In addition to Pens-Rangers at 7:00 on FSN, your Burgh-related sports programming tonight includes the premiere of HBO's 24/7 Penguins/Capitals: Road to the NHL Winter Classic at 10 p.m. (multiple promo clips here) and the long-awaited TV version of Bing Crosby's 1960 World Series Game Seven videos on the MLB Network. In the director's cut, I hear Mazeroski strikes out in the 9th. I guess we'll have to watch for ourselves.
It's been a few days since someone has celebrated the 1960 World Series, but that long drought will soon come to an end. Credit for that slump-busting goes to Bing Crosby, who had the foresight to get a video of Game Seven made for home viewing 50 years ago. And because Crosby also had the foresight to keep those films, Pittsburgh gets another party, happening November 13 at the Byham Theater, when the tapes will be shown to the public for the first time.
If there's one thing Pittsburgh loves, it's celebrating a winning baseball team. Unfortunately, they haven't been able to do so in a very long time, which means all that love gets thrust upon triumphant teams from the past. Today was the latest example, as several thousand people gathered at the Forbes Field Wall in Oakland to listen to an audio version of a 50-year-old game.
I'd imagine most of you have already heard about the story of the 1960 World Series Game Seven videos recently found in Bing Crosby's wine cellar. But today, the city of Pittsburgh got some exciting news about the next step for that long-lost footage.
How did the Pittsburgh Pirates play on the day they unveiled the long-awaited Bill Mazeroski statute? Let's just say we've seen this outcome a time or 90 already this season.
Pittsburgh has long had a love affair with the celebrity statue, from Art Rooney to Willie Stargell to Roberto Clemente and Mr. Rogers. And that inanimate fraternity is apparently getting one more member, because a Bill Mazeroski statue will be coming to a PNC Park near you.
Dejan Kovacevic reports that the statue's plans will be made official at PirateFest this weekend, but a design and location have not yet been determined. It will be added during the coming season, not coincidentally the 50th anniversary of Maz's series-winning blast in 1960.
This week's podcast with Dave Dameshek has topics that ranged far and wide, from Mike Tomlin's Gore-Tex coat to deep-frying a turkey, with generous helpings of Steeler, Penguin, and Panther talk sandwiched in between.
We also talked about some of the biggest "under the radar" stories of all time, such as the lack of respect for Bill Mazeroski's World Series-ending home run, Charles Martin's late hit on Jim McMahon in 1986, and the recent Steelers steroid scandal, which seemed to evaporate into thin air with little fanfare. It was some solid sports talk that I think/hope you'll enjoy.
--Phish returns to the stage for three concerts at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia on March 6, 7 and 8, 2009. A limited number of tickets are available directly through Phish Tickets' online ticketing system. Paraphenalia not included.
--A belated congrats to my W&J Presidents (currently #11 in the country) after their 49-21 win over Grove City on Saturday. I would've never guessed it, but these brief weekly mentions of my alma mater generate a small pile of PAC trash talk in my inbox from the perennial also-rans that populate this conference. [Washjeff.edu]
For the better part of the two-plus years that I've run this site, the case of Ben Roethlisberger has been my biggest cause. But since that seems to finally be behind us (although Mike, Mike, and Mark Schlereth definitively declared Jay Cutler the best QB in the AFC, followed by Philip Rivers), I have something new to turn my attention towards: the continued disrespect of Bill Mazeroski's home run to win the 1960 World Series.
What prompted my ire? Well, it's been brewing for some time, but I was sent over the edge by a recent SI tournament-style bracket to determine "The Top World Series Moments". Amazingly, a walk-off home run by a non-power-hitting second baseman in the bottom of the 9th inning in a game seven was not attractive enough to crack the top 8.
That's right, Maz's David-beats-Goliath moment ranks somewhere behind the World Series heroics of Reggie Jackson, Don Larsen, Josh Beckett, Jack Morris, Joe Carter, Kirk Gibson, Kirby Puckett, and Carton Fisk. Just curious, how many of those guys ended a World Series on a home run in a Game Seven? Oh, that's right...none of them.
Pittsburghers, it's time for us to speak up. Write your Congressman, call a talk show, tell anyone who will listen: we want respect for Maz. This isn't the first time this has happened, either; it's just the latest. If you're tired of seeing "The Shot Heard Round the World" (which merely won a pennant, hence its inclusion from this list) trumpeted as the greatest moment in baseball history, join with me. We've done it before, and we can do it again. Together, we'll make a difference. Maz deserves it. It's one of the few positive memories of the Pirates that most people have.
