January 3rd

4 years ago

Happy Birthday to Gary Lavelle and the Mets bring back a familiar face on January 3rd in 1980s Baseball

January 2nd

4 years ago

Happy Birthday to Edgar Martinez and Willie Stargell takes home some hardware on January 2nd in 1980s Baseball

January 1st

4 years ago

Three birthdays highlight January 1st in 1980s Baseball

That Time I Met Dan Gladden

5 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Dan Leritz I grew up in Northern Minnesota in a small mining town…

The Incredible Journey of Kirby Puckett

6 years ago

If you weren’t paying attention it would have been pretty easy to miss a key moment in the Minnesota Twins…

6 Amazing Wade Boggs facts

6 years ago

Wade Boggs was one of the most dominant hitters in baseball during the decade of the 1980s. Here are six…

16 Ridiculous Nolan Ryan Statistics

6 years ago

How can a man who struck out nearly 900 more batters than anyone else in the history of the game…

The Kid from Left Field

6 years ago

Note: Former Padres employee Andy Strasberg posted this story in a Facebook group I'm in. I reached out to him…

Catch 365

6 years ago

Ethan Bryan plays catch. Every day. He’s played catch in the rain and the snow. He’s played catch on 90-degree…

Missed it By That Much – The Danny Goodwin Story

6 years ago

There were three future Hall-of-Famers picked in the 1971 Major League Baseball draft. Danny Goodwin was selected ahead of all…

A conversation with Maz Adams

6 years ago

Maz Adams has been drawing for as long as he can remember. His artistic progression has taken him from drawing…

When Reggie Flirted with Ted Turner

6 years ago

"Reggie Jackson is the ''straw that stirs the drink'' on the Yankees now. Unless a serious problem develops in the…

Bruno’s Shoebox

6 years ago

Conrad Brunner spent 40 years writing about athletes. Now he sells them. One card at a time. Brunner runs a…

Why June 8th, 1980 was the most important day of the 1982 World Series

6 years ago

Nearly every World Series has a turning point; a moment that shifts the balance in favor of one team or…

Chris Browne: A Baseball Life

7 years ago

George Bell made history in 1988 and Chris Browne was there. He had one of the best seats in the…

Ballpark Ghosts: Riverfront Stadium

7 years ago

"It's Here! It's Real! It's Grand! -Cincinnati Enquirer, 7/1/70 on the opening of Riverfront Stadium Thirty-two years later, Riverfront Stadium…

A Conversation with the man behind Gummy Arts

7 years ago

Baseball Twitter is better because Mike Noren is part of it. Noren is the brains, and the pencils, behind Gummy…

The decade begins

7 years ago

The first Opening Day of the new decade brought baseball fans a brand new statistic and the season highlight in…

My Kids Are Retired

7 years ago

Disclaimer: This post has nothing to do with the 1980s. It's also sappy as hell.   I sucked as a baseball…

The Trade

7 years ago

Ryne Sandberg was expendable in January of 1982. With the benefit of hindsight, the Phillies trade of Sandberg and Larry…

Ballpark Ghosts: Tiger Stadium

7 years ago

Bob Busser shot his first ballpark photographs in 1967 with a brownie camera. Since then he’s been to nearly 800…

The Best of 2017 on ’80s Baseball

7 years ago

I started this blog at the beginning of 2016 as a companion to a book I was writing. I'm happy…

Dream Season: Rickey Henderson

7 years ago

Every player longs for that dream season. The one where they stay healthy and just produce. I'm going to crunch…

The Quest for Razor Shines

7 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Nate Dunlevy My best friend and I just spent dozens of hours and…

A Conversation with John Giancaspro

7 years ago

It started with Ivan DeJesus. John Giancaspro opened a pack of 1982 Donruss baseball cards, pulled an Ivan DeJesus Diamond King…

Dodgers Astros Showdown

7 years ago

“For you guys who don’t think we can win four in a row, do us a favor. Don’t get dressed.”…

Larry Bowa: Pride of Philadelphia and Sacramento

7 years ago

NOTE: This is a guest post from Marshall Garvey It’s become something of a cliche to praise a modern player…

A Discussion with Sean Kane

7 years ago

Your average fan uses a baseball glove to, you know, catch baseballs. Sean Kane uses them to create amazing pieces of…

A Discussion with Tim Carroll

7 years ago

Growing up, we learned to take care of our baseball cards because they would be valuable some day. We may…

Dream Season: Wade Boggs

7 years ago

Every player longs for that dream season. The one where they stay healthy and just produce. I'm going to crunch…

Mark Fidrych Roundtable Discussion Part II

7 years ago

Note: This is the second part of a virtual "roundtable discussion" with baseball authors, and Mark Fidrych specialists, Dan Epstein and…

Mark Fidrych Roundtable Discussion Part I

7 years ago

Mark Fidrych walked off the mound at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto on October 1st, 1980 after throwing five innings against…

