The Chris Moeller Archives

Rehashing 1985

Yesterday afternoon, I watched the last hour or so of Game 6 of the 1985 World Series on ESPN Classic. This was the game that featured the infamous blown call by the umpire Don Denkinger in the ninth inning, opening the door for the Royals to come back and beat the Cardinals.

A couple of new things came into focus as I watched this replay of a game that took place now a quarter century ago, when I was 10 years old, and that is still difficult for me to watch.

#1- There were 3 very close plays on the bases in the 9th inning, and the umpires got the other two correct. But the slow-motion replays showed that all three should have gone for the Cardinals, not just the two that did. The Cardinals' Tito Landrum beat out a swinging bunt by the narrowest of margins in the top of the inning, and Denkinger was the man at first base to call it right, but one wonders if he didn't have that same play still in mind when he ruled the Royals' Jorge Orta equally safe in his memorable flub to lead off the bottom of the inning. Was there a natural tendency for Denkinger to rule it safe on both sides to be fair?

#2- The Royals have retired to skid row since they won that World Series. They've yet to return to the postseason, even during the last 15 years when 8 of the 30 teams in the league are welcomed in each October. They've had exactly one winning season in the last 15, an 83-79 finish in 2003, and they've never finished better than third in what should be, frankly, a pretty winnable five-team AL Central Division. During the last 11 seasons, they've avoided losing 90 games only three times. Over the last decade, their year-to-year winning percentages are comparable to Stan Musial's year-to-year batting averages. They've been through 13 managers during the 24 years, and this year they've started off 15-25, already canning their field boss. At the time of the 1985 World Series, however, they had been in the postseason 7 of the previous 10 years-- and that was before the expanded playoff system. Maybe it's time the Royals considered that somebody's trying to tell them something and return what doesn't belong to them.

posted by CM @ 5:59 PM