Book Review: 'When The Game Changed'
by Al Yellon on Oct 26, 2010 8:30 AM CDT
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George Castle has written a number of books about the Cubs and baseball history and is currently a contributing columnist for our sister site SB Nation Chicago, among other media sites.
But before all that, he was part of a right-field bleacher group that I joined in 1979, the same group that still exists in the left field corner in section 301.
"When The Game Changed" is a history of baseball covering the years 1969-1979. This would be unremarkable -- it's just a choice of a ten-year period of baseball history, though an eventful one -- except for the author's choice of the format used to write this book.
The subtitle of the book is "An Oral History of Baseball's True Golden Age, 1969-79", and that is its genius and what makes for a compelling narrative. The story of what Castle calls "Baseball's True Golden Age" is told in large part by those who played the game during that era. Castle has interviewed dozens of former major leaguers who played during the 1970s and this history is told in their own words.
It's arranged by themes -- there are not only stories told of the champion Pirates, Reds and Athletics of that era, but of "would-be dynasties" and "collapses, near-misses and wannabes". As a Cubs fan who was 12 during the 1969 collapse, of course I already know the story of that team. But there were several other teams that could have been where the Pirates, Reds and A's were, including a very good Red Sox team that made only one World Series (1975) but could have won three or four more division titles with just a little bit of luck or a little more talent here and there, and the Orioles, the winningest team of the 1970s, but who only managed one World Series win.
You'll also read about dominant pitchers like Fergie Jenkins and Bob Gibson, even in an era when owners, worried about the decline of hitting in the "Year of the Pitcher" (1968), had tinkered with rules (lowering the mound, adding the DH) in order to create more offense. There's a long section about Tommy John and the now-common surgery named after him, describing in his own words how that surgery came about.
More topics covered in this entertaining book about this eventful decade include labor relations, the strike and free agency; race relations and how racial attitudes were changing in baseball, mirroring society; and some funny stories about "characters" in the game, including Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, Billy Martin, Ted Turner and ... Lou Piniella.
And there are also some personal reminiscences from Castle that resonated with me, because I experienced many of the same things coming of age as a baseball and Cubs fan in that era. If you grew up then, you'll recognize yourself in many of those stories. If you're too young to know the 1970s, it's an era that -- until this book -- hasn't been well-chronicled in such a detailed way, and never in the form of an oral history, the first-person accounts of those who lived it. This is a fun book that is well worth your off-season time.
Full disclosure: I received a review copy of this book.
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Sounds fun, and interesting.
You guys were in the right field bleachers during the 1970’s, while I was with my friends, and very few other fans, some of whom were sometimes asleep under racing forms, under the scoreboard. It’ll be fun to relive those days. Of course we had no idea the game was changing. It seemed to us that the Cubs were reverting back to pre-Durocher days.
One of Lee Elia's 15%
Sounds like 'must ask Santa' (aka: Mrs. Zeke) reading for me!
There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. Who says baseball isn't a religion?
Barnes and Noble, and Amazon your best bets to get the book
For those interested in buying “When The Game Changed” after Al’s wonderful review, Barnes and Noble is well-stocked with copies. You’ll get good deals on Amazon.com. But Borders for some reason has not bought a lot of copies and you’ll have a hard time finding the book there.
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 11:12 AM CDT up reply actions
There's a link to the Amazon page in the original post above.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Diamond Gems
I’m looking forward to checking this out to see what I missed. I lived through that era, and as a result don’t remember a whole lot about it…
BTW, do you know if George Castle is still doing Diamond Gems, Al? One of our local stations used to carry it on Sunday mornings, but I haven’t heard it for a couple of years. It was so much fun to listen to his collection of old radio broadcasts with Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd, and Lou Boudreau and I really miss it.
Yeah, I know there should be an apostrophe in "Vails," but punctuation wasn't an option when I signed up.
by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Oct 26, 2010 10:18 AM CDT reply actions
I'm not sure.
I’ll ask him to post here and answer the question.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Thanks!
Yeah, I know there should be an apostrophe in "Vails," but punctuation wasn't an option when I signed up.
by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Oct 26, 2010 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions
George Castle
is a baseball columnist and Chicago Blackhawks beat writer for The Times in northwest Indiana. On the nwitimes.com website, there is reference to him from March of this year as still being the host of the Diamond Gems radio show. But I haven’t been able to ascertain if it is still going on.
