From Al Kaline to Don Denkinger and beyond

Yes, you read that right, old-time baseball fans, Cardinal fans of any time over the past 35 years, and others.

Kaline, the great Tiger Hall of Famer, and probably third just to Roberto Clemente (and of course Henry Aaron) as the best all-around right fielder of the post-integration era, recently passed away, and drew a bevy of tributes.

And in searching the net, I found this blog post about the 1972 ALCS. I'd forgotten the Tigers played the A's, as AL East champs.

I also didn't realize it went the full five games, and that the A's won the last one 2-1 on a controversial play at first.

We're getting closer to Don Denkinger and 1985 World Series infamy.

With the possible exception of Ed Armbrister not being called for interfering with Carlton Fisk in 1975 by Larry Barnett, this play might be the most egregious postseason blown call in 15 years or more before Denkinger.

OK, I pulling the third video clip from that blog, with selected highlights from Game 5.



OK, head to the 1:30 mark or a second or two after.

George Hendrick is at the plate for the A's. Yes, Cards fans, "Silent George," and we're getting closer to Denkinger territory. Game is tied, 1-1. Hendrick is in because, if you look earlier in that clip, Reggie Jackson, who scored the first run in a delayed double steal, was injured in the play at the plate.

Silent George pulls a grounder in the hole. Dick McAuliffe, playing short that day instead of normal Ed Brinkman, makes the play, throws to first. Appears to beat Hendrick easily. But ump Johnny Rice said McAuliffe pulled Norm Cash off the bag. It's harder to tell with 1970s lower-resolution video and lower-quality slow motion. It's possible Cash's foot was pulled off, but not definite, and for my money, he stayed on the bag until after he had dug out the throw. I would have "swallowed my whistle," had I been Rice. (The game clip is a montage, so I don't know how long Cash argued. But it looks like he argued vigorously enough.)

Anyway, three batters later, after Hendrick had been sacrificed to second, Gene Tenace drove him in for the winning run. Ballgame, and the A's go on to a classic World Series against the Reds and the start of a dynasty.

Now, we'll complete the loop.

Hendrick was traded by the Cardinals to the Pirates after the 1984 season.

Part of the return?

John Tudor, who had a career year in 1985.

And then melted down in Game 7 of the 1985 World Series, after Don Denkinger's blown call in Game 6.

Let's just look at that day that will live in infamy again.



Jorge Orta is still out. And, while Orta tries to pretend otherwise in the short clip below?

Denkinger admits he got it wrong. He's long admitted that.



That said, yes, the Cardinals just melted down. And stopped hitting long before then, for a variety of reasons, many at least indirectly connected to Vince Coleman and the Attack of the Killer Tarp.

See this for more:



Including the good, bad and ugly of former Cards great Keith Hernandez trolling the team from time to time. The bad and the ugly? Keith, that would have been your coke-snorting and other things that got you traded. Keefer says he had stopped snorting before the trade. But, the loafing? He has admitted more than once that his brother jumped his ass after the trade and said he needed to shape up.

Hernandez was of course Whitey Herzog's worse trade ever, but he'd been wanting to dump him since the start of the 1983 season, for a jar of peanut butter and not much else.

You want more baseball karma? Larry Barnett, the home plate ump who refused to call interference on Armbrister in the 1975 WS, Game 3? He was the second base ump in that A's-Tigers game.

That said, with further looks, and a look at the rule book, that call was more iffy. And, Pudge had little shot at the runner going to second anyway. But, it's not totally iffy, on the call.

And here's that:



It's more of a judgment call, as noted above. But ... it did lead to the Reds scoring the winning run the next batter later, in the bottom of the 10th. (To make matters worse for Fisk, he had grounded into a double play in the top of the inning.)

If that game flips? And the Sox wind up winning the World Series? Do the Reds get back in 1976 or is it too much heartbreak? Do they go down as the Buffalo Bills of 1970s baseball, losing it all in 1970, 72 and 75?