History repeats

On August 19^th,1957, the Yard was spawned on this planet at Cedar’s in Los Angeles. On April 18, 1958, the Los Angeles Dodgers played their first home game at the Los Angeles Coliseum. A celestial coincidence, I think not. Divine intervention possibly.  The Dodgers would win their second World Series title in 1958.  It took them two generations in Brooklyn to win their first in 1955. The Blue would win titles in 1963 and 1965.  Yard youth became imprinted with Dodger myopia for life. 1966 would be the unimaginable sweep of the Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale led teams.  The 1970’s would bring malaise with a sweep by the A’s and routed by Reggie’s Yankees.  The 1980’s would renew our faith with titles in 1981 over the Yanks and bashing the A’s in 1988.  The O’Malley’s and Tommy would shepherd in the bold new age of Dodger dogmatism.  Fox Corporation would chew through our legacy with bureaucratic inertia.  Frank McCourt traded a parking lot in Boston for the Dodgers.  His ownership did not lead to any titles, but he does still own the stadium’s parking lot.

The Yard has been blessed with a recent progeny of grandchildren. Under the careful tutelage of their parents and mindful mentoring from the Yard, these youngsters are being taught the ways of the Azul.  The Dodger merchandise has been provided since birth. They learned the rally chants as soon as they could speak. The Dodgers are just nearing the middle of this historic run. These past few years harken back to the halcyon days of those early years. Three titles in five years are dynastic but four in six would be legend. The team is still prime adjacent. The Yard grandkids have only known championships.  We are encouraging this allegiance while trying to mitigate the emotional letdown when reality diverts. Let’s hope the doldrums of the 1970's stay where they belong in the past with our 8 track players.

We have tried to keep UCLA football off our 2026 manic list, with their 7-0 start it is becoming difficult.  The past few decades have had stretches of relevance but mostly desert wandering between the goalposts. They tried bringing back heralded alumni Ricky Nueheisel. Legendary Chip Kelly tried his hand at rescuing the program.  The Bruin generated emotional acid reflux was recalibrated appropriately for health reasons. Bob Chesney has brought in a sense of urgency the program has not seen since Terry Donahue.  The swagger and confidence this team is playing with has not been witnessed since Cade McNown. Minnesota and Michigan are going to be stout road tests in the coming weeks, and more will be revealed. With the Trojans flailing about in their seasonal Odyssey, we hope it is an exciting finish on 11/28 at the Rose Bowl.

The Dodgers, Lakers and Bruins were imprinted in our first visions of life.  We were bandwagon fans of the Raiders in the LA days.  Al Davis bought the LA promise and brought his Raiders with him.  Those Raiders brought Los Angeles its first Super Bowl title in 1984 dominating the Redskins.  The Yard passionately rooted for the Rams for decades with but one Super Bowl loss in 1979 for our misspent passion. The Raiders brought the LA fan that title.  The Raiders would retreat to Oakland before any civic legacy was erected.  The inexact promises of Los Angeles city leaders were exposed which led to lawsuits.  LA was an NFL wasteland for decades. The Raiders followed the Yard to Las Vegas, another ethereal message from the Yard metaverse. The Raiders were outside the Yard’s obsession circle until this season.  New coach, the Mendoza kid, 3-0 start, we jumped off the dock into the Bellagio fountain in our silver and black. What could go wrong? Their solid play against KC lead to exposure in Foxboro. Their solid play against the Bills preempted a pummeling by the Rams.  We grabbed some fluffy towels and headed back to the dock until 2028.  God bless Kirk Cousins or who knows how bad this could be?!

Final Thoughts: In 2004, with Kobe and Shaq in their prime the Lakers signed Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Both players took pay cuts to chase their elusive first NBA titles in their HOF careers.  Kobe and Shaq had won three titles, but the Spurs and Pistons had muscled to the main stage by 2004.  The Lakers were going to have a Dream Team and win the title back. Payton would give it his all but bristled in Phil’s triangle.  Malone mailed it in missing more than half the season while harassing Kobe’s young wife. The Lakers lost to the Pistons and the Lakers blew up the team except for Kobe and Phil. They would win two more titles together with the 7-foot Spaniard.  Shaq would get another in Miami.  The Glove and Mailman would never cash that check.

