.520 --> 0:08:29.720 in their division in the second half. Okay, So that 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:32.040 that's how it went. So you could win your division 0:08:32.559 --> 0:08:34.600 at the second half of the year, but it doesn't 0:08:34.640 --> 0:08:36.240 matter because you would still have to play the team 0:08:36.280 --> 0:08:40.240 that finished second in the second half. That's how baseball 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:42.920 said that, instead of just picking up the season where 0:08:42.960 --> 0:08:45.480 they were and finishing it, no, no, no, we're gonna 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.360 do this crazy ask first half second half thing, which 0:08:48.400 --> 0:08:51.480 doesn't make any sense. So that's what Major League Baseball 0:08:51.520 --> 0:08:54.440 decides to do. First half winners, I want to play 0:08:54.520 --> 0:08:56.880 the second half. I mean, how do how do you? 0:08:57.080 --> 0:08:58.840 That's like something an eight year old kid would come 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:02.800 up with. But the meeting to where this gets agreed to, 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:07.120 I mean, there's so many, so many problems with it 0:09:07.160 --> 0:09:11.719 without even researching anything else, just all right, you win 0:09:11.920 --> 0:09:17.480 both both halves. Why don't you get a buy instead 0:09:17.520 --> 0:09:19.680 of another team? Hey, you know what, you get the 0:09:19.720 --> 0:09:26.400 bonus round because this team dominated both halves. How does 0:09:26.440 --> 0:09:29.040 that make any sense? You still have to play even 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:30.840 though you're the best team. But wait a minute, it 0:09:30.920 --> 0:09:32.679 wasn't that said a couple of a couple like two 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:35.400 minutes ago. You're not gonna believe a major league Baseball 0:09:35.400 --> 0:09:37.360 didn't And who was the one who said, well you 0:09:37.440 --> 0:09:40.199 see what Rob Manford's done. I think people believe it. No, no, no, 0:09:40.400 --> 0:09:44.360 it's absolutely insane. You came full circle in two minutes. 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:48.280 To my point. No, it's Look, I can still see 0:09:48.280 --> 0:09:51.120 how it gets under the table. I just don't see 0:09:51.120 --> 0:09:55.800 how it's not swept away. That's that's the point I'm 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:59.000 trying to make it. Who's like a lot of decisions, 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:01.800 Like you know, when I worked at yah who years ago, 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:03.960 we'd be sitting in these meetings that would become two 0:10:03.960 --> 0:10:07.920 to three hours long and somewhat everybody got to have 0:10:08.000 --> 0:10:10.439 their say, and they'd start an idea, and after about 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:13.400 three sentences, you knew why it wouldn't work for twelve reasons, 0:10:14.200 --> 0:10:16.280 so I'd cut it off at the past. In my 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.320 next annual review, you know what it said. Stop being 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:22.840 from Chicago, California. People don't work like this. You have 0:10:22.920 --> 0:10:25.000 to let everybody have their say. I'm like, I was 0:10:25.080 --> 0:10:28.679 had three hours and fifteen minutes for this meeting, and 0:10:28.800 --> 0:10:31.160 I actually still have to get my work done, as 0:10:31.160 --> 0:10:33.280 opposed to a lot of these folks that just said, look, 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:35.360 I give you eight hours. I'll see n hell. I 0:10:35.440 --> 0:10:38.520 actually cared that we were getting a job done, so 0:10:38.640 --> 0:10:40.760 I would live there if I needed to to make 0:10:40.800 --> 0:10:43.480 sure we got it done. Sitting here in this meeting 0:10:43.559 --> 0:10:46.480 listening to bad ideas doesn't work. This is a bad 0:10:46.520 --> 0:10:49.480 idea that should have never stayed on the table. And 0:10:49.480 --> 0:10:51.360 and here's how bad of an idea was. Let me 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:53.040 just take you through a couple of things that happened 0:10:53.040 --> 0:10:54.760 because of this. So now baseball is back in their 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:57.000 play instead of just saying we're gonna pick up the 0:10:57.000 --> 0:11:00.760 seats and play another you know, they decide to take 0:11:00.760 --> 0:11:03.079 the schedule from where it sits. Right, so at the 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:05.800 end of the year, teams play an odd number of games. 