Off the air for the winter, anyway
D-Gems is off the air for the winter, anyway. And if you read below, it’s questionable for the future.
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions
Thanks, I posted above before I saw that below
By the way, I enjoy your Cubs and Hawks columns in The Times!
And thanks to you
Appreciate your readership. Check out Chicago.SBNation, too, for even more columns. Most importantly, let the bosses of both the Times and SBNation know you like the columns!
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 7:56 PM CDT up reply actions
No Real Cinderella Stories in the 1970's
Worst to first stories didn’t happen back in the 1970’s. Of the 40 division winning teams in the 1970’s, there were only two that won a division title the year after a losing season. Those teams were the 1972 Cincinnati Reds and 1974 Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds were 79-83 in 1971, and the Pirates were 80-82 in 1973. It’s not as if the 1972 Reds or 1974 Pirates were coming off truly awful seasons before winning division titles.
The 1984 Cubs were a real story because they won a division title following a 1983 season in which they were only 71-91. At the time, you had go back 23 years to 1961 to find a team that made postseason play the season after posting such a bad record. The Reds won the NL pennant in 1961 following a 1960 campaign with a woeful 67-87 record.
For those who are curious, that team crosstown from the Yankees actually went 73-89 in 1968, which was two games better than the Cubs record in 1983. We all know what that team crosstown from the Yankees did the year after 1968.
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
I remember the HBO Series:
When It Was A Game volume’s one through three. Basically it was a collection of home color footage from fans of what this particular series called a golden age spanning from the late 1930’s through the early to mid 1960’s… right about when the game began to change. It was a pretty good series and it sounds like this book is a good read. Maybe HBO will release a fourth volume covering the 70s.
I also think every baseball era has some aspects within that makes it great in hindsight. To me, the late 1990’s was a golden era for me because I was still at the “age-of-reason” (age 8, 9) and watching McGwire and Sosa was like watching a real life Disney script everyday. The same goes with anybody at a young age during any baseball era. Kind of like those baseball commercial’s lately that talks about how your grandpa tells stories of watching Joe Dimaggio, Willie Mays hit the home run, then your dad tells stories of watching Henry Aaron playing, and now you can tell your kids someday you got to see a certain Cardinals first baseman do his thing… or not.
Jack Brickhouse: "Hey! Hey!"
Harry Caray: "Holy Cow!"
Vince Lloyd: "The Chicago Cubs are on the Air!"
Len Casper: "Oh Baby!"
Bob Brenly: "Give it to a Kid!"
Ron Santo: "YES!", "All Right!, let's do it!", "Oh No!", "Oh jeez come on!" AND...
"This Is The Year!"
by #1 iowan cubs fan on Oct 26, 2010 12:08 PM CDT reply actions
Thanks for the heads up...
I love reading books like this.
Sounds like a great read, especially in the unlikely event that Jenkins opens up on the Wrigley front office...
…although Fergie has been known for candid observations on other topics. Years ago, on a sports celebrity cruise covered by Sports Illustrated, he and Maury Wills committed baseball heresy by telling a reporter that Clemente was “much better” than Mays, a thought that countless knowledgeable fans probably had during the ’60’s, but an idea that, even today, is ignored or treated with contempt by sports journalists.
Speaking of comparisons involving Fergie, I’m always disappointed to see him ranked behind Koufax, Gibson, Carlton, Seaver, et al. I sincerely doubt any of those other greats could have had the streak of 20-win seasons he did while pitching at Wrigley Field, and I wonder how much better he might have been in Busch, Shea, or Dodger Stadium, with their normal-distance power alleys.
"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62
"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64
Clemente is nearly forgotten today...
… largely because of his untimely death in that plane crash when he was just 38.
He finished with exactly 3000 hits. Even in his final season, when he was no longer a fulltime player, he hit very well. If he had played, say, three more years and put up 300+ more hits, he surely would have gotten more recognition, not to mention having likely had some job in baseball or somewhere in public life over the last 40 years.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Not only was he the best at cutting-down anyone going from first to third...