The one hit wonder is defined in the music industry as a band or an artist that is known primarily for having just one hit single. This artist's entire embodiment of work is many times narrowly defined by just one microscopic piece of it. Being a one hit wonder is a phenomenon that is intriguing enough for VH1 to dedicate hours of programming to ranking and listing them and for radio stations to devote entire weekends featuring them. To be a one hit wonder has to be both a curse and a blessing. The financial riches and fame that come from just one hit song are life changing, but the flip side is the frustration that surely must come from only being known for just one popular song. Sure, after a period of time there is adoration and nostalgia that comes from hearing a one hit wonder, but there is also an initial level of disgust from the overexposure that is the byproduct of popularity. I'm lookin' at you Baha Men…
Yes, I own an autographed photo of The Baha Men. The world of radio has afforded me many luxuries.
Of course the one hit wonder phenomenon is not just limited to the world of music. The term can apply to many different professions or trends. For example, American author Harper Lee wrote only one novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. In film, Jeff Speakman seemed poised to take his place alongside Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal in the world of kick-ass martial arts movies when The Perfect Weapon hit theaters, but ultimately his screen career was relegated to "straight to video" releases. With all due respect to Harper Lee, obviously To Kill A Mockingbird is no Perfect Weapon, but I'm sure you can see the loosely drawn parallel.
The world of sports also has its fair share of one hit wonders. For instance, the Super Bowl has set the stage for many of them. Redskins rookie running back Timmy Smith set a Super Bowl rushing record with 204 yards and 2 TDs in SB XXII. It was his first NFL start and also ended up being the high water mark for his career. Nobody will soon forget David Tyree's supernatural catch in last year's championship game for the Giants. It might possibly be the first catch that he's made since joining the league, I'm not sure. Unfortunately, Steelers fans will forever remember Larry Brown's MVP performance of snagging two maligned Neil O'Donnell passes as a corner for the Cowboys in SB XXX.
Pittsburgh sports history also claims many one hit wonders. With the current "Legacy Of..." series that has been running on this site, I thought it might be worth it to look at a few of the many home town players who may best be remembered for a single game, season, or moment with the Pirates, Penguins, or Steelers. Just to make things interesting, we'll associate them with a one hit wonder song that best captures the spirit of the moment.
Weegie Thompson
Any of you that are like myself and a kid of the 80s, remembers the majority of that decade as a pretty dark time Steelers history. All things considered, the team wasn't all that bad, but they had the dubious position of playing in the shadows of one of the greatest football teams ever assembled from the previous decade. Needless to say, the transitional years between Steelers greatness and those of complete mediocrity were kind of hard to swallow and Willis Hope Thompson found himself right in the middle of it when the Steelers used a 4th round pick in the 1984 draft on the wide receiver out of Florida State.
Swann or Stallworth he was not. Then again, Mark Malone was no Bradshaw, so it probably isn't a fair assessment of Weegie Thompson's receiving skills given the limitations of the guy who was delivering him the ball in the run-first offense that Chuck Noll employed. He was a tall, solid, possession receiver with good hands and Weegie managed to last six seasons in the NFL, all with the Steelers. His quiet southern demeanor made him a popular guy amongst teammates.
During his six seasons with the Steelers, he put up forgettable numbers with career totals of 79 receptions for 1,377 yards and just 11 touchdowns. His best season came during the Steelers 6-10 campaign of 1986, where he caught a total of 5 TDs. It was one game against the Green Bay Packers that allows Weegie to enter the list of Pittsburgh's One Hit Sports Wonders. On November 2, 1986, Mark Malone connected with Weegie Thompson for 6 passes, 78 yards, and 3 TDs. Weegie torching the Packers for three scores was the lone bright spot in a meaningless game during a meaningless season, but it was the game most NFL players dream of.
The song that captures the moment:
CW McCall – "Convoy"
While a slow and lanky receiver may have been an unlikely target for 3 touchdowns, CW McCall's quirky ode to trucking finding the #1 spot on the Billboard charts in 1976 is even unlikelier. This strange song made trucking cool and CB radios the cell phone of the 1970s (my older brother actually met his prom date via a CB radio conversation, so it was also the myspace of the 70s). Much like Weegie, this song is a little bit country, white as can be, and long forgotten.