0:11:05.920 --> 0:11:09.640 It's not like everybody played a hundred and twenty get no, no, no, no. 0:11:09.920 --> 0:11:13.880 Some teams played one or two more games than everybody else, 0:11:13.880 --> 0:11:16.600 and everybody played around a hundred and ten games, but 0:11:16.679 --> 0:11:19.280 some played a hundred and twelves, some played a hundred nine. 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:22.320 I mean, how do you not even just have here's 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:23.600 the schedule for the rest of the year to make 0:11:23.600 --> 0:11:25.680 it fair for everybody. Nope, Wh're just gonna have everybody 0:11:25.679 --> 0:11:28.199 play whatever games you finished with you finished with. I mean, 0:11:28.280 --> 0:11:31.720 that's what Major League Baseball decides to do. The Yankees. 0:11:32.120 --> 0:11:33.960 They win the first half, right, this is the first 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:35.680 time the Yankees have been good in a couple of years. 0:11:35.920 --> 0:11:38.960 The Yankees win. Gene Michael is the manager of the Yankees. 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:41.920 Yankees win the first half. What happens over the strike 0:11:42.160 --> 0:11:45.480 he has fired and replaced by Bob Lemon for the 0:11:45.559 --> 0:11:49.320 second half of the season. So he wins the first 0:11:49.440 --> 0:11:53.360 half as Yankee manager and gets fired during the strike. 0:11:53.400 --> 0:11:56.679 Apparently the Yankees didn't like how he struck uh and 0:11:56.760 --> 0:12:02.920 so I mean, oh, that's this was peak Steinbrenner. I mean, 0:12:03.360 --> 0:12:05.120 I mean, this is a guy that took over the Yankees, 0:12:05.160 --> 0:12:07.200 and and first thing he did was say, the following 0:12:07.559 --> 0:12:09.800 players need to get a haircut. And they read out 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:12.000 the numbers of the players, you know, and they were 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:14.600 all cheering, going, I gotta get a haircut. But this 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:17.560 is the beginning of peak Steinbrenner. You're you're firing your manager. 0:12:17.760 --> 0:12:20.560 He just won the first half, and your fireman replacing 0:12:20.640 --> 0:12:22.640 him for the second half of the year. Look at 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:25.720 look at that lineup they were fielding in nine one though, 0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:30.040 Just to go back down memory lane, Rick Serones, your catcher, 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:36.120 Bob Watson. Respect Bob Watson. He did a lot of 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:39.240 things from Major League Baseball after he retired. Long long 0:12:39.280 --> 0:12:45.000 time exact right Willie Randolph, Bucky Blank and Dent, Greg Nettles. 0:12:45.200 --> 0:12:48.599 Just one of my strata matic teams. Jerry Mumfrey and 0:12:48.720 --> 0:12:53.320 center field with Windfield and Reggie Jackson on either side 0:12:53.360 --> 0:12:55.880 of him, and then Bobby Mercers, your d h coming 0:12:55.880 --> 0:13:00.280 off the bench, the legendary hair of Oscar Gamble and 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:02.840 Bob Watson. I think he scored the one millions run 0:13:02.880 --> 0:13:04.920 in baseball history. If I'm not mistake, I believe that 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:07.200 he was as he on a home run. And I 0:13:07.240 --> 0:13:09.760 think it came down to the fact that, like they 0:13:09.840 --> 0:13:12.000 knew the millions run was going to be scored the 0:13:12.080 --> 0:13:14.760 next day, if I'm not mistake, in my baseball history, 0:13:15.120 --> 0:13:17.120 they knew the millions run was gonna be scored, and 0:13:17.120 --> 0:13:20.200 everybody was tearing asked around the basis to try to score. 