Steve, I remember the last time you mentioned this game, it brought back a lot of memories. There was hype surrounding Bird but you couldn’t quantify or even qualify it in the same terms that exist with the advent of ESPN AKA NESPN, Fox Sports Net, the Internet media etc so on. Those Jamesian metrics you mentioned were not part and parcel of the game yet. OBP? The scouts talked about that metric amongst themselves and the front office(amount of walks) BUT the general public was so BA/HR/RBI obsessed, It was a simpler time for sure.I loved the Bronx Zoo period it was great theater to say the least.

About Catfish, my perception of Catfish at the time was that he was a “hired gun”/mercenary. Remember that free agency was still in its infancy so the novelty of switching teams NOT through a trade was still novel. I also thought of him of an Oakland A at first like Reggie BUT I grew to like them eventually and accept them as Yankees.

You mentioned that team of Messer, White and Scooter. I usually hate homers BUT Scooter was an exception. He was never moronic in his homerism like Sterling who is an embarrassment IMO. There was something uncool about Scooter that made him cool at the same bloody time! @ Redbug, he was akin to a relative wasn’t he?

Random notes watching this game

1. The Yanks had a lot of players from Alabama
3. Billy Martin introducing himself; “Born in CA, died in NY.

Thank God there wasn’t a mention of a “walk-off” in that game. Nor, after every batter was there a rapid replay of every pitch in sequence.

Watching baseball w/ the Scooter, White & Messer was a real pleasure. I still miss Phil. It was like having your uncle in the living room.