Tuesday, October 25, 2005

"Congratulations Red Sox, 1986 World Series Champions"...

That was the message flashed on the Shea Stadium scoreboard in the bottom of the 10th inning with the Mets trailing the Red Sox 5-3 with 2 out and nobody on in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series. Red Sox win ? Whoa, wait a minute. That premature message of congratulations would be short lived with what followed...

Gary Carter singles to left. Pinch hitter Kevin Mitchell singles to center. Series MVP Ray Knight singles to score Carter with Mitchell going to 3rd and the Mets move within one run of the Red Sox, 5-4 with 2 on and 2 out. Calvin Schiraldi replaces Bob Stanley to face Mookie Wilson. Stanley quickly gets ahead of Mookie, 0-2. With Boston one strike away from winning their 1st World Series since 1918, Stanley wild pitches Mitchell home to tie the game 5-5 as Knight advances to 2nd. Wilson fouls off a few pitches and we'll let Vin Scully make the call as he did on that night 19 years ago today: "...and now the winning run is on second with two outs, three and two to Mookie Wilson...a little roller up along first, behind the bag! It gets through Bill Buckner! Here comes Knight and the Mets win it!"...

Win it they did, scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 10th inning, setting up Game 7 of the 1986 World Series which would be won by the New York Mets. Some interesting factoids about that classic Game 6 in my commentary...

More October 25 Memories...

1961) Dion tops the charts with his biggest hit, "Runaround Sue"...

1962) Addressing the U.N. Adlai Stevenson demands Russian ambassador Zorin to explain the presence of missiles in Cuba saying "I am prepared to wait for my answer untill hell freezes over"...

1964) Viking Jim Marshall runs 66 yards in the wrong direction for a safety (oops, all end zones look the same don't they ?)...

1964) The Rolling Stones make their TV debut in America on "The Ed Sullivan Show"...

1965) The Rolling Stones release "Get Off Of My Cloud"...

1968) Yoko Ono announces that she's having John Lennon's baby...

1974) Dionne Warwick & the Spinners collaborate on the #1 hit, "Then Came You"...

1981) In one of the more bizarre George Steinbrenner sagas, "The Boss" claims that he broke his hand in an L.A. elevator in a fight with Dodger fans (during the 1981 World Series)...

1983) "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton is #1...

1986) The Mets rally for 3 runs in the 10th inning to win Game 6 of the World Series (feature story)...

1990) Evander Holyfield KOs Buster Douglas for the heavyweight boxing title...

1990) The New York Daily News goes on strike (it lasts through March, 1991)...

1991) Rock promoter Bill Graham dies in a helicopter crash at 60...

1992) Singer/songwriter Roger Miller dies of cancer at 56...

1993) Horror film actor Vincent Price dies at 82...

1994) Susan Smith claims that a black carjacker drove off with her 2 sons but later confesses to drowning them. She will be convicted of murder and is serving a life sentence...

1996) Frank, brother of Joe, Torre receives a heart transplant...

1999) Golf pro Payne Stewart and 5 others die in a Learjet crash in South Dakota...

2003) The Marlins' Josh Beckett pitches 'The Fish' to the World Series Championship with a 2-0 whitewashing of the Yankees (Florida wins their second WS title in 7 seasons)...

2003) Florida State's Bobby Bowden becomes the winningest coach in major college football history with his 339th victory as the Seminoles beat Wake Forest 48-24...

Happy Birthday To...

1923) Giant hero Bobby Thomson...

1928) Marion Ross...

1940) Bobby Knight...

1942) Helen Reddy...

1948) Celtic great Dave Cowens...

1954) Captain of the 1980 Olympic Gold Medal U.S. hockey team Mike Eruzione...

1971) Pedro Martinez...

Commentary...

In anticipation of a Red Sox championship when it looked like the Sox would win Game 6 of the '86 World Series:

Roger Clemens shaved soon after being removed from the game, hoping to look good for the celebration...

Before being called on to pinch hit, Kevin Mitchell was busy making flight plans to return home to San Diego. According to Mitchell, just before Stanley's wild pitch, Mets 3rd base coach Bud Harrelson said to be prepared for a ball in the dirt...

Keith Hernandez had gone to manager Davey Johnson's office and was drinking a beer during the 9th inning and later claimed that Johnson's chair brought the Mets good luck...

Newly installed NL president Bart Giamatti a major Sox fan was seen muttering profanities about manager John McNamara's decision to keep a hobbled Bill Buckner in the game in late innings. Just prior to the start of the series Bill Buckner during a TV interview for a Boston station jokingly brought up the fear of allowing the other team to score the winning run on a ball going through his legs...

3rd base umpire Harry Wendelstedt asked Wade Boggs to give him his hat once the game ended, to add to his personal collection...

Bob Costas was already in the Red Sox clubhouse in preparation for the celebration...

Postponed by rain, Game 7 was televised opposite 'Monday Night Football' (Giants-Redskins) and received a Neilsen rating of 38.9 versus an 8.8 for MNF. And of course, the Mets won Game 7, 8-5 to win their second World Series Championship...