0:13:20.200 --> 0:13:21.960 And I think Watson hit a home run in the 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.280 first inning of a game, and he crossed the plate 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:28.120 like ten seconds before somebody else did, like scoring from 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:30.360 first on a single, you know, because they wanted to 0:13:30.400 --> 0:13:32.439 be the guy to scored the million run. If I'm 0:13:32.440 --> 0:13:34.520 not mistaken, I think that's how it went for Bob Watson. 0:13:34.960 --> 0:13:37.600 So he scored from second on the three run homer 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:42.679 by Milt May Milt May Mit Candlestick Park. But I mean, 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:45.200 is that like, did he win a Lanka Vision kind 0:13:45.240 --> 0:13:47.559 of experiencer. Yeah, I don't know about I don't know 0:13:47.600 --> 0:13:50.360 what he did. What do you get for that? Here's 0:13:50.400 --> 0:13:54.679 your Laurel and Hardy handshake Bob Watson to congratulations. So 0:13:55.000 --> 0:13:59.640 the Yankees fire Gene Michael. They fired their manager. The 0:13:59.720 --> 0:14:03.000 red Heads wind up with the best record in baseball 0:14:03.120 --> 0:14:06.480 sixties six and forty two. They don't make the playoffs 0:14:06.679 --> 0:14:09.600 because they finished second in the n L West the 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.880 first half and they finished second in the n L 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:16.000 West the second half. This is because their last game 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:19.560 of the season, they get knocked out because the Braves 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:23.200 beat them. Bob Horner hits to how how good was 0:14:23.200 --> 0:14:26.280 Bob Horner? Bob Horner hits two horror runs and he 0:14:26.360 --> 0:14:30.320 scores the game winning run and the Braves beat the Reds, 0:14:30.720 --> 0:14:33.000 knocking the Reds out. They finished second in the first 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:35.280 half they finished in the second half. They actually had 0:14:35.320 --> 0:14:38.520 a the Reds actually had a like a uh something 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.720 on the field of like a ceremony in which they 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.000 had a bantner that said Baseball's best record. But you know, 0:14:45.040 --> 0:14:46.880 they didn't make the playoffs. They were trying to. It's 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:49.600 like the Cults when they celebrated a FC South champions 0:14:49.680 --> 0:14:51.360 and they put the banner up a few years ago. 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.080 Oh yeah, when they when they made the a f 0:14:54.160 --> 0:14:58.280 C title game and they lost the right right right 0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:04.000 Colts you and now they have that stupid seas for 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:08.400 Cookie logo. So the Reds don't get to make it. 0:15:08.520 --> 0:15:10.920 Neither do the Cardinals who had a great record, and 0:15:11.000 --> 0:15:13.920 we get to the playoffs, and the playoffs are a 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:17.480 completely separate story entirely way. Do you year how that 0:15:17.640 --> 0:15:39.520 turned out? Coming up next right here on Special Teams. 0:15:39.520 --> 0:15:41.720 Time to continue on here on Special Teams. As we 0:15:41.760 --> 0:15:44.480 look back at the last time we saw some sports 0:15:44.520 --> 0:15:46.880 that either didn't have a season or parts of a season, 0:15:46.920 --> 0:15:49.520 or we're broken up by a strike or a lockout. 