He was also the fastest himself at getting from first to third. Never intimidated by Wrigley’s brick walls, he was among the few to play shallow in right. Of course, he owned the Cubs at Wrigley or Forbes Field. Ask Jim Brosnan about a game in Pittsburgh where Clemente hit a literal walk-off grand slam with a two-out drive to that batting cage the Pirates used to park in center field. Or check with Bob Anderson, who I’m sure remembers the time he tried to chase Arriba down the third base line at Wrigley. It was no contest, of course, as Clemente accelerated to score a ninth-inning run that proved to be the winner.
A situational hitter with the batting crowns to show for it, he didn’t have the home runs, stolen bases and basket catches of Willie, but he was certainly the best all-around player I’ve ever seen. Oh yeah, and power too – just ask Bill Henry about that scoreboard shot in ’59.
"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62
"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64
Clemente did not hit the scoreboard.
No one ever has. But Clemente’s shot was the closest.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Clemente was a great player
but to suggest he was a better player than Willie Mays is just silly.
Clemente was a .300 hitter who played a great right field with an awesome arm. He had decent power, but he never hit more than 29 home runs in a year and only hit more than 20 three times. He didn’t steal bases and walked some, but not a ton.
Mays was a great centerfielder who covered far more ground than Clemente. Clemente had a better arm, but Mays’s arm was pretty good too. He also hit .300, but did so with power and a ton of walks. Mays also stole a ton of bases in his 20s.
You can match up Mays and Clemente in every category, and Mays is better in every one except his throwing arm, and Mays wasn’t exactly bad there.
I don’t know how much Clemente is forgotten. Every year baseball puts out the Roberto Clemente award and has fans vote on it. He gets mentioned in almost every story about the history of Latin American ballplayers. There’s an effort to get #21 retired throughout baseball just like #42.
Now Stan Musial, there’s a forgotten ballplayer. He was Albert Pujols before Albert Pujols. And he’s still alive, and that hasn’t stopped people from forgetting him. When people talk about the “Greatest Living Ballplayer,” he doesn’t even get mentioned.
by Josh Timmers on Oct 26, 2010 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll commit quintuple heresy by saying that Musial, Aaron, F. Robby, and Mantle were also better all-around.
"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62
"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64
I'll agree with you
and say that no player in baseball is less appreciated than Henry Aaron. When he played, he was off in Milwaukee or Atlanta, far away from the media centers, and while everyone thought he was good, no one seemed to put him on the same plane as Mays, Mantle or maybe even Duke Snider. When he broke the HR record, there was this assumption that it should have been Mays’s record, and he would have gotten it if not for Candlestick. (Throughout Mays’s career, he actually hit more HRs at home than on the road.)
If you look at Mays and Aaron’s career, it’s not all that clear that Mays was better than Aaron. Their career OPS+ (per B-R) is an identical 155. Now that’s not the final word and number crunchers far smarter than me have concluded that Mays was slightly better than Aaron, mostly because of his defense, although Aaron was good there too. But it’s not an easy answer than Mays was better than Aaron, but you rarely hear this debated.
I should add I’m a little biased, as I can tell my grandchildren one day that I saw Hank Aaron play in person. My only real memories of Willie Mays was the 1973 World Series. Ouch. (Actually, I remember him more from cartoons he appeared in.)
by Josh Timmers on Oct 26, 2010 2:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Mays certainly was the Michael Jordan of baseball,
a revolutionary figure by whom all who followed would be judged. And, just as Kobe Bryant would have to be much better than Michael for the media and general public to rate him even as Jordan’s equal, so too the great stars who followed Willie could never been seen in as bright a light – especially by New York sports media.
Working in New York at the time of DiMaggio’s death, I asked some baseball-loving colleagues “Who’s the greatest now?” As if by rote, they replied in unison: “Willie Mays.” It certainly wasn’t the time to argue for Musial, much less Clemente, but I’ve always thought that, even as great as they were, Joe and Willie’s rankings at the very top rested, in part, on national media hype.
"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62
"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64
Mays missed about one and three-quarters seasons in military service.
… if not for that, he might have been the one getting close to Ruth’s record, at least before Aaron did.
