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John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 12:35 PM

Check out Tommy John's ominous prediction. Johnny Bench pulls out of All-Star Game The Spokesman-Review, July 16, 1979

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 12:41 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

All-Star Dropouts Are a Callous Crew Al Strachan The Montreal Gazzette

G-Fafif Oct 15 2013 01:23 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Tommy John's comment, born of pitching in the Kingdome the previous week, reminded me that the All-Star Game used to be a much lower-key affair and not the peak of a multi-day festival. I remember reading NBC had done a mock broadcast, or at least the video thereof, one of those MFY-Mariner games in July 1979 because they weren't used to doing games from there and needed to figure out where the cameras would go. Today (aside from that seeming unnecessary) that couldn't happen because the All-Star host wouldn't be home so close to the game, given the Futures, the Derby and, most crucially, all the setting up beforehand, which apparently they decided was best done with more lead time. The last host that played a home game the Sunday before the All-Star Game was Cleveland in 1997. I would've thought that MLB would've come up with that sooner.

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 01:42 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

I remember a lot about that game, as it was an island in a rather dark sea of a Met season. Frinstance, Reggie showed up without his uniform that year. Also seems to have shown up without his physique. What a dumpy-lookin' Reggie.

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 01:56 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Rose looked like a chump as well: All three Phillies seem to have gone topless: Bob Boone got a front row seat for Morganna's act with George Brett: Bill Russell was helpless when confronted up close with the power of Mazzilli's buttocks:

metirish Oct 15 2013 01:58 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Some harsh words under "Both are set for life", probably wouldn't get that from today's journo.

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 02:42 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

I say "all three" Phillies are topless, but Boone at least bothered to pack his powder blue jersey.

Mets – Willets Point Oct 15 2013 02:49 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Morganna's buttocks attracted my eyes more than Mazilli's.

Frayed Knot Oct 15 2013 02:58 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

metirish wrote: Some harsh words under "Both are set for life", probably wouldn't get that from today's journo. What you have to remember is that this was at a time only a few years past the dawn of the free-agency era and many writers were still under the delusion that athletes should be happy with whatever they were offered (even if it was nowhere near their actual worth) and shut-up about everything else. That the upper crust of stars suddenly were getting salaries resembling true market rates irked a lot of people, hence the reaction to whatever those scribes decided was "ungrateful" behavior as well as the snide "set for life" comments thrown in on the side.

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 03:04 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

And somehow, that upper-crust of stars included Dave Concepcion. He made $200,000 in 1979. SET FOR LIFE!

batmagadanleadoff Oct 15 2013 03:08 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

How come that paper didn't make Garry Templeton the Grand Exalted Mystic Ruler of the SAS club?

HahnSolo Oct 15 2013 03:31 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Edgy MD wrote: I say "all three" Phillies are topless, but Boone at least bothered to pack his powder blue jersey. Carlton (I think) in the top row came with his powder blues. Danny Ozark too.

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 04:45 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

batmagadanleadoff wrote: How come that paper didn't make Garry Templeton the Grand Exalted Mystic Ruler of the SAS club? I was thinking that was Templeton to Russell's right, but now I realize that isn't Russell copping that feel at all, but Ron Cey with his mustache either trimmed or sublimated. But if the Cardinal isn't Templeton, who is it? Andujar?

Zvon Oct 15 2013 05:12 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Edgy MD wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: How come that paper didn't make Garry Templeton the Grand Exalted Mystic Ruler of the SAS club? I was thinking that was Templeton to Russell's right, but now I realize that isn't Russell copping that feel at all, but Ron Cey with his mustache either trimmed or sublimated. But if the Cardinal isn't Templeton, who is it? Andujar? Very hard to tell. That lil slice of face looks like Andujar. More than a lil bit.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 15 2013 05:56 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Andujar was an Astro in '79.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 15 2013 05:59 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

What about Brock?

batmagadanleadoff Oct 15 2013 06:02 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

batmagadanleadoff wrote: What about Brock? In 1979, one of baseball's themes was the number of 40+ year olds excelling at the game. Hence that photo above, perhaps.

Zvon Oct 15 2013 06:09 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

batmagadanleadoff wrote: What about Brock? Could be. I officially dub thee the CPF Board Detective. You join FK, who I never publicly annointed as the Official CPF Board Timekeeper.

Frayed Knot Oct 15 2013 06:15 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

batmagadanleadoff wrote: In 1979, one of baseball's themes was the number of 40+ year olds excelling at the game. Must have been all the steroids.

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 06:17 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

I think Brock's our man. So it's Rose/Jack Clark(?)/Craig Reynolds(?)/Larry Parrish/Lou Brock/Ron Cey. There appears to be a Cub helmet on a tall guy back there, so that's got to be Kingman. He might have been getting set to pinch-hit, but once the Mazzilli homer tied the game, they kept him back.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 15 2013 06:54 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Some junk in my trunk:

Mets – Willets Point Oct 15 2013 08:26 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Was 1979 the absolute nadir for baseball uniforms?

