Who Goofed? I’ve Got To Know!

This past Sunday, a game was played in Oakland between the hometown Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The game went long, and was tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the 12th inning.

The game was telecast to Southern California on KCOP/13 of Los Angeles.

The A’s loaded the bases in the bottom of the 12th. Chris Bootcheck was pitching for the Angels. The batter was Oakland 2nd baseman Mark Ellis.

Bootcheck goes into his windup and delivers. Ellis swings and hits a walkoff grand slam home run for a 7-3 Athletics’ win. The crowd at McAfee Coliseum goes crazy. The entire A’s bench greets Ellis at home plate. Joy permeates the air in Oakland.

Oh, and one other thing: The viewers in Southern California never see it.

Just before the pitch is thrown, color bars appear on the screen. Then, the screen goes black with the KCOP logo in one corner. Then a commercial runs. Following that, the 1997 movie “Smilla’s Sense of Snow”, starring Julia Ormond, begins running. No game. No announcement. Nothing.

Angels Vice President Tim Mead blames the snafu on miscommunications on the production end. “It was some kind of miscommunication between the parties who oversee the satellite feed.”

Production staff in Oakland took the necessary steps to extend the satellite time window as the game went long, nearly four hours. However, the connection went black at precisely 5 p.m.

The glitch apparently resulted from problems between AT&T and Vyvx, the satellite carrier for Sunday’s game.

Added an obviously angry Mead: “We’re going to get answers.”

I’ll betcha Heidi was never like this.

Celtic Fans, You Are Sooo Denounced!

(Poster’s note: This was written tounge in cheek, and should not be taken seriously.:) If any part angers you, than please, while you’re out getting a life, please acquire a sense of humor while you’re at it. -dg-)

Attention Boston Celtic fans:

I denounce you.

Former Celtic Rick Fox denounces you.

Elgin Baylor denounces you.

Laker season ticket holders denounce you.

Jack Nicholson denounces you.

Penny Marshall denounces you.

Joe McDonnell of KLAC radio denounces you.

Doug Krikorian of the Long Beach Press Telegram denounces you.

World Famous KROQ denounces you.

Dustin Hoffman denounces you.

Ex-girlfriends Donna Dover and Judy Essman denounce you.

Southern California fashion designer Penelope Gregg denounces you.

Raider Nation denounces you.

New York Yankee fans worldwide denounce you.

Doris Day denounces you.

Nature Boy Ric Flair denounces you.

Uh Huh Her lead singer Leisha Hailey denounces you.

The inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison denounce you.

The bottlers of RC Cola denounce you.

The sports book operators in Las Vegas denounce you.

The curator of reptiles at the San Diego Zoo denounces you.

The Los Angeles Police Department denounces you.

The Mayor of Los Angeles denounces you.

The LeBron James Fan Club denounces you.

All the Quakers west of the Mississippi denounce you.

The elevator operator at the Eiffel Tower denounces you.

The employees of AstroBurger at Melrose & Gower in Hollywood denounce you. In Spanish.

The Daughters of the American Revolution denounce you.

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir denounces you.

The entire nation of Belize denounces you.

The bats that hang under the Congress St. bridge in Austin, Tx. denounce you.

Stay tuned. Same bat-time. Same bat-blog.

July 20, 1969

In order to properly begin July 20, 1969, I need to backtrack to the early 60s:

San Francisco Giants manager Alvin Dark is talking to a reporter about his young, talented left-handed pitcher, one Gaylord Perry. Perry is showing everyone why he’s a future Hall of Famer, but his hitting, Dark says, is leaving something to be desired. In other words, the Giants may as well have 8 batters in their lineup card. To quote Dark:

“They’ll put a man on the moon before he (Perry) hits a home run.”

Fast forward to July 20, 1969.

The Giants are playing a home game. Gaylord Perry is pitching. This is the night of the first moon landing. Jeff Chandler, the Giants’ public address announcer, informs the crowd that according to news reports, Apollo XI has indeed landed on the moon. The crowd cheers loudly. Everyone is excited and happy. The game is held up slightly to let the cheering take it’s course.

The game resumes. About 10 minutes following Chandler’s announcement, the batter is Gaylord Perry. What is the result of his at bat? Perry hits his first major league home run. Right after the moon landing.

File this one under the category of “you couldn’t have made this one up.”