For that matter, Ted Williams would have likely hit over 600 HR and maybe close to 700 if not for military service. He missed more than four full seasons and probably 150+ home runs.
Bob Feller? Same thing, probably lost 90 wins to military service — he could have come close to what Warren Spahn had as the biggest winner since the 1920’s.
You’re right abut Stan Musial, too. Musial also lost a season to the war — he could have had close to 3900 hits. The season he put up at age 41 in 1962 is one of the best, if not the best, ever for a player over 40.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Aaron was great, but Mays was better in every phase of the game
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Oct 27, 2010 7:55 AM CDT up reply actions
I agree with Josh77.
It may sound as heresy coming from a Puertorican but I think Mays was ahead of Clemente because he was a better baserunner and a more patient hitter. Clemente was a very good bad ball hitter, like Vlad Guerrero is now. Those old timers from the Puerto Rico Winter League still remember the Santurce squad from the 50’s that had both Mays and Clemente in the outfield. That was the golden age of winter baseball.
Clemente is certainly not forgotten. Nearly 40 years after his death he’s the inspiration for young latin players. I’s say he is seen now in a better light than he was in his age. As Al said, had he survived he would have been active in public life, probably in Puerto Rico and Latinamerican countries as a baseball ambassador. he might have even dabbled into politics in his native island. We’ll never know but will celebrate his great achievements. He called attention to Hispanics in baseball before the term was even known. He was the first avowed latin in the Hall of Fame and deservedly so. I grew up a Pirate fan because of him, though I abandoned that excuse for a franchise many years ago, thanks God.
by Fraggin Judge on Oct 27, 2010 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions
That Wills would state Clemente was better than Mays
is not really all that surprising and is probably more based on the fact that Wills played for the Dodgers
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Oct 27, 2010 7:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Very possible in Wills case
and in Jenkins case, Mays’ best years were behind him when Jenkins started pitching.
I don’t think any neutral observer could argue that Clemente was a better overall player than Mays.
John Grabow: $4.8 million in 2011.
Here's what some other neutral observers have to say about Clemente...
"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62
"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64
As good as Clemente was
he was not Mays, no one was better overall player than Mays.
I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures.
~Earl Warren
by lookingdeadred on Oct 29, 2010 8:32 AM CDT up reply actions
DIamond Gems, from George Castle
Yeah, Evil Twin, Al and I watched Mike Vail play below us in right field, sometimes well, sometimes not, in 1979.
Diamond Gems was on the air in its 17th season in 2010. What city are you in? Some affiliates dropped the show in the last two years. Sunday mornings was a common airtime in a lot of markets. It’s questionable whether I’ll continue the show in 2011 due to financial reasons. But I really appreciate your comments and D-Gems was truly unique with vintage highlights, many of which were otherwise lost to history.
And you’ll love “When the Game Changed,” too!
OT: Always enjoyed your Diamond Gems on the web, and I must ask...
…Where did you get the tape of Caray and Buck calling the ‘65 home opener at Wrigley? I’d sure like to get a copy.
"Elder White! Look at the talent on those Cubs!" Harry Caray, KMOX Radio, 4/22/62
"And you have to wonder – What's the matter with Broglio?" Harry, KMOX, 5/24/64
Diamond Gems
Hi George—I listened to the show on KXIC out of Iowa City, and it’s probably been two years since they quit carrying the show. Sorry to hear you might be discontinuing it altogether, because it’s truly a historical treasure. How did you get recordings of all those broadcasts?
BTW, Mike didn’t play well in right field more often than not, but he never got any sympathy from me because Mom always liked him best.
Yeah, I know there should be an apostrophe in "Vails," but punctuation wasn't an option when I signed up.
by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Oct 26, 2010 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions
The original recordings
I still have cassettes of my original recordings — Cubs nightly highlights from 1971 off WGN’s 10 p.m. (not 9 p.m.) news. That’s the base of my collection. Obviously will have to get them digitized at some point. A miracle the tapes lasted almost four decades.
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 26, 2010 5:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Absolutely.
I suspect you have some vinyl as well?
No, not with broadcast recordings, sheesh! Well, maybe Orson’s “War of the Worlds”. That’s how I heard it.
But if you pick up a USB turntable they often have the input jack for external sources. Like cassette decks!