Zvon Oct 15 2013 08:29 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Was 1979 the absolute nadir for baseball uniforms? I dug it.

Mets – Willets Point Oct 15 2013 08:33 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Zvon wrote: Mets – Willets Point wrote: Was 1979 the absolute nadir for baseball uniforms? I dug it. Oddly the more garish uniforms like the Astros' tequila sunrise and Pirates mustard yellow seem retro-cool, but I'm bothered by the sea of powder blue used by so many other teams.

Edgy MD Oct 15 2013 08:38 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Yeah --- powder blue replacing road gray was a weak-minded domino mistake that somehow the Mets failed to make, even though a whole buncha teams --- Montreal, St. Louis, Philly, KC --- did. A lot of the same teams who went to artificial turf, in fact.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 16 2013 10:25 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Was 1979 the absolute nadir for baseball uniforms? There was a thread here a few years ago centered on a late '70's team photo of MLB all-stars touring Japan. You had every color of the rainbow, and then some, in that photo.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 16 2013 10:30 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Was 1979 the absolute nadir for baseball uniforms? There was a thread here a few years ago centered on a late '70's team photo of MLB all-stars touring Japan. You had every color of the rainbow, and then some, in that photo. Here's the photo:

HahnSolo Oct 16 2013 10:53 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Multiple variations of Pirate caps and jerseys. Those caps! Kong looking pissed. Niekro clearly whispering "this is a stickup" in Youngblood's ear. Aurelio Lopez!! And Lasorda. Because of course he'd be there. But who is the disinterested guy in the red jacket next to Stearns? Ted Simmons?

Frayed Knot Oct 16 2013 10:54 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

The 1970s: Bad baseball stadiums, bad fashion choices, bad Presidents.

Edgy MD Oct 16 2013 10:57 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Yeah, that's Simmons. He's not disinterested so much as joining most of the players in being distracted by some phenomenon on their right. Funny thing is the pillbox caps (and not just on the Buccos) would seemingly place the photo in 1976, but the teams these guys are representing places it a few years later --- in the 1977-1978 or 1978-1979 off-season.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 16 2013 11:09 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Funny thing is the pillbox caps (and not just on the Buccos) would seemingly place the photo in 1976, but the teams these guys are representing places it a few years later --- in the 1977-1978 or 1978-1979 off-season. We covered this years ago. Those are '79 uniforms, just like the ones worn at the ASG in Seattle. Ozzie Smith and Roger Craig are the giveaways, as they're wearing a one-year only style Padres uniform. As an aside, the Padres seemingly had more one-year only unis in the '70's than most teams have had in their entire history. That's probably not really true, but it does seem that way. Those caps are bicentennial style caps, but not the real Mccoys. Too many rows of stripes. Actually, the Pirates pillboxes have the right number of stripes, but their '76 caps were gold/yellow with a black P and black stripes. The Pirate caps in the photo above are from their mix and match era of Mizuno unis ('77-'84). Why are Joel Youngblood's stirrups black? OE: Candelaria's cap has the right Bicentennial look, but it's probably not a '76 cap.

Zvon Oct 16 2013 02:37 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

You gotta believe when Ozzie Smith ordered his hat he said :"AfroSIZE-IT!"

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 16 2013 06:59 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

I'm more interested in the brand of cleat worn there by Tanner, the Dodger trainer, and the squatting front-row Phillie (Brusstar?) Is the M for Mizuno?

metirish Oct 16 2013 07:59 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Got to be Mizuno, looks like the old Pirates guy with his hands on the suits shoulders is sporting a pair too....and golf pants?

Edgy MD Oct 16 2013 08:06 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

That's Chuck Tanner, sonny.

metirish Oct 16 2013 08:07 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Ah, I thought Tanner was the Dodger trainer......read it wrong.

Edgy MD Oct 16 2013 08:10 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

That's OK. Before your time, certainly. Tanner was the original Jim Leyland. Old-guy manager, questionable in approach, but widely loved by players and peers.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 16 2013 08:15 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Plus, the Mets 1979 road unis had numbers without, or sans, serif. Stearns front uni number "1" digit is correct. Youngblood's isn't. The first thing I noticed when I saw this photo yesterday was how ridiculous a man of Tanner's age, like Tanner, looked in that uniform. I could see why Connie Mack chose to wear suits in the dugout. Of course, Connie also owned the team, so his players were less likely to spit chaw on his leather shoes.

metirish Oct 16 2013 08:16 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Yes, he looks almost as ridiculous as the asshole in the Cialis commercial.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 16 2013 08:21 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Who's the asshole doing Cialis ads in Pirates' mix and match unis?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 16 2013 09:39 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Did you notice Juaquin Benoit had the same brand sneaks?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 16 2013 09:42 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Did you notice Juaquin Benoit had the same brand sneaks? Hmmm. Upon investigation seems Benoit wears New Balance. N, not M. Mystery continues...