The Dodgers paid Tucker way too much for what he returned.  He was not the missing piece, just a potentially impactful one.  When called upon, he was not. They paid Edwin Diaz for six innings of work. They will both be back and should be better. Ohtani will be back.  He was banged up more than he would admit.  He is a proud, hard worker and he wants a Cy Young. Mookie will be one of the best shortstops in the league for a few more years. Yammy and Saski are young. There are some creaking parts, but the core is solid in the current run.  The rest of the NL West has more issues to solve than the Dodgers.  New Padre ownership probably does not keep Machado.  They are stuck with Tatis. Mason Miller was all the rage but his aurora got glazed. Arizona is a poseur and the Giants just hope to be one in the future. Most of baseball has bigger problems to fix except for the champion Milwaukee Brewers. Congratulations! We are coming for you keggers!

Winnie and Angie

 Winnie the Pooh turns 100 this month.  Pooh was a fictional, lovable teddy bear created by A.A. Milne. His books Winnie the Pooh (1926) and The House on Pooh corner (1928) begat the icon. In 1961, Disney licensed the rights from the Milne estate and spawned animated movies, books, theme parks and merch.  Pooh remains a billion dollar a year industry for Disney. Christopher Robin Milne detested the exploitation and accepted a meager $352 million lump sum payment in 2001 and waived all future royalties.  Angie Dickinson turned 95 this week and she was always our Policewoman. Edgy and sexy, she defined Charlie’s Angels before we knew there were any.  The love of her life was Frank Sinatra.  She was a poster on his wall and his lover for decades.  She refused to marry him because she liked his ex-wife.  Dickinson was not a cuddly teddy bear; she was an empowered woman before there were many. Happy 95^th, Angie.

 MLB has geofenced the Las Vegas market like the US Navy has blocked Iranian ports. Regular season MLB games are routinely blacked out in the Las Vegas market.  Games that are displayed on the TV channel guide get a restricted access skull and crossbones when selected on my LV channel guide.  It is an infuriating tease.  We were pleasantly surprised when Comcast Bay Area Sports showed the Dodgers Giants game being available this past weekend.  Interns felt it was another ruse but with our LG smart remote, it was determined live game content was on the air.  We did have to listen to the SF Giants broadcast team of Kruk and Kuip. Vin and Jerry, they are not but serviceable and deadly quiet during Dodger highlights.  There were many Dodger highlights during the three-game season ending sweep. It was Mike Krukow’s final telecast, and we wish him well in his health journey.

Giant manager Tony Vitelli had seen enough by the 3^rd inning of game 162.  Mookie Betts swing was ruled a check and Vitelli stormed the field.  He would not be denied, and he took on two different umpires in his futile agitation. He shouted and gesticulated and got tossed. Mookie would strike out on the very next pitch after the tirade. This would be Vitelli’s league leading 7^th ejection in his first season.  He was trying to beat the traffic just like a Dodger fan.  Tony V is hoping for a second bite of the apple in 2027.  The Giants have not been playing many October games this past decade.  The Giants are fighting to stay out of last place not competing for first.

Major League Baseball playoffs began in earnest this weekend. Saturday’s opener started with Skubal who was as scorching as the sun. Both registered 100+ on their respective scales. The Braves got knocked down in the heat but got up for the split on Sunday night. Dodger anxiety is at gurgling level 2 with the next two games being played in the Atlanta suburbs.  Down south, San Diego Padre fans must be in denial.  Leading the first two games on the road against the top dog and losing both is Dodger fan kind of pain. Sunday, Mason Miller, their hard throwing Witch needed to get six out to get the split in beer town. He only got five. His veil might be pierced. After winning 20 of 23 down the stretch, no one wanted to play the Padres in the playoffs. Now, maybe only the Brewers will. Winning three straight in the playoffs to clinch a series has happened.  Losing three straight and starting your winter season prematurely happens more often. Manny might have a new team next year with the change in ownership. We will miss nada about Merchado.