0:15:49.560 --> 0:15:52.640 We're looking back at the Major League Baseball season, and 0:15:52.680 --> 0:15:55.360 when we last spoke, we were set up for the 0:15:55.360 --> 0:15:58.520 playoffs finally, the first half division winners playing the second 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:03.120 half division winners. The Expos made the playoffs in one 0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:08.560 for the only time in franchise history until the Nationals 0:16:08.600 --> 0:16:11.960 in two thousand and twelve. Now, the Expos back in 0:16:11.960 --> 0:16:15.360 the early eighties were so talented. I remember playing Strata 0:16:15.360 --> 0:16:18.000 Matic and another homemade baseball games. I always wanted to 0:16:18.000 --> 0:16:20.640 be the Exposed because they always hit the ball. I mean, 0:16:20.680 --> 0:16:24.680 this was Gary Carter and Tim Raynes and Andre Dawson, 0:16:25.120 --> 0:16:29.240 Larry Parrish, Warren Crow, Marty Ellis Valentine who had the 0:16:29.280 --> 0:16:31.840 half football helmet because he got hit with cheek and 0:16:31.840 --> 0:16:33.760 he would have the half football helmet to protect him. 0:16:33.920 --> 0:16:35.880 I mean, the all they did was matched the ball 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:39.120 in Montreal was fantastic and the only time they made 0:16:39.120 --> 0:16:41.320 the playoffs, so they moved to Washington two thousand twelve. 0:16:42.120 --> 0:16:45.040 That was a scary lineup, up and down. I mean, 0:16:45.120 --> 0:16:51.240 just consistent hitters throughout that, throughout that that roster, and 0:16:51.320 --> 0:16:53.320 Jerry Manuel was on there. I gotta give a shout 0:16:53.360 --> 0:16:57.920 out to the old one. Uh. And let's face it, 0:16:57.960 --> 0:16:59.960 there were a couple of years that the Expos had 0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:04.119 had in Major League Baseball history that you know, you 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:08.119 can celebrate a cast of all stars. So yeah, and 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.359 it's always and it's always strike here the X that 0:17:11.480 --> 0:17:13.640 is right, that is when they had they were at 0:17:13.680 --> 0:17:16.240 their best. Yeah, whenever there's a season that's gonna be 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:18.359 cut shorter, we haven't straight. Yeah, we're gonna be great. 0:17:18.440 --> 0:17:21.080 That's the Expos are there. So this is the series. 0:17:21.080 --> 0:17:23.600 They lose to the Dodgers in five games. Rick Monday 0:17:23.920 --> 0:17:26.119 hits the big home run of the ninth inning. The 0:17:26.160 --> 0:17:28.800 Expos actually put the tying run at second base in 0:17:28.880 --> 0:17:30.720 the bottom of the ninth, but the Dodgers get out 0:17:30.720 --> 0:17:33.960 of it. The Dodgers beat the exposed the Expos go home. 0:17:34.400 --> 0:17:37.240 And I remember listening to this game in the car 0:17:37.760 --> 0:17:40.119 with my grandfather. I think we were picking up my 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:43.080 grandmother from the airport and my my grandfather. We were 0:17:43.200 --> 0:17:45.879 big Mets fans, both of us. But the playoffs are on, 0:17:46.240 --> 0:17:48.560 and I was rooting for the Expos because you know, 0:17:48.600 --> 0:17:50.680 the Expos were a new team, right. He's like, oh 0:17:50.680 --> 0:17:52.680 my god, the Expos are right. They play in Canada. 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:55.119 How cool is that? But my grandfather grew up a 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:57.199 Dodgers fan because obviously, you know, the Mets didn't come 0:17:57.240 --> 0:17:59.400 around until you know, the nineteen sixties. And so we're 0:17:59.440 --> 0:18:01.600 listening to this aim in the car and we'll listen 0:18:01.600 --> 0:18:03.359 to Game five and the Expos rob. I'm like, oh 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:05.359 my god, the Expos and I'm excited, and he gets 0:18:05.400 --> 0:18:07.680 mad and he keep quiet in the back. You're only 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:10.040 rooting for the Expos because I'm rooting for the Dodgers. 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.400 I see what you're doing, and I go, no, I'm 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:14.680 not just the Exposer fun and he was, no, you're 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:16.359 only rooting for them because you don't you want you 0:18:16.359 --> 0:18:18.480 want me to lose. And I'm going, oh my god, 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:21.000 this is a conversation. I can't believe I'm having here 0:18:21.040 --> 0:18:22.840 as a ten year old kid. But yet that was 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:26.120 the conversation. I was apparently