KMPC: Jim Lange

When I was hired at 710/KMPC in August of 1987, one of the first people I got introduced to was afternoon drive personality Jim Lange. He is best-known as the longtime host of “The Dating Game”, among numerous other game shows. He was cordial and very friendly as we shook hands. That’s something that didn’t change in the 3 years I was associated with him.

In addition to game shows and radio, Jim also has an extensive sports background. He was a longtime color commentator with the San Francisco 49ers radio team. He goes back to the time when they played home games at Kezar Stadium, and John Brodie was their quarterback.

He loves golf. I would sometimes go into the KMPC newsroom, a large room with 4 desks and a few teletypes off to the side, and would hear Jim and News Director Bob Steinbrink talking about golf the same way any two guys would be talking about the NBA or football. He attended many PGA events, sometimes participating either as a pro-am or an MC.

He was in Hog Heaven when he got hired as a part-time golf commentator by ESPN. I remember seeing him that day. He was lark-happy. And very deserving.

He was very knowledgeable about sports. He talked with me and other staffers about any sport there was. And with expertise. I would throw obscure baseball trivia at him, and he usually always got it right. And always with a smile because I didn’t get him on a tough question.

He very much had a rascally sense of humor. One time, I walked by a bulletin board in the hallway, and there, thumbtacked to the board, was a picture of former Nicaraguan dictator Manuel Noriega’s mug shot, clipped from a newspaper. Someone had written a caption that read: “Dave Gaytan after using NutriSystem.” I did need to lose a few pounds then, and NutriSystem was a major advertiser on KMPC.

I wasn’t mad. I have a sense of humor, but I wondered who did it, and figured no one would own up to it. A few minutes later, Jim walks out of the control room, sees me, has a bad mood-type of look on his face, and I figure I better not bother him. Suddenly, the look on his face morphs into a big smile and he starts laughing. He ‘fessed up. He had done it. We were both laughing.

In addition to hosting The Dating Game, Jim also worked for Chuck Barris Productions in other projects. One such project was a variety show for the military called “Operation: Entertainment”, which would bring shows for the troops to various stateside military installations. Jim, a former Marine officer, had no problem taking on that assignment.

At the time, Chuck Barris, thanks in large part to The Gong Show, was considered something of a controversial figure. I asked Jim if he liked Chuck Barris, and would he work for him again, and to both he said “Hell, yes!”

I don’t know if Jim would agree with me, but he’s led something of a charmed life. His one and only wife Nancy is a former Miss America. How often do you run into somebody who’s married to a former Miss America?

Jim left Golden West Broadcasters in 1990, after a 31-year affiliation. I couldn’t attend the going-away party, but I did see him in his office as he was cleaning his items out, and I told him I loved working with him, that I thought he was a great guy, and that I hope our paths would cross again somewhere down the road. None of that has changed on my part.

Jim took a radio job in San Francisco after leaving KMPC. I understand that he has now retired. I’m sure he’s getting a lot of golf in.

Hard to believe that later this year, Jim will turn 75. If anyone should stay 40 forever, it’s him. I was lucky to meet him. I was luckier to know him. I wish I had stayed in touch with him.

If anyone was a star at The Station of the Stars, it was definitely Jim Lange.

UCLA/USC Humor

Few things on the west coast sporting scene can top the rivalry between UCLA and USC. Even sports like swimming, rowing, and tennis can bring out the shouting matches between boosters.

Even though I attended neither school, I am a Bruin fan. That is due to 2 factors: I had a professional association with UCLA when I worked at KMPC, the Bruins’ longtime flagship station. I worked many UCLA football & basketball games, and dealing with the UCLA Athletic Dept. was a pleasure. Classy people there. I got to talk to John Wooden once, and that was an awesome moment for me.

The second reason is that in 1971, while attending a junior college in San Diego, I had an assignment that required research that wasn’t readily available in San Diego. The Research Library at UCLA was immeasurably helpful to me, and I’ve always been grateful to them. There are seven different libraries on the UCLA campus, and they’re all great. I highly recommend them. The public is welcome to use them.

With all that said, I’d like to pass along some rivalry humor. Don’t worry. The names are interchangeable, and can be used on any two colleges you can think of.

Two boosters, one from UCLA, and one from USC are arguing vehemently. It’s reached the shouting stage, and it looks like a fight will break out at any second. Suddenly, a good fairy appears right between them. She’s holding a magic wand. She says “If you two will stop arguing, I will grant both of you one wish apiece.” They agree.