Then you just pick up a two – male – headed 1/8" cable and you’re good to go.
Not a member or affiliated with McCOVEY CHRONICLES in ANY way/shape/form.
Despite all my hoarsely screamed threats SBNation cannot delete them from my profile.
by victor frankenstein on Oct 27, 2010 1:20 AM CDT up reply actions
Whoops, and a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter.
Not a member or affiliated with McCOVEY CHRONICLES in ANY way/shape/form.
Despite all my hoarsely screamed threats SBNation cannot delete them from my profile.
by victor frankenstein on Oct 27, 2010 1:21 AM CDT up reply actions
If you want to help...
Vic, if you want to help digitize that stuff with me, I’m all ears! Because otherwise I’m all thumbs…
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 11:09 AM CDT up reply actions
Harry and Buck in 1965
I got that tape from a collection of old reel to reels from John Ring, a longtime announcer in Galesburg, Ill. He taped a lot of Cards radio broadcasts in 1964 and 1965. John also taped the audio Labor Day 1965 ABC-TV game from Dodger Stadium that had Jackie Robinson working as color analyst with Leo Durocher and Chris Schenkel, and Howard Cosell interviewing Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax on the pre-game show.
KXIC was a good affiliate
Too mad you weren’t aware D-Gems also was carried on KGYM-1600 out of Cedar Rapids — you could have picked it up. KXIC was a loyal affiliate starting in 2003, but under Clear Channel management in recent years had to show revenue for the program. They couldn’t get a local sponsor for 2009, and that was that.
Wish I'd known about KGYM
Too bad KXIC couldn’t get a sponsor, especially since there are a lot of Cubs fans in its broadcast area. The Sunday morning programming they have now is pretty awful—a third rate shouting head phone-in show and a live broadcast of a local church service. It’s hard to believe those shows get better ratings than Diamond Gems. Anyway, many thanks for all the memories! I really enjoyed the show while I could get it, and it’s nice to make your acquaintance. All the best!
Yeah, I know there should be an apostrophe in "Vails," but punctuation wasn't an option when I signed up.
by Mike Vails Evil Twin on Oct 27, 2010 9:57 AM CDT up reply actions
KGYM
Yeah, KGYM and its predecessor, KCRG, carried Diamond Gems since 1998, running it late Sunday afternoons. The morning guy at KXIC had been a big supporter of the show, but I lost that support when he left the station a few years back. Like all other media outlets, radio stations now are under pressure to rake in every last ad dollar while spending as little as possible — so KXIC was under a mandate to get a local sponsor.
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 11:06 AM CDT up reply actions
Recordings came from every source
I had my own old tapes, fans sent me tapes, broadcasters like Pat Hughes gave me tapes. They literally came from out of left field. Stations and teams did not do a good job of preserving baseball broadcast history.
1965
I have a reel tape of several innings of a Cub – Card game from July 10th 1965. Harry Caray does most of the work on it although I also have an inning with Jack Buck. Best thing I have is a pre game interview with Bob Gibson. I listened to your show on AM 1450 Springfield, Il. Always love the Brickhouse triple play call. It epitomized the eternal optimism Jack brought to the broadcasts.
"It's a funny old world. Man's lucky if he gets out of it alive." W.C. Fields
KFMB in Springfield
KedzieKid, give credit to Kevin O’Dea, AM 1450’s boss, for supporting Diamond Gems. He brought it over after my long run on WTAX, which began in 1999, ended. WTAX actually sponsored by Cubs-Cards book signing in Aug. ’99 at the Barnes and Noble on Veterans Parkway. Ducky Schofield showed up for that signing and it was fun.
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 11:08 AM CDT up reply actions
Excuse me
WFMB in Springfield. Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy.
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 6:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Brickhouse triple-play call
That was from a July 1972 Cubs-Pirates game in Pittsburgh. I recorded it off the “Play of the Week” on a Monday night on WGN-TV with the late Wendell Smith narrating. I still have the original cassette. The video of that still exists in both WGN-TV’s archives and the Museum of Broadcast Communications on-line vault — you may be able to pull it up. Only time anyone ever predicted a triple play!
by GeorgeCastle on Oct 27, 2010 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
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