In the 1978 World Series, the Dodgers took Games 1 and 2, at home, over the Yankees…like the Yankees have taken Games 1 and 2 of the 2009 ALCS, at home, against the Angels. I seem to recall Thurman Munson being a tad upset with the Dodgers in the way they conducted themselves in those wins. If memory serves correct, Munson thought that Davey Lopes had showboated, too much, on some homeruns in those games, running the bases with one-finger up in the air. At least I think that’s what went down…but, I confess, all these years later, I might have mangled the facts a bit…

In any event, when the Yankees took that Series back “home” in 1978 for Game 3, it all turned around. Down two games to none, in Game 3, Ron Guidry and Graig Nettles saved the Yankees bacon. And, in Game 4, Reggie Jackson stuck out his hip in a key spot to aid another Yankees win. Next, in Game 5, the Yankees pounded the ball and Jim Beattie, of all people, pitched like he was Christy Mathewson. In the end, after returning home for three games, the Yankees now had a three-two lead in games, heading into Game 6 of the Series.

And, Game 6, out in L.A., was more Yankees magic. Catfish Hunter threw the ball like a man who made a deal with the devil. Brian Doyle and Bucky Dent sprayed hits all over the field. And, the Yankees won…the game…and the World Series. By the way, that Game 6 of the 1978 World Series was played on October 17, 1978…which was 31 years ago, yesterday. Maybe that’s why it was on my mind?

Let’s hope the 2009 Los Angeles Angels don’t pull a 1978 New York Yankees in this seven-game post-season series. Game 3 of the 2009 ALCS is tomorrow, at 4 pm ET. Then again, I don’t see Jered Weaver and Chone Figgins pulling a “Ron Guidry and Graig Nettles”…at least…I hope not…

Given that his career took place before the age of television, almost no footage of The Bambino exists at all. Even though he played American League Baseball for 21 years, every last scrap of footage found of him hitting home runs, running bases, and mugging for cameras amounts to just one hour-long tape. The footage lives at Major League Baseball Productions, a collection of 150,000 hours of tape spaning more than 100 years of baseball’s history.

But now that collection includes a precious eight seconds more, thanks to a New Hampshire man who stumbled upon the 8-millimeter footage while digging around in his grandfather’s home movie collection, according to a story in The New York Times. The footage is part of a 90-second clip shot from the first-base stands at Yankee Stadium. It’s the archive’s only footage of Ruth playing in the outfield. In one sequence, he strikes out, looks unhappy about it and drags his bat through the dirt while Lou Gehrig watches from on deck.

Researchers haven’t yet nailed down when the footage was taken. They believe it’s from 1928, based on a series of clues. For starters, none of the players have numbers of their backs, which means it was recorded before 1929 when the Yankees started wearing them. It’s definitely from after 1925 when Gehrig took over as starter. Ads in the outfield match photos taken in 1928, further narrowing down the year.

What’s harder to determine is the actual day the footage was shot. It could be opening day or the World Searies because the seats are full and the shadows are long, suggesting it’s either late or early in the season. But it’s unclear what team the Yankees are playing (again, no numbers). One thing they do know: Ruth struck out, narrowing it down to Games 1 and 2 of the 1928 World Series, played at Yankee Stadium against the St. Louis Cardinals. Now that’s something.

Great find. Then again, today, it’s not as if everything is on-demand video. I’ve yet to see a clip of Dan Morogiello allowing a pinch-hit grand slam homer to John Wockenfuss, just for an example.

And, while that answer is technically correct, these three have something else in common: Starting a game at D.H. for the New York Yankees, while batting 9th.

Andre Robertson was the first ever to do it – on June 19, 1982…a game that the Yankees won in 16 innings.

Nick Johnson did it 27 times while he was with the Yankees – which, by the way, is the major league record for most times appearing in a starting line-up, as a D.H., while batting 9th.

And, Jose Molina was the most recent Yankee to turn this trick – doing it on October 2, 2009.

Here are all the Yankees to have this honor, before Molina joined the club this season:

                   Games Link to Individual Games
+-----------------+-----+-------------------------+
 Nick Johnson         27 Ind. Games
 Shelley Duncan        5 Ind. Games
 Bernie Williams       4 Ind. Games
 Todd Zeile            3 Ind. Games
 Rondell White         3 Ind. Games
 Bubba Trammell        3 Ind. Games
 John Vander Wal       1 Ind. Games
 Shane Spencer         1 Ind. Games
 Andre Robertson       1 Ind. Games
 Robert Perez          1 Ind. Games
 Kenny Lofton          1 Ind. Games

                   From  To   Ages Seasons Link to Individual Seasons
+-----------------+----+----+-----+-------+------------------------------+
 Lefty Gomez       1931 1937 22-28       4 Ind. Seasons
 Herb Pennock      1923 1927 29-33       4 Ind. Seasons
 Andy Pettitte     1996 2003 24-31       3 Ind. Seasons
 Ron Guidry        1978 1985 27-34       3 Ind. Seasons
 Whitey Ford       1956 1963 27-34       3 Ind. Seasons
 Tommy John        1979 1980 36-37       2 Ind. Seasons
 C.C. Sabathia     2009 2009 28-28       1 Ind. Seasons
 David Wells       2002 2002 39-39       1 Ind. Seasons
 Fritz Peterson    1970 1970 28-28       1 Ind. Seasons
 Ed Lopat          1951 1951 33-33       1 Ind. Seasons

Seasons/Careers found: 10.

