Late 1970s MLB History: The Constant Heartbreak In KC & Philly
For Philadelphia, the losses were always frustration and occasionally heartbreaking, but the Phillie fan base had it easy compared to what Royal fans endured.
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Night At The Museum: What's New In The Collection Of Sports History Articles
TheSportsNotebook’s historical museum, its extensive collection of sports history articles, is constantly growing. It’s not always directly visible on the home page, so for our regular readers, we want to provide an update on what’s going on and what’s been regularly added to the museum
1977 Chicago Cubs: A Blazing Start Followed By More North Side Disappointment
Franks was brought on to lead the 1977 Chicago Cubs and for a few tantalizing months it looked like the Cubbie Hour of MLB history had finally arrived. Then another cruel late summer and early fall reminded us that indeed, the Cubbies are still the Cubbies.
1977 Chicago White Sox: A Sizzling Summer Raises False Hopes
The 1977 Chicago White Sox made a managerial change coming into the season. The fortunes of the South Side franchise had started to collapse in 1968 and it had been a decade since the team had even won more than it lost. The White Sox hired Bob Lemon, former ace pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Chicago saw immediate success in a sizzling summer, although in the end that only served to raise false hopes.
1977 Kansas City Royals: Pitching & Speed Bring Home A Repeat AL West Title
The Kansas City Royals had come into baseball’s national consciousness in 1976, when they dethroned the Oakland A’s Dynasty in the AL West, and then took the New York Yankees to the final inning of the 1976 ALCS before coming up a just short of the pennant. The 1977 Kansas City Royals established that they were here to stay as a contender, but it was a rocky ride for much of the way before the Royals took over the AL West race.
The 1977 Philadelphia Phillies Pound Out Another NL East Crown
The power tandem of third baseman Mike Schmidt and leftfielder Greg Luzinski anchored the best offense in the National League. They combined for 77 home runs and 231 RBIs. Each had an on-base percentage over .390 and a slugging percentage over .570. Though Schmidt would have a much better career, it was “The Bull”, as Luzinski was nicknamed, that was actually a little bit better with the bat
The 1977 Los Angeles Dodgers: Tom Lasorda’s Pennant-Winning Rookie Year
Lasorda took over a team that had been a consistent contender since the age of divisional play began in 1969. The Dodgers finished second in the NL West six times from 1970-76, and they won the division—and the NL pennant—in 1974 before losing to the Oakland A’s in the World Series.
Pitching was the heart of the team…
1977 NLCS: The Dodgers-Phillies Postseason Rivalry Begins
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies carried on a lively postseason rivalry, meeting three times in seven years for the National League pennant. The 1977 NLCS was the first of those meetings, and after at least two instances of the Phillies appearing ready to take control, it was the Dodgers who snatched it back and won the pennant.
1977 World Series: The Yankees & Dodgers Renew An Old Rivalry
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers were old sparring partners in the World Series. Their eight previous meetings in the Fall Classic were the most of any matchup combination and they had met six times in ten years (1947-56) when the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. They met again in 1963 after the Dodgers moved west. So perhaps it was appropriate that the Yankees’ first championship in sixteen years—and first under the ownership of George Steinbrenner—came over the Dodgers in the 1977 World Series.
Sports History Articles Update: New Additions To The Museum
There’s a lot going on at TheSportsNotebook in the way of sports history articles, activity that’s not always—or even usually—visible on the home page. Here’s a breakdown of some of the highlights in our Sports Museum, and some of the additions currently taking place.
1976 MLB: The Playoff Teams & October Battles
The 1976 MLB season ushered in a new era for baseball—the era of free agency, which had previously appeared only in snippets, but now loomed over the entire sport. But before the new era could begin, the old order had to get a fitting conclusion, and so it was the Big Red Machine, the great Cincinnati Reds teams rolled to a second World Series title.
1976 New York Yankees: Steinbrenner & Martin Bring The Yanks Back
George Steinbrenner bought the team in 1973 and towards the end of the 1975 season, he hired Billy Martin as manager. The 1976 New York Yankees would be George & Billy’s first run together, and they returned this proud franchise to prominence.