Turner Ward
Turner Ward played 12 seasons in the major leagues, won two World Series with Toronto, but it was one play in 1998 with the Pittsburgh Pirates that cements his name on the list of Pittsburgh One Hit Wonders. Trailing by nine runs in a game against the Dodgers, Turner Ward tracked a deep fly ball hit by Mike Piazza. Running at full speed, Ward caught the ball a moment before crashing into the padded outfield wall of Three Rivers Stadium. The impact was so strong that the fiberglass outfield wall shattered as Turner crashed through it (all while still managing to hang onto the ball). The scene instantly became the stuff that SportsCenter highlights are made of and to this day the clip lives in blooper reel infamy.
The song that captures the moment:
The Weather Girls – "It's Raining Men"
This song fits for obvious reasons. The Weather Girls recorded "It's Raining Men" in 1982 during the last days of disco, and it shot to the top of the dance charts. Oddly enough, Paul Shaffer of Letterman Show fame is one of the co-writers and had offered the song to a long list of divas including Cher, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Grace Jones, and Donna Summer. All of them declined, leaving the door wide open for the portly Martha Wash & Izora Armstead to sell over 6 million copies of their lone hit world wide. Adding further embarrassment to my family is my sister, who has an entire interpretive dance routine for this song that she likes to perform when she's drunk at weddings.
Frank Pietrangelo
Two words: The Save. For Penguin fans, that's all you need to hear and an obscure backup goalie's name from the Penguins 1991 squad to roll off of tongue. Frank Pietrangelo will forever be remembered for that one glorious glove save against the Devil's Peter Stastny in game 6 of the opening round of Pittsburgh's first Stanley Cup run. Many don't even recall the stellar 4-0 shutout he pitched in game 7, because his legacy was captured by one of the greatest saves in franchise history the night before.
The song that captures the spirit:
Taco – "Puttin On The Ritz"
"Puttin' On the Ritz" isn't just a Mike Lange-ism, it is also a song originally written in 1929 by Irving Berlin. However, in 1982 a Dutch singer named Taco got his 15 minutes of fame by releasing a strange synthpop version of the song. Taco apparently released a Greatest Hits album in 2000, which I imagine is just this same song on ten different tracks. Since he often performed "Puttin' On The Ritz" while wearing a black and white tuxedo, it makes it a fitting one hit wonder to honor a Penguin.
Bill Mazeroski
Please allow me to preface this inclusion on the list of One Hit Wonders by stating that I am risking exile from my father's will by possibly demeaning the career his favorite Bucco of all time. We all know that Bill Mazeroski was one of the greatest defensive second basemen of his era. So, I offer the disclaimer that being on the list is not a discredit to the entire body of his work, but rather to accentuate the magnitude of the event that lands him here.
In Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, Maz drove a Ralph Terry pitch over the Forbes Field wall to win the series for the Pirates. To this day, it remains the only Game 7 walk off homer in World Series history and the most famous home run in Pirates history.
An interesting side note to this story involves the home run ball itself. As Doug Mientkiewicz has taught us, baseballs that end the World Series are pretty big deals. A 13 year old kid named Ted Szafranski was reported to have caught the winning home run ball that Mazeroski hit. Ted did not exactly cash in on the deal, he gave it back to Maz in exchange for 2 cases of beer and the ball now resides in the Baseball Hall of Fame. While it may seem like the kid got ripped off, think about what you would have given for 2 cases of beer when you were 13 years old.
The song that captures the moment:
Frank Zappa – "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow"
Frank Zappa recorded countless amounts of music during his lifetime ranging from avant –garde to nearly un-listenable. While he was a highly acclaimed and influential artist, he never received much mainstream recognition or commercial success. In 1974, he released Apostrophe, his only album to ever crack the top 10. The strength of sales came from a bizarre single that told the tale of an Eskimo named Nanook. Despite recording thousands of songs during his long career, "Don't Eat The Yellow Snow" became his best known. Much like Bill Mazeroski, there was much more to the man's career than just this one tiny little piece of it.