The fairy turns first to the USC booster and asks him what he wishes for. He says “I want a huge wall built around the USC campus. At least 150 feet high. No doors or openings of any kind. No one can get in or out. Keep out those mangy Bruin fans.” The fairy waves her magic wand, and says “Your wish is granted.” The Trojan fan smiles smugly.

The fairy then asks the Bruin fan what he wishes for. He looks at the grinning Trojan booster, then looks at the fairy, and says “Fill it with water.”

UCLA 101, Houston 69

One of my favorite sporting events of all time. Burned in my memory forever.

We all know about UCLA losing to Houston 71-69 in the Astrodome back in January, 1968. For Houston fans, alumni, Bruin haters, and former Cougar players, especially Elvin Hayes, the story ends there.

Fat chance, revisionists.

After the first meeting, Cougar fans and Houston players went overboard with their joy. Hayes started planning for what would be a somewhat successful pro career. Center Ken Spain was interviewed for The Dating Game. All others, except for coach Guy Lewis, always a class act, went around telling media and fans how wonderful they were. And people believed them. One wire service, which back then crowned a national champion before the post season, awarded their title to the Cougars. Elvin Hayes won several Player of the Year awards. T-shirts proclaiming the Cougars national champions appeared on the University of Houston campus.

John Mackey, former Baltimore Colts star, told NFL Films “If you think you’ve got a game won before it’s played, you’ve got a problem. (Before Super Bowl III) We had a biiiii-ig problem!”

So did the University of Houston Cougars.

A year earlier, Houston had lost to UCLA in the National Semi-Finals, which is what it was called before being re-named The Final Four. Even though UCLA won relatively easy, Hayes had stated that “They didn’t impress me.” He failed to realize that the point was to win the game, and not to try to impress any one person. After the Astrodome win, Hayes’ anti-UCLA rhetoric intensified. Adolph Rupp, longtime Kentucky coach who had all of one black player in his 40+ year stint at UK, said that the Bruins were “Overrated and complacent.” He predicted that the Cougars would win the title easily.

Fat Chance, oh Great Sage.

Overlooked was the fact that the Semis and Finals would be played in….Los Angeles, in a real basketball environment. Also overlooked was the fact that the Bruins would have something on their side that Houston couldn’t have bought. The Revenge Motivation. More often than not, a winning psychological edge for a motivated team.

In the Astrodome game, UCLA coach John Wooden played a basic man-to-man defense. He did not want to tip off what he might do in a playoff game. Even at that, the Bruins lost by only two. Some feel that they should have won the game. It was certainly winnable, but hiding future strategy was understandable, and outside of losing their poll ranking at the top, a loss to Houston in January was virtually meaningless.

When the rematch came, people wondered how many overtimes they would play. With seating at a limited 15,000, the game became a hot ticket. Cougar boosters came in droves, wearing their T-shirts, carrying signs, and bringing smug, superior attitudes with them. Before the game, the U of H student body president was arrested for trying to scalp tickets. That was the beginning. A precursor to the Cougars’ Lost Weekend.

UCLA used a Diamond-and-One defense, boxing Elvin Hayes the entire game, rendering him ineffective. He had only 10 points for the night. The Cougars never led. The only time the game was tied was when it was 0-0. At one point late in the second half, the Bruins led by 40. That’s as in forty points. The trash-talking Houston players became stone silent. With every time out, the Cougars would go to the bench with a shocked look on their face like they had no idea what was going on.

When it was obvious how this would turn out, coach Wooden emptied his bench, saving Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) for last, who got a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd. That included what was left of the Houston rooting section. When Hayes was pulled a little later, there was barely any crowd reaction for the Player of the Year.

To epitomize how the game went for Houston, Shasta, the live cougar mascot, fell asleep in his cage during the latter part of the game.

Cougar coach Guy Lewis said that it was the greatest exhibition of basketball that he ever saw in his life. The rest of the team would not talk to reporters after the game. So much for all the talking.

Years later, Cougar Don Chaney, one of sports’ true class acts, told the L.A. Times that his team got “Full of themselves” after the Astrodome win.

For many years afterward, Elvin Hayes would not talk about the rematch. Any mention of his college career would end with the Astrodome game. In recent years, he has opened up more about the semifinal game.

The next night, UCLA won it’s fourth title in 5 years when they beat North Carolina, coached by Dean Smith 78-66. Houston lost it’s second in a row in the Consolation game to Ohio State, 89-88. Again, they would not talk to the media afterwards.

Because of this, the wire service that awarded national championships before the post season stopped the practice.

It was a memorable weekend for both the Bruins and the Cougars. And as different as night and day.