“When The Last Dodgers-Yankees World Series Took Place” by Daniel Guss
“When The Last Dodgers-Yankees World Series Took Place” by Daniel Guss
When it comes to disrupted Major League Baseball seasons, the Los Angeles Dodgers have a good thing going.
They won the 2020 World Series in six games after a COVID-shortened season.
They also won the ‘81 championship in six games, after a player strike-shortened season, against the New York Yankees, who they host later today in Game 1 of the ‘24 World Series over at 1000 Vin Scully Avenue. It is their first World Series face-off since ‘81.
Let’s compare and contrast some history before the first pitch.
By Game 1 back in 1981, Ronald Reagan was just 273 days into his first term as president and trying to make America great again. (Note the lowercase letters so that the comrades cannibalizing one another in El Segundo this week don’t get triggered.)
Reagan inherited Jimmy Carter’s 1979 gas shortage that caused prices to double within a single year, along with his severe inflation and consumer interest that topped more than 18%. The 80s weren’t perfect, but they were good by most reasonable standards, and he was off to a good start with the release of the Iranian hostages (Google it, kids) immediately upon taking office and later surviving an assassination attempt by millimeters.
S/F?
Reagan had an undeniable mandate for the problems of the day. He entered the White House after beating Carter 489-49 with a cherry-red electoral map (with a few blueberries) that was virtually impossible to improve upon:
Except that Reagan did, pummeling Walt Mondale, the unlucky guy who faced him four years later, 525-13:
Eyes may be twitching right now over at the Los Angeles Times, where readership is now 10% of what it was then despite Los Angeles County having 33% more people, along with apparent confusion about whether they’re supposed to make presidential endorsements.
The Times found itself embroiled in a Civil War that launched a few days ago after announcing it isn’t endorsing anyone for president in ‘24 as owner Patrick Soon-Shiong and his Editorial Board are pointing fingers at one another as to why. (They reportedly had a similar controversy in another recent election cycle when they wanted to endorse Elizabeth Warren.)
Ironically, they’re arguing about it on social media rather than within their own struggling publication. Worse, as subscribers respond with comments on the newspaper’s latest existential controversy with screenshots of their canceled subscriptions, the LA Times Guild begs them not to cancel, because it further erodes evaporating revenue.
That’s like the evaporating public trust in the Times as the rest of Los Angeles (and California) rots by almost every measure, much of which is tied to the publication’s lies by omission in its reporting as well as its endorsements that are thoroughly out of sync with the public, especially its re-endorsement of George Gascón for District Attorney, who is going to get crushed on Election Day a la Carter and Mondale.
And isn’t that the same LA Times Guild that held an unwise, self-harming walk-out before the most recent round of layoffs about a year ago?
Where were we?
Ah, the World Series.
Back in ‘81, Fernando-mania took over Dodger Stadium as a barrel-chested 20-year-old kid from Mexico became an inspirational cultural phenomenon.
That kid, southpaw pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, passed away a few days ago at just 63 years of age.
While many cite his phenomenal ‘81 rookie year (starting with an 8-0 record and 5 mind-boggling shutouts before he lost his first game, including one on Opening Day; the Cy Young award and a World Series championship), let’s not forget that a year earlier, at just 19 years old, he appeared in ten games for The Azul and gave-up precisely zero earned runs.
Soak-in that photo for a bit as I remind that Reagan and veep George H.W. Bush asked for Valenzuela’s autograph, and how the encounter reportedly influenced DC’s approach to legal immigration at the time.
While the thrills leveled out to a career 173-153 record, Valenzuela hit all the high marks of a baseball pitcher’s career, including a 21-11 record in ‘86 and a no hitter in ‘90. Look for him to be prominently honored tonight because he was also a legend outside of Dodger Stadium and far beyond Chavez Ravine.
Including one of the best first pitches in World Series history, if you want some goosebumps.
Lest anyone forget, this will be our first World Series without Valenzuela, Vin Scully and Tommy Lasorda who, in ‘81, were just 53 and 54 years of age, respectively.
Shohei Ohtani wouldn’t be born for another 12 years.
Time moves continuously.
Let’s embrace this one.
Let’s Go Doyers!
(Daniel Guss, MBA, won the LA Press Club’s “Online Journalist of the Year” and “Best Activism Journalism” awards in June ‘23. In June ‘24, he won its “Best Commentary, Non-Political” award. He has contributed to CityWatchLA, KFI AM-640, iHeartMedia, 790-KABC, Cumulus Media, KCRW 89.9 FM, KRLA 870 AM, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Daily News, Los Angeles Magazine, Movieline Magazine, Emmy Magazine, Los Angeles Business Journal, Pasadena Star-News, Los Angeles Downtown News and the Los Angeles Times in its sports, opinion, entertainment and Sunday Magazine sections among other publishers.)