Thinking Inside Boxes

Here are some things only a confirmed baseball nut would notice from the beginning and end box scores from the Dodger infield [June 18]:

Tommy John started the game in 1973 for the Dodgers and for the Yankees in ’81. Doug Harvey also umpired both of them. The ’73 game had 19 runs scored but took only 2:06 to complete. A game like that today, started on a Wednesday, would likely go into Thursday.

Between the two games, there were six future major league managers (Lopes, Russell, Bowa, Boone, Baker and Piniella) and at least one minor league manager (Yeager). The 1973 game had Paciorek for the Dodgers and Hutton for the Phillies (also a former Dodger), who ended up broadcasting games together for the White Sox. Brett also ended up a broadcaster, as did Monday and Murcer. In the 1981 game, each team had at least five players who were either once or future wearers of the Cub uniform (Lopes, Cey, Baker, Monday and Hooton; Murcer, Frazier, Reuschel, Gamble and LaRoche).

This is all off the top of my head, but it’s still early in the morning and now my head hurts. Please help me, I’m turning into Ross Porter.

Don Kemp

Long Beach