Warner2BruceTD
2011 Poster Of The Year
Watching Game 6 of the 1977 World Series on YES Network. Although this is only about 30 years ago, there are enough subtle differences between the game then and the game now that make it a slightly different game. Here are some observations:
-A lot of the batters were still choking up on the bat, and keeping two hands on the bat all the way through the swing. Davey Lopes, Bucky Dent, Lou Pinella, Bill Russell....nearly everyone aside from the sluggers like Reggie Jackson and Reggie Smith. You rarely see this today. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one player who chokes up (Bronson Arroyo, a pitcher), and the only players who really keep two hands on the bat are the Japanese like Ichiro and Fukodome.
The result, is instead of players griping the bat at the knob and whipping through the zone as hard & fast as you can to generate power, is hitters were more concerned with bat control and not striking out. Lopes, for example, does a great job protecting the plate and fouling balls away with two strikes. There seems to be a greater emphasis in putting the ball in play, especially in sitautions with men on. You can see why strikeouts keep increasing over time. Everyone today, including leadoff men and weak hitting middle infielders, swing like Jackson.
-The pitchers, particularly Dodger SP Burt Hooton (who used a knuckle curve!), would throw a pitch, get the ball from the catcher, and almost immediately throw another pitch. It was pretty blatant and a bit refreshing. Sometimes they didn't even seem to take a sign. There was no wondering around the mound, playing with the rosin bag, endless trips to the hill by the catcher...they just kept pitching.
-The batters helped in that regard. They hardly ever stepped out of the box. No readjusting batting gloves every pitch, or walking around, or chatting with the ump about location. They just stood there and hit.
-A young John McSherry was the home plate ump, and yes, he was still fat. Some of the veteran umps from this era had been umps since the 30's and 40's. That blows my mind. No wonder there is no stalling from the players. The umps wouldn't have that shit. Some of these guys umped before night games, and shit had to be over with by the time the sun went down.
-The announcers were Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, and Tom Seaver. Seaver, as an active player, brought good insight. Keith Jackson was a great play by play man.
-I believe that Greg Nettles would be one of the better fielding 3B in the game today. Reggie Jackson would hit lots of HR's, Garvey would hit for a high average, Mickey Rivers would be one of the fastest players, etc. The play style was slightly different, but these players were highly skilled and could play today if they were 27 again. The game wasn't that much different.
-Future managers on these teams: Willie Randolph, Dusty Baker, Bill Russell, Lou Pinella, Davey Lopes, Ron Washington, Bucky Dent. I may be overlooking someone.
-Bullpen usage. The Dodgers had five pitchers who pitched at least 25 games in relief. The Yankees had two. TWO! Sparky Lyle threw 137 innings in relief, Dick Tidrow threw 151. The next highest producer was Ken Clay, who pitched 18 total games in relief and less that 50 innings. The Yankees threw 52 CG's, and if you didn't finish, Tidrow and Lyle would finish for you nearly every single time. Astounding, and shows the needless over managing modern managers do today.
For comparison, the 2010 Yankees saw 8 men pitch 25 or more relief games, and used 18 different RP's during the course of the season.
-A lot of the batters were still choking up on the bat, and keeping two hands on the bat all the way through the swing. Davey Lopes, Bucky Dent, Lou Pinella, Bill Russell....nearly everyone aside from the sluggers like Reggie Jackson and Reggie Smith. You rarely see this today. Off the top of my head, I can only think of one player who chokes up (Bronson Arroyo, a pitcher), and the only players who really keep two hands on the bat are the Japanese like Ichiro and Fukodome.
The result, is instead of players griping the bat at the knob and whipping through the zone as hard & fast as you can to generate power, is hitters were more concerned with bat control and not striking out. Lopes, for example, does a great job protecting the plate and fouling balls away with two strikes. There seems to be a greater emphasis in putting the ball in play, especially in sitautions with men on. You can see why strikeouts keep increasing over time. Everyone today, including leadoff men and weak hitting middle infielders, swing like Jackson.
-The pitchers, particularly Dodger SP Burt Hooton (who used a knuckle curve!), would throw a pitch, get the ball from the catcher, and almost immediately throw another pitch. It was pretty blatant and a bit refreshing. Sometimes they didn't even seem to take a sign. There was no wondering around the mound, playing with the rosin bag, endless trips to the hill by the catcher...they just kept pitching.
-The batters helped in that regard. They hardly ever stepped out of the box. No readjusting batting gloves every pitch, or walking around, or chatting with the ump about location. They just stood there and hit.
-A young John McSherry was the home plate ump, and yes, he was still fat. Some of the veteran umps from this era had been umps since the 30's and 40's. That blows my mind. No wonder there is no stalling from the players. The umps wouldn't have that shit. Some of these guys umped before night games, and shit had to be over with by the time the sun went down.
-The announcers were Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, and Tom Seaver. Seaver, as an active player, brought good insight. Keith Jackson was a great play by play man.
-I believe that Greg Nettles would be one of the better fielding 3B in the game today. Reggie Jackson would hit lots of HR's, Garvey would hit for a high average, Mickey Rivers would be one of the fastest players, etc. The play style was slightly different, but these players were highly skilled and could play today if they were 27 again. The game wasn't that much different.
-Future managers on these teams: Willie Randolph, Dusty Baker, Bill Russell, Lou Pinella, Davey Lopes, Ron Washington, Bucky Dent. I may be overlooking someone.
-Bullpen usage. The Dodgers had five pitchers who pitched at least 25 games in relief. The Yankees had two. TWO! Sparky Lyle threw 137 innings in relief, Dick Tidrow threw 151. The next highest producer was Ken Clay, who pitched 18 total games in relief and less that 50 innings. The Yankees threw 52 CG's, and if you didn't finish, Tidrow and Lyle would finish for you nearly every single time. Astounding, and shows the needless over managing modern managers do today.
For comparison, the 2010 Yankees saw 8 men pitch 25 or more relief games, and used 18 different RP's during the course of the season.
