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Wait a minute, your claiming that a pitcher can pitch the 8th AND 9th innings in a save situation? It's not against the rules? Did Mauch pitch a fit over breaking an "unwritten rule" for keeping a pitcher in for the 9th in a save situation?

Weird, huh? Yup, that's what the role of the closer was in the '70s and most of the '80s. Eckersley/Larussa were the ones who pretty much changed it into a one-inning type of role.

I have that Mike Cubbage topps card. My brother had it autographed . . . by Joe Vavra. It's one of the stranger things anyone has ever given to me.

I remember this incident and this team. Mauch was a big platoon guy and when you look at the roster you can see the many platoons he used. Our rotation wasn't to bad. But the bullpen was god awful. There were 4 Minnesota natives on the roster. Pitchers Gary Serum, Greg Thayer, Tom Johnson and David Goltz. Despite what the record shows, this was a fun team to watch. Mauch was the best strategic manager the Twins have ever had in my opinion. Griffiths just didn't keep many of the key players. There was so much talent that came and went in that era. Had we a different owner I am sure there was a good chance of winning a World Series back then.

Had we a different owner I am sure there was a good chance of winning a World Series back then.

 

I completely agree. It was so frustrating as a fan to see any player with talent be gone so quickly after demonstrating that talent. I know Griffith people would say it was just a factor of the economic era of the game at the time and that he didn't have the same financial resources other owners had. All I know is that it was that era, more than any since, that caused me to really struggle to remain engaged as a fan.

Classic! It's hard to tell if Tony O. understood anything that was being said there...

 

Disco Dan Ford, Hosken Powell, Willie "Dr. Strangeglove" Norwood (the yardstick which all bad defensive outfielders should be measured by) - no wonder Carew demanded a trade. There was a story from Reusse "back in the day" that after a particularly brutal game by Norwood, Mauch took Norwood's glove and set it on fire in the clubhouse. He resigned mid-August a couple of weeks after that. Don't know if the story is true but I've always hoped that it was.

You may have notice a spry, young first base coach for the Twins, donning the powder blue, and looking to not keep his third baseman in the game.

 

I'm not sure what he could have done. Within the first half-second of Cubbage realizing he was out, he threw his hat down and got ejected. Tony O just let him vent for a bit. Maybe he could have kept his manager from getting ejected, but from what I remember about Mauch, that was unlikely.

 

takes us back in time to ... some great powder blue uniforms

 

"Great" wasn't the word that came to mind. (I did like those batting helmets, though.)

Willie "Dr. Strangeglove" Norwood (the yardstick which all bad defensive outfielders should be measured by)

 

Kevin Reimer of the Rangers had to be worse, although looking back at the stats, it was probably close. Reimer was comically bad - he tried to make up for his inability to catch being slow by taking bad routes, so he wouldn't have to actually try to touch the ball. Norwood had 14 errors one year while Reimer maxed out at 11 (in slightly fewer innings.) Reimer managed a -3.2 dWAR one year, while Norwood's worst was -0.9. (Baseball Reference version.)

I remember wondering when the Twins were going to pull themselves in to the modern era by dumping those old-fashioned uniforms and getting some new polyester pullover jerseys and tight pants with the elastic beltless waistbands. I was happy when they finally joined the rest of MLB and did so. Now, I wonder with everyone else what we were all thinking at the time. Then again, I wonder the same thing when I see pictures of what I was wearing in HS at the time, too.

Kevin Reimer of the Rangers had to be worse, although looking back at the stats, it was probably close. Reimer was comically bad - he tried to make up for his inability to catch being slow by taking bad routes, so he wouldn't have to actually try to touch the ball. Norwood had 14 errors one year while Reimer maxed out at 11 (in slightly fewer innings.) Reimer managed a -3.2 dWAR one year, while Norwood's worst was -0.9. (Baseball Reference version.)

 

Watching the ball bounce off of Mickey Hatcher's head in left field was pretty entertaining.

Watching the ball bounce off of Mickey Hatcher's head in left field was pretty entertaining.

 

First thought - Did it go over the fence like Jose Cansceco's did?

Second thought - It was Mickey Hatcher - did it dent the ball?

Talking uniforms, I remember sometime in the 70's(73 maybe) that the White Sox wore shorts, would be so hilarious today to see that.

Talking uniforms, I remember sometime in the 70's(73 maybe) that the White Sox wore shorts, would be so hilarious today to see that.

 

It was hilarious enough to see at the time.

 

http://rumorsandrants.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/shorts.jpeg

It was hilarious enough to see at the time.

 

http://rumorsandrants.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/shorts.jpeg

 

Looks like he should be pitching underhand and holding a beer.

If Bill Veeck had any say in the matter, he definitely would have been nursing a beer out there.

I was a 10 year old in 1978. It was my first year as a Twins fan. Memorable year and listened to almost every game. My impressions, looking back, were how much Gene Mauch loved platoons. I think there were four regular platoons, 2B, 3B, LF, RF, and sometimes at catcher but that wasn't a true platoon. I loved the goofy looking Roger Erickson, who was close to the staff ace that Like the other better remembered Erickson, Roger's best year was as a rookie.