Shades of 1988 (Part I)

While we march towards the 30th(!) anniversary of the seminal modern-day Red Sox/Yankees game (the 2 October 1978 one-game playoff, of which more later), this year also marks the 20th anniversary of 'Morgan Magic.'

John McNamara was a year-and-a-half-removed from Game Six in Shea Stadium, but a disappointed 78-win season in 1987 (collective hang-over from the World Series, personified by Bob Stanley's 4-15, 5.07 ERA, 1.572 WHIP campaign.)

With the 1988 edition stuck in mediocrity (43-42), then-GM Lou Gorman fired McNamara, and gave the helm to local son (and Sox-lifer) Morgan while Gorman interviewed 'real' managers to take over. But when the Sox won 12 in a row, and 19 of 20, the former snow-plow driver dropped the "interim" label.

The 1988 team won the division, but faced the Canseco/McGuire-fueled A'steam in the ALCS.

Morgan led the team to another title in 1990, and again the Sox were swept by the Bash Brothers; but the manager also known as "the other Joe Morgan" still brings a smile to Red Sox Nation.

That's "Mister Chairman", By the Way

Roger Clemens and Brian McNamee testified side-by-side, and one (or both) of them may have put himself into legal jeopardy by making false testimony to Congress.

Meanwhile, here's how not to interact with a Member of Congress who's summing up a full day of conflicting testimony that apparently got quite heated:



Looks like there's a new face of steroids in baseball, replacing Barry Bonds (hat-tip: ME) and his name is "Roger Clemens." But on the other hand, Mr. McNamee is no one's idea of a star witness.

Performance-Enhancers

The story of the day in sports: Performance-enhancing drugs.

In Scotland, Gary Player claimed that at least one player has told him that he uses performance-enhancers, and that Player estimates 10% of the PGA Tour uses them. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both said, in response to Player's comments, that they doubted that any players were using.

Meanwhile, across the Channel at the Tour de France, a cyclist (Team T-Mobile support rider Patrik Sinkewitz) tested positive for testosterone in his "A" sample (the "B" sample will now be tested as well, to confirm the earlier finding). In response, German TV stations ARD and ZDF ceased their coverage of the Tour; the Tour then leased the remaining coverage to German stations Sat 1 and Pro Sieben.

Baseball, of course, is facing a continuing steroid story as Barry Bonds grinds towards home run #756, which would pass Henry Aaron on the all-time list. Sports Illustrated this week has a cover portrait of Aaron, and a lengthy story by Tom Verducci, including the following quote from Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer Terence Moore:

[Moore] then cited a quote from a conversation he had on that subject with Harry Edwards, the noted sports psychologist and sociologist. "You'll have the standard and the standard bearer. Then you'll have the record and the record holder. For the first time ever, they broadly will be acknowledged to be totally different people."

The story also has the definitive quote from Bonds:

Said Bonds, in a self-styled epitaph worthy of his tombstone, "I take care of me."

Of course, as Buck O'Neil says near the end of The Soul of Baseball (more about which later):

The only reason players in my time didn't use steroids, is because we didn't have them.