I had no idea that the Cubs' first big contract in the free agent era was Bobby Murcer. By the middle of the decade the team was definitely in a post-Ernie, pre-Ryno wasteland. But, such periods build character!
Apparently John Carpenter was inspired to write the story in 1976 in response to the Watergate scandal and a great sense of cynicism regarding the office of the President. It certainly seems to me that he could also have easily imagined a straight line between the real New York of 1977 and the dystopia predicted in the movie. I also noted that they filmed in...St. Louis.
Wow, Paul, my comment last week that New Yorkers are the best, is surely not very apt in light of the looting and pillaging of the 1977 Blackout! Lol 😂. I also found it amusing that a catcher had the last name Mitterwald; it has an onomatopoeia-esque quality to it. Also the July 13 game being finished in September 1977 is filled with all kinds of interesting stories (thanks for another great issue) just like the game this year with Danny Jansen starting out as a Blue Jay and ending as a Red Sox!
Thanks Meg! We're all on a journey of discovery here, and there is no shame in that! Time as a construct in baseball is so wonderfully unique and weird. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the baseball records capture the full Red Sox/Blue Jays game after it concludes today.
15-1/2 games out when the game finished - now, that’s the 1970’s Cubs that I remember.
I had no idea that the Cubs' first big contract in the free agent era was Bobby Murcer. By the middle of the decade the team was definitely in a post-Ernie, pre-Ryno wasteland. But, such periods build character!
The Cubs preceded the movie Escape from New York in 1981. This was a better story.
Apparently John Carpenter was inspired to write the story in 1976 in response to the Watergate scandal and a great sense of cynicism regarding the office of the President. It certainly seems to me that he could also have easily imagined a straight line between the real New York of 1977 and the dystopia predicted in the movie. I also noted that they filmed in...St. Louis.
Wow, Paul, my comment last week that New Yorkers are the best, is surely not very apt in light of the looting and pillaging of the 1977 Blackout! Lol 😂. I also found it amusing that a catcher had the last name Mitterwald; it has an onomatopoeia-esque quality to it. Also the July 13 game being finished in September 1977 is filled with all kinds of interesting stories (thanks for another great issue) just like the game this year with Danny Jansen starting out as a Blue Jay and ending as a Red Sox!
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/24/nx-s1-5088645/baseball-red-sox-blue-jays-danny-jansen-mlb-history
Thanks Meg! We're all on a journey of discovery here, and there is no shame in that! Time as a construct in baseball is so wonderfully unique and weird. I am very much looking forward to seeing how the baseball records capture the full Red Sox/Blue Jays game after it concludes today.