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 16 2013 10:29 PM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Mitre cleats?

Mets Guy in Michigan Oct 17 2013 10:45 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Who are the two old guys in suits crouching in front? Get out of there! People want the players, not you goofballs!

Edgy MD Oct 17 2013 10:55 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

I could certainly be wrong, but I'm thinking yellowjacket is Chub Feeney. You have to love how the NL and AL were still such separate entities back then that they couldn't even get together on sending an All-Star team abroad for good baseball diplomacy.

dinosaur jesus Oct 17 2013 11:27 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Edgy MD wrote: I could certainly be wrong, but I'm thinking yellowjacket is Chub Feeney. Looks like Dr. Strangelove to me.

dgwphotography Oct 17 2013 11:53 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Why is Ted Williams wearing a Padres uniform?

dgwphotography Oct 17 2013 11:57 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

My bad - that's Roger Craig, the Padres' manager

Edgy MD Oct 17 2013 11:58 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

I was gonna guess that it was because Williams' first minor league team was PCL San Diego Padres.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 18 2013 12:46 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Bill Buhler, Dodgers trainer (kneeling, bottom row, left corner) Tom Lasorda (behind Buhler) Steve Garvey (kneeling next to Buhler) Roger Craig (hand on Buhler's shoulder) Aurelio Lopez (behind Craig) Dave Parker (behind Lasorda and Lopez) Dave Kingman (head only, behind Parker) Ellis Valentine (cap only, behind Lopez) Mike Schmidt's face/Larry Bowa's body (kneeling next to Garvey) John Stearns (in his own row, behind Bowa/Schmidt and Garvey) Ted Simmons (behind Stearns's right shoulder) unidentified (blue cap, likely Dodgers, behind Simmons) Ozzie Smith (behind Stearns's left shoulder) Jim Bibby (behind Smith) Craig Reynolds (behind Bibby's right shoulder) Gene Garber (next to Smith) Bert Blyleven (partial face behind Garber) John Candelaria (behind Garber's left shoulder) unidentified (kneeling suit next to Larry Schmidt) Bill Giles (kneeling suit next to unknown suit) Tug McGraw (next to Garber) Bob Forsch (behind Tug and Candy) Chuck Tanner (backrubbing Giles) Greg Luzinski (behind Chuck & Tug) Gary Matthews (rubbing shoulders with Tanner) Blake Cullen (... was to the NL what Jay Horwitz is to the Mets -- behind Tanner and Matthews) George Foster (behind Matthews) Joel Youngblood (to Matthews's left) Phil Niekro (behind Youngblood)

HahnSolo Oct 18 2013 07:28 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Mike Schmidt's face/Larry Bowa's body (kneeling next to Garvey) unidentified (blue cap, likely Dodgers, behind Simmons) Now that you mention it, we definitely have had this Schmidt/Bowa discussion before. For unidentified, Lasorda and Garvey are not wearing pillbox caps, so I would guess it's not a Dodger. The cap looks a little like Lopez's Tiger pillbox though.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 18 2013 09:49 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

HahnSolo wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: Mike Schmidt's face/Larry Bowa's body (kneeling next to Garvey) unidentified (blue cap, likely Dodgers, behind Simmons) Now that you mention it, we definitely have had this Schmidt/Bowa discussion before. For unidentified, Lasorda and Garvey are not wearing pillbox caps, so I would guess it's not a Dodger. The cap looks a little like Lopez's Tiger pillbox though. I vote Bowa.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 18 2013 10:03 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

The one player I figured shoulda been there, but wasn't, was Keith Hernandez, who broke out into superstar territory that season. I figure he was young enough that he'd be eager to go. Wonder what his story was? Dave Winfield and J.R. Richard are also notable MIA's. I'll give Bench, Perry, Brock and Stargell a pass on age.

batmagadanleadoff Nov 21 2013 10:17 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Who's the Yankee (top row, center)? Link to follow.

MFS62 Nov 21 2013 10:21 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Ike's dad? Later

batmagadanleadoff Nov 21 2013 10:21 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

Hint: He made the '86 ASG as a Met.

HahnSolo Nov 21 2013 11:25 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

I saw this mini-doc on Grantland yesterday. Lasorda going apeshit on him was hysterical.

batmagadanleadoff Nov 21 2013 11:29 AM Re: John Stearns, 1979 All-Star

HahnSolo wrote: I saw this mini-doc on Grantland yesterday. Lasorda going apeshit on him was hysterical. Here's the link. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/100 ... ue-country The Met/Yankee all-star is Barry Bremen. I was hoping for some Lasorda-Phanatic type action in that '86 ASG segment. [youtube]vX4L2LHGs98[/youtube]