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10/08/2006 11:05 PM ET

"Baseball heads back to the future: LCS takes on '80s look with AL, NL
foursome"

By Mark Newman / MLB.com


Bring back the designer jeans, Ray Ban shades, Space Invaders, breakdancing,
MTV veejays, Ferris Bueller and VHS vs. Betamax. Play some Madonna or
Michael Jackson and lip-sync some Milli Vanilli.

It's Retro '80s Week in Major League Baseball.

Four teams are now all set for the League Championship Series, with the
Tigers opening Tuesday at Oakland in the American League and the Cardinals
headed for New York to face the Mets on Wednesday in the National League.

Each of those teams last won a world championship in the 1980s -- a decade
remembered for the "Me generation," a geeky programmer named Bill Gates,
music videos, Space Shuttles, compact discs, the fall of Communism, and, of
course, really big hair. The Cardinals last won it all in 1982, the Tigers
in 1984, the Mets in 1986 and the A's in 1989.

After the Red Sox won for the first time since 1918 and the White Sox for
the first time since 1917, there is not going to be another of those monster
drought-busters in 2006. But for many fans in roughly the 17-24 age group,
it doesn't matter -- a lifetime without a title is still a reality and a
hunger for them. Here is how past meets present as the Road to the World
Series continues:


1982: The Year of the Cardinals

Life back then: "E.T.", Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the Falklands War,
Rubik's Cube, Pac-Man, The Weather Channel, David Letterman instead of
Johnny Carson, "Cheers" and "St. Elsewhere," Vanna White turning over her
first letter, the beginning of Cal Ripken Jr.'s streak, the Tylenol scare,
Epcot's grand opening, John Cougar, Human League, Cal-Stanford and "The
Play," John Belushi's drug overdose, Barney Clark and the first artificial
heart, the Vietnam Memorial, and a computer winning Time magazine's "Man of
the Year."

How they last won it all: St. Louis played "Whiteyball," relying on speed
under manager Whitey Herzog against "Harvey's Wallbangers" from Milwaukee in
the World Series. It went seven great games, and 2006 Hall of Fame inductee
Bruce Sutter closed it out at old Busch Stadium in the clincher. Catcher
Darrell Porter was named Series MVP.

The 2006 story: The Cardinals are in the longest title drought in their rich
history, and now they open their third straight NLCS on Wednesday at Shea
Stadium against the Mets team that became their heated rivals in the '80s
(remember Pond Scum?). St. Louis is bidding for the rare feat of winning it
all in the first year of a new ballpark. A sluggish regular season finish
and the loss of regular closer Jason Isringhausen have left questions, but
anything's possible when Albert Pujols is in your lineup.


1984: The Year of the Tigers

Life back then: Trivial Pursuit, Madonna's "Like a Virgin," Apple's first
Macintosh, Culture Club, breakdancing and parachute pants, "Miami Vice,"
Baby Bells, "Ghostbusters" and "Footloose," Wham!, space walks, Michael
Jackson's hair catching fire while filming a Pepsi commercial, "Starlight
Express" opening in London, Indira Gandhi's assassination, Cabbage Patch
Kids, Bishop Desmond Tutu's Nobel Peace Prize, Doug Flutie's "Hail Mary,"
Michael Jordan's first Nike shoe contract, and Prince's "Purple Rain."

How they last won it all: It was all Detroit in '84, from start to finish.
The Tigers won 104 games, led by their "Trammaker" combination up the middle
with Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. Sparky Anderson, who had led
Cincinnati's Big Red Machine to two titles, became the only manager in
history to win it all in both leagues. Jack Morris hurled two complete game
victories, and Kirk Gibson hit two homers in the Game 5 clincher.

The 2006 story: People are beside themselves in Motown. It was an unreal
scene at Comerica Park over the weekend as the Tigers trounced the heavily
favored Yankees behind brilliant pitching and timely hitting, the club's
first postseason series victory since '84. Now Detroit is the hope of the
Wild Card era, bidding to make it five consecutive Fall Classics featuring
at least one of those. They open Tuesday night at Oakland, where they won
two of three in April after manager Jim Leyland's clubhouse tirade to
stimulate his troops. In July, they lost two of three in Oakland and then
took two of three from the A's at home. Leyland now will try to do what
Sparky did, having already managed a winner at Florida in 1997.


1986: The Year of the Mets

Life back then: "Top Gun," Reaganomics, Space Shuttle Challenger explosion,
the first federal Martin Luther King Day, Halley's Comet, Chernobyl,
Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach," the Mir space station, Ferdinand Marcos
fleeing the Philippines, FOX becomes fourth network, Geraldo Rivera finding
only moonshine in Al Capone's Vault, "Hands Across America," Pee-wee's
Playhouse, Steve Winwood's "Higher Love," Oliver North and the Iran-Contra
Affair and Whitney Houston.

How they last won it all: Just like Detroit two years earlier, the Mets
entered the '86 World Series as huge favorites. They had won 108 games in
the regular season, behind youngsters like Dwight Gooden and Darryl
Strawberry and veterans like Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter. Everyone
remembers how they survived Game 6 against Boston when Mookie Wilson's
dribbler to first went through Bill Buckner's legs for the winning run in
the 10th, and then the Mets came from behind to win Game 7 as Jesse Orosco
recorded the final out.

