ABC Sports: MLB 1988- MLB All Star Game: American League vs National League

Source:ABC Sports- Joe Morgan interviewing St. Louis Cardinals SS Ozzie Smith, for ABC Sports.

"1080 Quality.  If there is a better one, I'll take mine down.  All original, no scrolling banners. Please subscribe to see old-school clips and games from the best decade in sports history. No copyright intended.  Just for fun!" 

From 1980s Sports Home

If you like offense in baseball, as opposed to great pitching duels, the Cincinnati Riverfront Stadium is a great baseball stadium for you. Almost no foul territory at Riverfront, 330 down the lines, 370 in the gaps, Ohio is always very hot and humid in the summer, so the ball carried very well there. Plus, both teams being loaded with power and line drive hitters and with the astroturf field, the ball moved very fast there.

ESPN: MLB-1993-Dallas Rangers @ Anaheim Angels: Nolan Ryan's Last Game

Source:The New Democrat

Nolan Ryan, what forty-six years old and still a very effective starting pitcher at this point and pitching his last game ver. Capping off a great twenty-five year career. Not saying he was the best pitcher, or the most dominant pitcher of all-time, but when he was on, he was those things, at least as far as what I’ve seen. He was generally very good, but not always great and have some games where he would become somewhat hittable and give up big hits and home runs. But when he was on, I believe he was the most dominant pitcher I’ve ever seen and the most dominant for the longest time. A twenty-five year, you know and how many bad seasons did he have.

I just wish his last game was against a better team and it had something to do with who was going to win the AL West in 1993. But the Rangers who did have a good season in 93, finished eight games out of first place behind the Chicago White Sox. And the Anaheim Angels, finished tied for fifth place in the AL West and only winning seventy-one games. And in the Rangers case 1993 is pre-wildcard, so you had to win your division to make the playoffs in the American League or National League. And the Rangers being this far out of first place at this point of the season, meant this was their last game

New York Yankees TV: MLB 1987- New York Yankees @ Seattle Mariners: Full Game

Source:This Is Where You Find Baseball- New York Yankees announcers Phil Rizutto & Bill White.

Source:The New Democrat 

"It's a WPIX game with the New York Yankees meeting the Seattle Mariners under the Kingdome, August 18, 1987. Donnie Baseball does a thing." 

From This Is Where You Find Baseball

An interesting matchup with the Yankees of the late 1980s, who were still contenders, but like the Yankees of the mid-1980s, they just contended and didn’t manage to win the AL East. 

In the 1970s and 80s and until 1994, the only way you make the MLB Playoffs is to win your division. So finishing second or third, even if you just finish a few games out of first, was not good enough to make the AL Playoffs or NL Playoffs. So the greatest franchise in MLB missed the playoffs for the final eight seasons of the 1980s, because they couldn’t win their division. But that is a topic for a future post as far as why they couldn’t win their division.

The Mariners on the other hand, we're just starting to become fairly competitive at this point. They didn’t have their first winning season until the early 1990s, but could no longer be counted on to finish dead last in the AL West. Because they were good enough to now beat good teams. But it wasn’t until the 1990s that they actually became very good and making the AL Playoffs and winning the AL West. Because they finally put teams together that were built for the Kingdome. Which was a great hitters stadium, where the balls flied and where dimensions were fairly short. And where they had more ground ball pitchers.

NBC Sports: 1987 MLB All Star Game

Source:Ian Ward- Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Bret Saberhagen. When he was on and healthy, one of the top pitchers in all of MLB in the 1980s.

Source:The New Democrat 

"1987 MLB ASG Film" 

From Ian Ward

What I remember about the 1987 MLB All Star Game as a 14 year old, was the Oakland Coliseum and a few other things. But when they only played baseball there, after the Raiders moved to Los Angeles in 1983, I think the Oakland Coliseum, even with the miles of foul territory, where relief pitchers would get a workout just walking from the bullpen, to the pitchers mound, or just back and forth from the mound to the dugout, or where someone of them would try to hail cabs, so they wouldn't have to walk as far from the bullpen and dugout to the mound, (ha, ha) I think this was a beautiful place for baseball. 

This ballpark looked good, there was alway plenty of sun, the grass beyond the outfield walls, 48,000 for baseball, so there should've been a lot of great seats for baseball (at least without the miles of foul territory) and the Athletics started winning again shortly after the Raiders left. 

Officially, the Oakland Coliseum was a multi-purpose stadium, but it was always a baseball first stadium. And with no football there, they could've put in lower-deck box seats in the foul territory and it would be a great place just for baseball.

NBC Sports: MLB 1987- Chicago White Sox @ Detroit Tigers: Full Game

Source:NBC Sports- Detroit Tigers catcher Matt Nokes.

"So this was an NBC Game of the Week with the White Sox and Tigers from April 18, 1987. But wait! Our announcers for this one are Jon Miller and Hawk Harrelson? Indeed they are." 

From This Is Where You Find Baseball

I had no idea that Jon Miller ever worked for NBC Sports doing anything. I know he worked for the TVS which was a syndicated network in the 1970s, that also had a sports division and he did NASL soccer games there and later I believe Miller worked for ABC Sports as well. At this point Jon Miller was the radio play by play announcer for the Orioles. 

I also didn't know that Ken Harrelson called MLB games for NBC Sports either. He was the Chicago White Sox TV announcer at this point. But here Jon Miller and Ken Harrelson are calling this MLB game for NBC.