In lieu of current games

TalkZone
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…I’ve taken to watching old Astros games I can find on YouTube. Not necessarily classic games – just games from my youth.

So far, I’ve watched:

Now working on this 1989 NBC Game of the Week, with Vin Scully & Tom Seaver on the call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFMk2kmxMA0

It’s surprisingly enjoyable, especially since I don’t know the outcome. (My 10-year-old is enjoying it just as much.)

This one was not quite as nice, since I realized early on the significance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Znm9cHBJuDY

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I’ve found I miss the sound of baseball, and I’ve been listening to games from the 30s. https://archive.org/details/classicmlbbaseballradio/

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These are great ideas! Would like to watch 1998 season as I basically missed everything but the playoffs.

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If you can find any, listen to the Randy Johnson games. I remember thinking, “this is what it must be like to be a Yankees fan”.

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When we got Johnson at the deadline, I had no doubt whatsoever we would be WS Champs. Kinda like 2019 confidence.

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I love listening to the old games, though it does make me sad for what baseball is now. They were so insanely fast-paced, there were no commercials (at least during the WS games I’ve listened to from the 30s), the crowds were huge and noisy, foul balls and deep counts were unicorns…it was awesome.

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Man, Neil, thanks for posting that!

ETA: Listened to Game 7, 1955. On the key play of the game-Amoros catching Berra’s slicing liner in the LF corner and getting the ball to Reese who doubled McDougal (sp?) at first-the PBP guy completely blew the call. He had Gilliam still in the game in LF and sat silent while the rest of the play transpired.

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This is great! Among the Astros offerings:

  • 1964 Dodgers at Colt 45s
  • 1965 - Dome-opening exhibition vs NYY
  • 1969 - Astros-Dodgers (Vin Scully call)
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The lack of score bug, in replays of old games, drives me nuts. I get old games on YouTube not having it, but MLB NFL NBA networks and ESPN surely have the technology and PLENTY of available workers to add it into old games they are broadcasting.

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You are easily driven nuts, Navin.

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For some, it is merely a short walk.

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The inspiration for Bull Durham’s “”Nick Laloosh” passed away from Covid-19. Reportedly the fastest pitcher who ever lived.

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SI had a piece on Sandy Amoros back in the 80s.

Here was in failing health (devastating complications from diabetes IIRC).

They detailed that play. My mother grew up in rural Mississippi and their summer entertainment was listening to baseball on the radio. Somehow they could get (Brooklyn) Dodger games so that was their team. I showed her that article and asked her about Amaros. She definitely remembered him and that WS. She read the article and was sad to see what had happened to him.

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Dalkowski is like that guy that could make a basket from anywhere inside the half court line but can’t dribble, or that guy can hit a ball 500 yards off a tee but can’t putt or hit a wedge. Except it would be the whole court or 650 off the tee.

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Here’s an interesting youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Aqied-buV601O_HfLqG2A/videos

Full classic games, plus a bunch of classic This Week in Baseball episodes. Fun stuff.