(Mark) Clear as Mud

7 years ago

Not many guys can go from getting seriously knocked around in the Appy League to becoming a Major League All-Star…

Cecil Cooper and the Forgotten Summer of 1980

8 years ago

Like the character in the movie Airplane!, who picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue, Milwaukee Brewers first baseman…

Wild One at the Vet

8 years ago

Sometimes mistakes can work in your favor. That was certainly the case for Tommy Lasorda and the L.A. Dodgers when they…

Barry Foote Day at Wrigley Field

8 years ago

Weird things happen at Wrigley Field. It's baseball's version of a box of chocolate; you never know what you'll find.…

Brewer Bombers

8 years ago

It took the Milwaukee Brewers all of 11 innings to assert themselves as one of the top offensive teams of…

The Ultimate Tim Wallach Collector

8 years ago

Tim Wallach had 8,099 career at-bats. Corey Stackhouse has 19,000 Tim Wallach baseball cards and he’s probably headed to the…

On Dallas Green

8 years ago

"Dallas Green... was tall, blunt, and had a voice like a foghorn." -Bill Giles Midway through the 1979 season, it…

Ellis Valentine: Humanitarian

8 years ago

Fans of ‘80s baseball remember Ellis Valentine. He had an absolute cannon in right field for the Expos and was…

All-’80s Baseball Hoops Team

8 years ago

It’s NCAA Basketball tournament time and that can mean only one thing: Baseball! Not only were the ‘80s a great…

Dream Season: George Brett

8 years ago

Every player longs for that dream season. The one where they stay healthy and just produce. I'm going to crunch…

Dream Season: Mike Schmidt

8 years ago

Every player longs for that dream season. The one where they stay healthy and just produce. I'm going to crunch…

Gorman Texas Ranger

8 years ago

"They know when to cheer and they know when to boo. And then know when to drink beer. They do…

Best Baseball Weekend EVER

8 years ago

It was January of 1995 and Mike Schmidt had just been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  I distinctly…

The Best of 2016 on ’80s Baseball

8 years ago

I started this blog 364 days ago. Since then, I've published 64 posts, including guest posts, for which I'm very…

The Day I Worked for My Favorite Baseball Team (Oh, and I Was 13-Years-Old)

8 years ago

Note: The following is a guest post from Matt Sammon. I had always liked sports as a kid, although I…

That Time I Wrote George Bamberger

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Christopher Zantow I grew up in Wisconsin as a Milwaukee Brewers fan, but…

Baseball Nivrana

8 years ago

I've been a collector for my entire life. You never know when you may need a 37-year-old pocket schedule and…

Joe Morgan’s Mysterious Dodgers Connection

8 years ago

Joe Morgan made a career out of beating the Los Angeles Dodgers.  The damage varied from beating L.A. in the regular…

The Remarkable Rookie Year of Mitchell Page

8 years ago

The Pirates bus sat waiting for a trip to Lakeland when someone told Mitchell Page to report to the team office. "I…

Game Six

8 years ago

You never forget your first time. For me it was October 21st, 1980; the night I had my first championship…

That Time I Met Sixto Lezcano

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Christopher Zantow I grew up watching Sixto Lezcano patrol the outfield for the…

7 Reasons The 1980 Pennant Race Was Fantastic

8 years ago

Four teams, two spots, one weekend. That's what the 1980 pennant race came down to in the National League. The…

Missed it By That Much – The Mike Parrott story

8 years ago

Every baseball player has bad years. Both Cy Young and Walter Johnson posted 20-loss seasons. Mike Schmidt hit .196 in…

Rick Langford: Iron Man

8 years ago

Billy Martin strode to the mound at Arlington Stadium to talk to his starter, Rick Langford. "I think it's time…

Missed It By That Much – The Drungo Hazewood Story

8 years ago

  The runners were tense at the starting line. The 1960 Summer Olympics were about a year away, but there…

George Brett and the Amazing Summer of 1980

8 years ago

  If you're going to hit .400, or even have a shot, it helps to put together a summer like…

Baseball Returns to Buffalo with Real Power

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Greg Lucas After nearly an eight year hiatus, professional baseball returned to Buffalo…

George Brett: The Pine Tar Game

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Rocco ConstantinoJuly 24, 1983The old baseball cliché is that you see something new…

Reflections on Riverfront Stadium

8 years ago

I didn't grow up going to Wrigley Field or Fenway Park. I cut my teeth as a baseball fan at…

Reggie Jackson Cheated Death in 1980… Twice

8 years ago

Reggie Jackson had a pretty good year in 1980. He hit .300 for the only time in his career, led…

That Time I Met Robin Yount

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Christopher Zantow I feel fortunate to have grown up in what many consider…

Doug Ault’s Cleveland Laser Show

8 years ago

Early August in a nearly empty stadium with two bad teams going head-to-head isn't exactly the setting you'd expect for…