--The Pirates shut up their critics for at least one night with a 12-5 triumph over the streaking New York Yankees. The major storylines included a crowd actually involved in the game; a 19-hit, 12-run outburst; an adequate six innings from Tom Gorzelanny (overlooking the five walks); and an 0-for-5 from A-Rod. From all accounts, it was a great night at the ballpark. We'll have more discussion on the Yankee series a little later.
--Our emailer attached this link and asked: Joe Girardi?
--Here's the Bob Smizik article on last night's game that Cecil from Cecil recommended.
--ESPN's DJ Gallo sent this one over:
"Ten years of Double-A baseball on a team that has been rebuilding the whole time and therefore SHOULD have been stocked with prospects and look at the voting options..."
--So Terry Bradshaw took steroids during the '70s. As we all know, he was not the only Steeler, nor the only NFL player, to do so. Does that change your view on his accomplishments at all?
--As emailer Steve points out, we lost the Stanley Cup, but we can boast the national marble champs in both the boys and girls divisions. In fact, since 2004, youngsters from Allegheny County have won SIX national championships. Penn State has their linebackers, Allegheny County has their mibsters.
--An Alabama linebacker was charged with selling cocaine and possessing Ecstasy. His name? Jimmy Johns. And no, to answer your next question, he does not make gourmet sandwiches in his spare time.
Through the wonders of Photoshop, emailer Dave B., and his friend Wayne, continue your trip down memory lane today with a few SI Covers That Never Were. It's probably the only way you'll see anything related to the Pirates on the cover of SI for a long, long time.
While we were all working extremely hard on a Monday afternoon, 37,491 of our baseball-loving friends turned out at PNC Park for the pomp and pageantry that was the Pirates' 2008 Home Opener: Donnie Iris, Bill Mazeroski, Lou Piniella, Aramis Ramirez, a former Povertyneck Hillbilly, AND a flyover.
Luckily, I arranged in advance for a first-person report, and made sure my field correspondent put their photo-taking emphasis on the really interesting stuff: the action around the game. I'm sure you already know that the Pirates dug a 7-0 hole by the 3rd inning, I'm sure you know that they somehow botched a 9th-inning rally with a bizarre, two-on/one-out bunt, and I'm sure you know that ultimately, the Pirates would send their fans home disappointed with a 10-8 loss in 12 innings. So here's what else was happening (click on the pics for a larger view):
The official 2008 Pirates fan's home uniform, complete with black Tekulve t-shirt
A one-hour game of catch. Sorry guys, the Pirates aren't scouting the parking lot. Yet.
Bill Mazeroski throws out the first pitch. This was recently voted as the Dapper Dan Greatest First Pitch of All Time.
PNC Park: Celebrating its eighth season of bad baseball in a quaint atmosphere
It's not easy to time a picture of a flyover. Try it sometime.
Donnie Iris belts out the National Anthem. A stirring rendition, as expected. The Parrot looks on in awe.
Former Povertyneck Hillbilly Chris Higbee works the fiddle. The Parrot still has not moved.
Everyone's favorite time-waster, the Pierogi Race.
In case you were wondering, no, it's not too late to jump on the Fukudome bandwagon. You've got one more week.
Chaos ensues at the Hall of Fame Club. Looks as exclusive as it sounds.
"Screw it, I'm wearing the Kuwata t-shirt jersey anyway."
So there you have it. In a game eerily reminiscent of last week's season opener against Atlanta, one team has a big lead, one team blows a big lead, and ultimately the game is decided in the bullpen.
It looks like it could be a common theme, and that's not good news for the Pirates. If they're going to try and be competitive this year, it's hard to have a luxury like a rule-5 pitcher on your roster for the entire season, especially in a bullpen that's going to get a fair share of work.
While it's true that the Pirates of years past would have seen an early 7-0 deficit and packed it in, this team is showing (at least so far) that it's willing to put up a fight. That's definitely an admirable quality that will go far with the ticket-buying public, but habitual hole-digging may get really old really fast. Of course, so will bunts that kill a 9th-inning rally, but who am I to judge?
The Buccos have an off day tomorrow, and then it's back to the grind on Wednesday as Zach Duke and Ryan Dempster lock horns. Sadly, I will have no in-person correspondent to recap the Pierogi Race, so we'll just have to make do with a recap of the actual game.
Karma is always a topic when embarking on any journey. And it’s no different when a Major League baseball team sets sail for a 162-game schedule. Just ask the Phillies who had a priest, a pastor and a Rabbi to bless their balls on Opening Day.