The 2006 story: There are obvious similarities on this 20th anniversary. New
York didn't just end Atlanta's divisional reign, but outclassed the entire
NL East and won by 12 games. They swept the Dodgers in an eventful NLDS, and
now open at home on Wednesday against the Cardinals. The Mets have a stacked
lineup that will be a test for Cardinals pitching, but the million-dollar
question the rest of the way is whether New York can continue to pick up the
slack for Pedro Martinez and Orlando Hernandez, both lost this month due to
injury. The Team. The Time. Now the NLCS.


1989: The Year of the A's

Life back then: "Seinfeld" and "The Simpsons" debut, the fall of Communism,
Tiananmen Square, Madonna's "Like a Prayer," Time Warner merger, Exxon
Valdez oil spill, "Batman" and "The Little Mermaid," the first GPS
satellite, Milli Vanilli, Ted Bundy execution, George H.W. Bush's
inauguration, Dilbert is syndicated, Salman Rushdie, Nintendo's Game Boy,
Janet Jackson, SkyDome's opening, Pete Rose agrees to lifetime ban from MLB,
and the Loma Prieta earthquake.

How they last won it all: An earthquake will forever be the lasting image of
the 1989 World Series, which was also known as the Bay Bridge Series.
Oakland reached the World Series each year from 1988-90, and the middle year
of that run marked their last title. They swept the Giants behind the "Bash
Brothers" and star pitchers Bob Welch, Dave Stewart and Dennis Eckersley.
The A's easily won the first two games, and then the earthquake struck
moments before Game 3 was about to begin at Candlestick Park, delaying the
Fall Classic for 10 days. Tony La Russa managed the A's to that title, and
now that he is the Cardinals' skipper, there is the intriguing possibility
of a reunion.

The 2006 story: The "hump" is history. The AL West champs finally shed the
1,000-pound gorilla and got the job done in an LDS, withstanding a perceived
big home-field advantage for Minnesota to sweep that series. Barry Zito, who
won a magnificent pitcher's duel with Johan Santana in the ALDS opener, will
be on the mound against Detroit Tuesday night in Oakland as the A's try to
carry home-field advantage right through the World Series. Ready for a Frank
Thomas vs. Joel Zumaya at-bat? There are some hungry fans in Oakland, just
like there are in Detroit.

So they're going all retro this week in Major League Baseball. Bring back
the parachute pants and legwarmers, the "Madonna look," a little Springsteen
and Michael Jackson's moonwalk. It's Bad. It's baseball. It's four teams and
one victory parade that's a long time coming.


Mark Newman is enterprise editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to
the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

That was a fun article.
Thanks for the post.

ther ick

Terrific post, well done.

Living in Australia, the first time any baseball was shown on TV here was
the 1982 World Series.

It came on around midnight "LIVE" and I watched every minute. I was drawn
immediately to the Cardinals, especially Ossie Smith and Willie McGee.

By the end of the series I was a Rampant Red-Bird for life. But back then as
a 19 year old, I never thought I'd have to wait this long to taste another
WS Championship. I'm 43 now!!!

I finally got to a Cardinals game in person in June 2002, it was the
Memorial game for Daryl Kyle and amazingly it was against the Brewers. Our
vanquished foe in the 1982 WS.

We should've won it all in 2004, we could've won it all in 2005, . . . . .We
will win it all in 2006!

GO the MIGHTY CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!



"TJ-BF" <r4@att.net> wrote in message
newsrwWg.9259$o71.2640@newsread3.news.pas.earthl ink.net...

"Jacky Caesar" <rooboy@connexus.net.au> wrote in message
news:452c28f5$0$4667$61c65585@un-2park-reader-01.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au...

I can understand your top posting as you and your country are upside-down
and do everything backwards. Do you call the World Series the spring
classic?

x-no-archive: yes

"Jacky Caesar" <rooboy@connexus.net.au> wrote in message
news:452c28f5$0$4667$61c65585@un-2park-reader-01.sydney.pipenetworks.com.au...

That's out-of-sight!
BTW, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but that shortstop's first
name is 'Ozzie'.


Me, neither!
And it has been the longest drought for the Redbirds in their history
since winning their first WS in '26 (b. 1892), so it was 34 years for their
first one.
Now, it's been 24 years, 6 years longer than the bleak stretch between
1946 and 1964.


You are younger than myself, but welcome aboard!


You came all-the-way here just for that game?


It would be poetic justice if we could, with this new system since
'82.
Considering the better teams we obviously had in '04 and '05.

x-no-archive: yes

"Topo Gigio" <andrewmossop@1asealsystems.co.uk> wrote in message
news:h5WWg.5679$Ed5.389@trnddc03...

That's damn funny! LOL

"TJ-BF" <r4@att.net> wrote in message
news:wIWWg.9905$o71.9398@newsread3.news.pas.earthl ink.net...

His first name is Osborne. So Ossie could work.

BWG

On Tue, 10 Oct 2006 20:27:00 -0400, "Bruce W. Goldstein"
<metfan14@optonline.net> wrote:


I think Ozzie Virgil's dad used to go by "Ossie" when he coached in
Philadelphia.

Ossie Osbourne, on the other hand, is clearly out of the question.

I LOVE TOP POSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(gets righ to the point, unlike those where you have to scroll down past 83
paragraphs you've seen eight times before, just to get to the one-liner some
fool has added.)




--
I never read email at the Yahoo address!




"Topo Gigio" <andrewmossop@1asealsystems.co.uk> wrote in message
news:h5WWg.5679$Ed5.389@trnddc03...

"Bill Kawalec" <billkawalec@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:BLidncabrZgVGbHYnZ2dnUVZ_qmdnZ2d@comcast.com. ..

Just cut all of the stuff not added by fools.