…for new Baseball Hall of Famers Paul Molitor and Dennis Eckersley, two of my all-time favorite players. In keeping with the wishes of the baseball gods—whom I once saw turn former Cubs catcher Steve Swisher into a 16 oz. Pabst and a plate of nachos after he struck out 4 times on 12 pitches against the Padres’ Randy Jones—posting will be light.
For those of you interested in such things, ESPN Classic is televising the ceremonies, beginning at 1:30 EST.
OK, I never post on blog Comment sections. But the Steve Swisher crack was just mean. It’s not like the Cubs had any better options at catcher in 1977. Ol’ Swish was splitting time with George Mitterwald. And I don’t believe you when you say you saw the vengeance of the baseball gods. First, it would have been Old Style, not Pabst. That’s important. Second, nachos weren’t Wrigley ballpark food in 1977 (maybe at Disco Demolition Park, but not Wrigley).
It’s possible my memory is a little fuzzy. I’m pretty sure about the Pabst, but perhaps Swisher was turned into a Polish sausage with onions and peppers. I can’t really remember.
Apologies if I’ve erred.
Not necessarily an error. There used to be a dive bar a block north from Wrigley where we’d go to avoid the crowds at the usual suspects and do some serious post-game drinking. The special was PBR longnecks at $1 a pop. So that qualifies.
Incidentally, at the same time the Cubs also had a first baseman named Pete LaCock. Yep. Swisher and LaCock on the same roster. And the rest of the world thought they understood Cubs fans’ misery after Bartman. Poseurs.
Yup. I remember both LaCock and Mitterwald. LaCock is related to former Hollywood Squares host Peter Marshall in some way, is he not?
You know who the Cubs needed? Tom Poquette. That would’ve been sweet…
In his own immortal words, after he was traded to the Royals: “When you play with the Cubs, it’s like playing with heavy shoes on. I had to be de-Cubbed.” – Pete LaCock (1976). http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=lacocpe01 Pierre did, in fact, play with the aforementioned Tom Poquette in Kansas City. Royals fans may recall how “sweet” that was.