What about thy plentiful balls of our dearly beloved Buccos? Is there any hocus-pocus out there that we can lift the spell of 15 losing seasons?
On Wednesday, the Pirates announced their starting lineup for the National Anthem and “God Bless America” singers and ceremonial first-pitch hurler. Donnie Iris will recite Francis Scott Key and Chris Higbee, of the now defunct Povertyneck Hillbillies, will sing the post-9/11 version of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” The iconic Bill Mazeroski will throw out the first pitch.
Not bad choices.
You can never go wrong with Donnie Iris; the guy can rock out a narcoleptic funeral as long as it’s in Pittsburgh.
In the event of a rain delay it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to skip the “Star-Spangled Banner” altogether. The Steelers found that out last December when they literally rain-checked Vince Neil on Monday Night Football and drew more national criticism than if they attempted to set the world record for a simultaneous Rick Roll.
Now, the ceremonial first pitch can really set the tone for a season. If you send some corporate jabroni to the bump and he serves up a Polish sinker your season is doomed. With apologies to Jeff Goldblum and Dennis Miller, the celebrity-comes-home is also a risk this side of Michael Keaton. (Although, I wouldn’t mind having Sewickley native Dan Cortese host an episode of “My Dad is Better Than Your Dad” and see some poor sap with a loose rotator cuff completely humiliate his son.)
Since “Here We Go, Steelers” chants often echo throughout lopsided Bucco routings, why not have Ben Roethlisberger throw a football as the first pitch. Did anyone see who threw out the first pitch for the Cardinals this year?
To pay homage to one of the best online chat questions ever, maybe the Pirates should announce that “Change in Atmosphere” will throw out the first pitch.
If you are a ball-blessing curse-lifter I can think of no one better to exorcize a 15-year spell than to go back to the source.
That’s right, with all this talk lately about Sid Bream and Game 7 of the 1992 NLCS the origins of this hex can only be undone by the pitching of one man.
--Mike Tomlin has a staff member check eBay to see if any old Steelers playbooks are on sale. Does he mean like from the Chuck Noll era, or more of a Cowher vintage? Who knew he was a collector?
Remember the Maz home run photo mystery from the other day? Well, the investigative reports at Straight Outta Johnstown did some digging, and they believe it's actually someone from Penn State University. But you'll have to visit their site to get the full side-by-side comparison so you can judge for yourself.
Take a look at the photo above. It's Bill Mazeroski, ready to cross home plate just moments after hitting a walk-off home run to end the 1960 World Series. Notice anything? How about this: who the heck is this guy, and does anyone else agree that his appearance in this photo is rather unnerving?
For all the times that I've seen images of this moment, I have never noticed the tie-wearing, crowbar-wielding, Jeff Gillooly-looking "baseball fan" in the proximity of a jubilant Maz. The greatest moment in baseball history is ready to climax, and this guy is not even looking at what's going on.
I'm sure that he was looking for a free souvenir in the pre-eBay society of 1960 Pittsburgh. But isn't his inclusion in this historic Pittsburgh moment a little...creepy?
It's Friday the 13th. As in, Friday, OCTOBER 13th: A cherished date in Pirates history, one to acknowledge and celebrate forever. At 3:35 p.m. on this date in 1960, Bill Mazeroski led off the bottom of the ninth in the seventh game of the World Series. He launched a towering line drive that carried over Yogi Berra and the ivy-draped left-field wall at Forbes Field to lift the Pirates to a dramatic 10-9 victory over the heavily favored New York Yankees. It was arguably the most dramatic home run in baseball history and sealed the Pirates' first World Series triumph in 35 years. The portion of the wall still stands in Oakland, and it's become an annual tradition for Pirates fans to gather at the hallowed spot where Maz made baseball history. One footnote about this wild game: It was the only World Series game of the 20th century to have zero strikeouts and, depite the high score and numerous pitching changes, was concluded swiftly, in less than two-and-a-half hours.
One thing that annoys me: why does MLB always seem to give more love to The Shot Heard Round the World? That won the pennant, not the World Series. The real answer? Two New York teams were involved. Because New York is the only city that matters in sports.
It's not easy to time a picture of a flyover. Try it sometime. 
"Screw it, I'm wearing the Kuwata t-shirt jersey anyway."