rooting for the expos just 0:18:26.160 --> 0:18:30.440 despite my grandfather. Well, I mean some folks take things 0:18:30.520 --> 0:18:34.480 personally and they need they needed needed to combatant. Maybe 0:18:34.480 --> 0:18:37.280 that was the thing. There was something else you did 0:18:37.800 --> 0:18:40.640 and he was mad about, but he decided to make 0:18:40.680 --> 0:18:43.760 it up out the next Yeah, I'm sure I just 0:18:43.800 --> 0:18:45.879 forgot to take the garbage out, and he got you know, 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:47.600 I meant mad at me for that. I mean so 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:50.480 many things come around too. He would just work himself 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:51.880 up all the time. He's one of those of those 0:18:51.880 --> 0:18:53.280 people that when he got mad at you for a 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:55.960 little thing, it didn't matter because the little thing would 0:18:56.000 --> 0:18:58.880 then mushroom. Like he could say, hey, can you bring 0:18:58.920 --> 0:19:00.879 my glass upstairs and put in the sink when you 0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:02.919 go upstairs? Sure? Pop, And then like you know, I 0:19:02.920 --> 0:19:05.399 woke upstairs for forty five minutes and I'll forget. In 0:19:05.400 --> 0:19:06.959 forty five minutes, I go upstairs, I forget to bring 0:19:07.000 --> 0:19:08.919 the glass. You've got to bring my glass up And 0:19:08.920 --> 0:19:11.080 I knew, oh, this is just the beginning. And then 0:19:11.119 --> 0:19:13.119 it went from I forgot to bring the glass up 0:19:13.119 --> 0:19:14.880 to then like I forgot to bring the garbage out. 0:19:14.920 --> 0:19:16.359 Then it was I didn't do good on the test, 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:18.240 and then it was something I did a year ago, 0:19:18.520 --> 0:19:21.240 and I'm going, when does it stop? Like how high 0:19:21.240 --> 0:19:23.680 do we go to stop? I mean where? Where? Where? 0:19:23.680 --> 0:19:25.840 Where is the endpoint of this? It could come anytime, 0:19:26.119 --> 0:19:28.360 so I knew just the tiniest thing was it. And 0:19:28.400 --> 0:19:31.480 he was mad at me. But then thankfully the Dodgers 0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:34.280 won and he was okay, and then they were gonna 0:19:34.359 --> 0:19:36.560 go to the World Series, and I was obviously rooting 0:19:36.600 --> 0:19:39.080 for the Dodgers then, so then we got along pretty well. 0:19:39.840 --> 0:19:42.199 So the Dodgers go to the World Series in the 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:46.439 National League, and this was the American League, the first 0:19:46.480 --> 0:19:50.080 playoff appearance for the Milwaukee Brewers. This was kind of 0:19:50.119 --> 0:19:52.640 the launch of what would later on be Harvey's Wallbangers, 0:19:53.520 --> 0:19:55.960 but not quite yet because he he wasn't a manager. 0:19:56.440 --> 0:19:59.280 But this was such a fun team. And growing up 0:19:59.320 --> 0:20:02.520 as I did hating the Yankees, I spent a lot 0:20:02.600 --> 0:20:04.919 of time. Look, the Mets were terrible, so it wasn't like, 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:07.600 you know, all the men, but I was always like, really, 0:20:07.600 --> 0:20:10.120 you were really rooting against the Yankees. So I had 0:20:10.200 --> 0:20:12.280 deep deep knowledge of the A L East, and all 0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:14.800 the teams were really good, and Milwaukee was so much 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:16.800 fun because they were a lot like the Expos. All 0:20:16.840 --> 0:20:19.920 they did was hit. I mean this was Ted Simmons 0:20:19.920 --> 0:20:24.600 and Paul Mallet or Cecil Cooper, Ben Ogilvie Gorman, Thomas 0:20:24.680 --> 0:20:27.399 Robin Young who was still a short stop at this point, 0:20:27.640 --> 0:20:30.120 Jim Gantler, I mean, this was this was a team 0:20:30.119 --> 0:20:31.639 that all they did was hit. And they made a 0:20:31.640 --> 0:20:34.679 big trade with the Cardinals that year to get Raleigh 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.240 Fingers and Pete Vukovic who would go on to be 0:20:37.280 --> 0:20:40.960 a star of Major League as first baseman. But this team, 0:20:41.000 --> 0:20:46.280