The 1980s were a Rough Decade for the Yankees

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Eric Kabakoff I first started following baseball in 1985, shortly after that year’s…

Missed it by that Much – The Britt Burns story

8 years ago

"If that kid's not Rookie of the Year, there's no such thing," said White Sox skipper Tony La Russa after…

That Time I Met Johnny Bench (Twice)

8 years ago

If you were a kid in southwestern Ohio in the 1970s and you could eat anywhere you wanted,  the answer…

Missed it by that Much: The Dan Graham Story

8 years ago

If you happened to read the transactions section on December 8th, 1979 you probably would have missed it. The previous…

That Time I Met The Orioles

8 years ago

It’s tough to be the new kid. Having someone introduce you helps. Having someone introduce you to about half the…

Missed it by that much: The Karl Pagel story

8 years ago

If there was a Futures Game in 1980 he would have been a headliner. Karl Pagel was a can't miss…

That Time I Met Nolan Ryan

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Scott Ottenweller In the late ’70s my family moved from New York to…

And Barfield in Right

8 years ago

NOTE: This is a guest post from Andrew Forbes I recently attended a game with another writer whose task, appointed…

The 1980 All-Star Game

8 years ago

There have been 87 All-Star games in major league history. Exactly one of them took place at Dodger Stadium. Watching…

That Time I Met Eric Davis

8 years ago

Note: This is a guest post from Nate Dunlevy My love affair with baseball began with the same cliches that…

Jimmy Piersall Loses It… Again

8 years ago

The summer of 1980 was brutal. A heatwave swept across the southeast which resulted in nearly 150 deaths across seven states. From…

That Time I Met George Brett

8 years ago

NOTE: This is a guest post from Tim Harms. Manners matter. More on that in a moment as I share…

Super Joe Charboneau

8 years ago

Being an Indians fan is hard. REALLY HARD. But in the spring of 1980, there was a glimmer of hope…

Schmidt, Carlton and the 1980 Phillies

8 years ago

  The poster hung on the wall of my bedroom in southwest Ohio for years. MVP and CY. Mike Schmidt…

Schmidt & Brett in 1971

8 years ago

The most important day of the 1980 baseball season may very well have taken place in June of 1971. June…

It’s Strawberry Season

8 years ago

The Pittsburgh Pirates sent a scout to look at him. He left after a few minutes. Not because he wasn't…

1980’s Longest Hitting Streak

8 years ago

DiMaggio: 56 Other DiMaggio: 34 Landreaux: 31 Wait... what? From 1941 through 1980, the three longest hitting streaks in the…

Bad Blood at The Vet

9 years ago

"Green's Phillies Win Brawl Game" read one headline. "Phillies Wrestle First Place Away From Bucs" read another. On May 26th,…

It’s Rainey in Boston

9 years ago

Quick: Name the American League Pitcher of the Month in May 1980. Steve Stone won the Cy Young award, though a…

Moonlighting – Starring Ozzie Smith

9 years ago

Before there was Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd there was Ozzie Smith. While there may be no truth to the…

Reggie vs. Koosman

9 years ago

Reggie Jackson may have been the straw that stirred the drink, but it took a few years after his arrival…

McCovey’s Last Bomb

9 years ago

Sometimes you witness history and don't even know it. That was the case for the 18,622 people in attendance for…

Billy Martin vs. the Marshmallow Man Part II

9 years ago

The story of how Billy Martin lost his job with the Yankees after a fight with a marshmallow salesman in…

Horner vs. Turner

9 years ago

Bob Horner almost never played for the Atlanta Braves and it would have been Ted Turner's fault. Turner purchased the…

Al Bumbry

9 years ago

On my Facebook page, I like to find stories about guys rather than just post their batting average or home…

Send in the Qs

9 years ago

April 13th, 1980 began like just another day. But by the end of the evening, some 17,000 plus baseball fans…

The Birth of the Game Winning RBI

9 years ago

It seemed like a good idea at the time. At the beginning of 1980, Major League Baseball implemented Rule 1004-a,…

“The Kid” signed for me

9 years ago

I SUCKED at baseball when I was a kid. I was among the t-ball elite of Oxford, Ohio back in…

Bert Blyleven Bolts from the Bucs

9 years ago

The complete game is an anachronism in baseball today. But in 1980 it was an important part of the game…

Joe Morgan and J.R. Richard’s (not so ) Secret Mission

9 years ago

On April 1st, 1980, members of the Major League Baseball Players Association voted to walk out of the final week…

Desperado: The Jerry Terrell Story

9 years ago

967-1. That was the vote. On April 1st, 1980, players across the major leagues voted on whether or not to…

My Top 3 Larry Bowa Moments

9 years ago

I was an outsider. A malcontent. I grew up as a Phillies Phan in Reds Country in the 1970s. Mike…

The greatness of J.R. Richard

9 years ago

In December of 1979, the Houston Astros made Nolan Ryan the first million-dollar man history. Ryan won 324 games, threw…