It would be great to see Sabathia get one more win this year – and join the 20-win club.

For example: Where else can you quickly find a list of every Yankees player to ever wear the #29?

Maybe it’s just me…but, if you’re into Yankees uniform numbers, there’s no better resource for it out there.

Lonny Frey, who played 14 seasons in the major leagues and in three All-Star games, died Sunday, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Frey, the oldest surviving Pacific Coast League baseball player and the second-oldest major-leaguer, was 99.

Frey, whose full name was Linus Reinhard Frey, finished his professional career with the Seattle Rainiers in 1950, then moved his family from St. Louis to Seattle after that season. The family settled in Bellevue, then Frey and his wife, Mary, moved to Snohomish in the late 1960s.

When Mary Frey died in 1982, Frey moved to Coeur d’Alene.

“He was a warm, very down-to-earth guy,” said Pacific Coast League historian Dave Eskenazi. “He shared a number of entertaining baseball anecdotes, mainly about his old teams and teammates. I remember him telling me that Ernie Lombardi hit the ball harder than anyone else he’d seen, and he’d seen them all.

“He was modest, but rightly proud of his terrific major-league career.”

For more on Frey, see this at Misc. Baseball (Gathering Assorted Items of Baseball History and Trivia).

This is just 8 months after Bill Werber’s death.

Tommy Henrich is now on the clock…

Giants general manager Brian Sabean was the Yankees’ vice president of player development and scouting in ‘92 and had a hand in drafting Jeter. He saw Jeter play in high school and was on the same page with scouting director Bill Livesey and other inner-circle executives who were urged by area scout Dick Groch.

“It was a unanimous thing, much like here when we took (Buster) Posey and (Tim) Lincecum,” Sabean said. “You have a lot of hands up in the room.”

Jeter hit .210 his first minor-league season and made 56 errors his second. But the next year, he cut his E’s in half and topped .300 at three minor-league stops. He started the Yankees’ ‘96 opener, replacing Tony Fernandez, and never lost his job. He’s a 10-time All-Star.

Recalling Jeter in high school, Sabean said, “He didn’t run particularly well because he had an ankle issue, but you could see the athleticism and comfort in which he played the game and how easy the game came. Normally, a shortstop taken that high comes from a baseball state such as California, Florida or Texas. That’ll tell you how much his tools impressed us.

“It’s a testament to him that once he got there, he never looked back, never stopped working, never took anything for granted – one of the reasons for his staying power. He’ll go down as one of the best in history at his position, and to think it all was in a Yankee uniform is pretty amazing in this day and age.

“While it’s somewhat bold to pick a high school player because you can’t predict, we all knew he had a chance to be special. I don’t think any of us envisioned the type of career and longevity he’s had.”

You know, Jeter’s 1994 minor league season was amazing. As a 20-year old playing at A-AA-AAA combined he batted .344 with only 46 K’s in 592 PA. Can you imagine the hype, today, if a 20-year old Yankees prospect did something like that?

In Yankeeland, #’s 2, 20, 42 and 46 have been lockering together for a long time…via Joel Sherman -

Their navigation through the system is a starting point for a dynasty. In Jeter’s first full pro season, 1993 at Greensboro, he was joined by Mariano Rivera. The following season, Jeter, Rivera, Pettitte and Posada all were at Columbus together (although Posada was on the disabled list with a broken ankle when Jeter was promoted to Triple-A). For an 11-day period in May 1995, the four were all active and teammates for the Clippers.

It is possible that no minor league team has ever had that level of talent at one time, before or since. Think about this group: Jeter and Rivera are first-ballot Hall of Famers, Pettitte and, especially, Posada will generate Cooperstown support.

Not one other member of the 1995 Clippers is still active. Yet here are Jeter, Pettitte, Posada and Rivera not just active, but thriving — and still teammates. The odds of making it into the majors even from the minors are not good, the chance of doing it with a teammate lower yet. What are the odds that four teammates from one Triple-A team would still be together 15 years later and still be vital?

“I would put it like this: What are the odds that anyone in the minors for any team right now is going to have a 15-year career?” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “So [having four together], that stuff just doesn’t happen.”

But it has happened for the Yankees. Tonight Pettitte (who took a three-year hiatus in Houston) will make his 372nd start a Yankee, Posada will start as a catcher for the Yankees for the 1,363rd time, Jeter will start his 2,097th game at shortstop and Rivera will await the call to appear in his 909th Yankees game.

Rivera signed in 1990. Posada and Pettitte signed in 1991. And, Jeter signed in 1992.

Stick Michael was calling the shots as G.M. during these signings. (Michael was G.M. from 8/90 through 1995.) Bill Livesey was the Scouting Director back then as well. Mitch Lukevics was the Farm Director.

Good job by Michael, Livesey and Lukevics on these four teammates…very good job, indeed.