In the clubhouse: Who is Jackson Koivun? The President’s Cup this year was particularly exciting.  The President's Cup has been played second banana to the Ryder Cup for relevance, but this year’s event was compelling.  The US had to come from three points down to win on Sunday with 21-year-old Koivun in command.  He finished the weekend 2-0-1 in his matches. He was the only undefeated American. His final drive on 18 revealed his powers. It has gone viral. He crushed the drive and immediately followed it down the fairway with the confidence of a 23-year-old.  Si Woo Kim didn’t know what hit him as his two-hole lead melted into the Medinah fescue.

Just saying: Dolly Parton rest her soul. She was honored with a Rock and Roll HOF induction in 2022. Dolly deserves all her accolades, but the Rock Hall was a bit of stretch, even she thought so at the time. The Yard has questioned why the legendary rock band Jethro Tull has never been elected to the Rock hall.  Locomotive Breath, The Teacher, Aqualung are seminal rock songs that play on classic rock stations daily.  Jann Wenner and other Hall voters have dismissed Tull as an act not a band. Peter Gabriel and Genesis were very theatrical as was Yes.  They are all in the HOF. Tull frontman Ian Anderson is a cynic about the Hall and not shilling for votes. If you are uncertain in the upcoming midterms, cast your vote to JT into the Hall.  It might be a Write-In vote depending on your state.

Southside Leo and the Sox: The ethereal power of the Papacy continues to propel the Chicago White Sox toward a title.  Unfathomable after losing 100+ in three straight seasons, they are now five wins away from the World Series.  There is tall timber still cloaking their destiny, but legions of southside demons have been exorcised. 

The World Cup Issue

The Odyssey from Christopher Nolan arrived in theaters this weekend. Matt Damon and the superstar cast is making the rounds promoting the nearly 3-hour saga.  Stuart of Denver alerted Yard staff that USC Trojans have jumped on the promotional bandwagon.  The USC Athletic Department proudly proclaiming that the Trojans football odyssey begins on August 29 against San Jose State. The Trojans lineage is linked to Troy. The funny costumes the band wears and the horse harken back to ancient times.  The Trojans marketing department must not have read Homer’s 3000-year-old tome.  Odysseus was not a Trojan.  He was on the other team.  His team brought in the Trojan horse and sacked the city of Troy and stole Helen. It was a stunning home loss for Troy.  It would have gotten any Trojan head coach sacked on Monday. The Yard hopes Trojan football is on a ten-year Odyssey at sea.

The Yard has never been a soccer pundit.  AYSO was founded in 1964 in a garage in Torrance, CA.  The founder's expansion did not make it to Glendale, CA until the 1970’s.  By that era, the Yard was involved in many other recreational activities that did not include soccer.  The Yard progenies thought they wanted to play soccer for a hot minute. And it was hot that fall in Pasadena.  The Rose Bowl fields offered little shade protection and our middling enthusiasm for the sport set with the November sun.

The World Cup is the largest worldwide sporting event held every four years.  The US men get the spotlight this year to highlight their potential.  The US Women will compete for the title next year like they have every four years since 1991. It is something the men have not done since the 1930’s.  The greatest male athletes around the world either play basketball if they are tall or play soccer if they are like 5’7” Lionel Messi. The greatest athletes in the US could play soccer but probably pursue other sports if qualified.

The drama of the World Cup in the United States is beguiling. The US has not seen this many foreigners seamlessly entering our borders in years.  Even the Iranian soccer team cleared customs.  There were stories of Vikings storming grocery stores in search of Ranch Dressing. The Scots in kilts slamming down all the Sam Adams in a tri-state area.  The teams stayed in villages all over the country and meshed their cultures. Who even knew Canada and Mexico were co-hosts?

The storylines for this final are fantastic.  Argentina had to slay the British monarchy and did so with a dash of sudden.  David and Victoria Beckham were high fiving with Mick Jagger before Messi did what he does in an Argentine victory.  Beckham is part owner of the inter-Miami FC that Messi plays for. Star player gives former star player the shiv in the end. Argentina has been doing that to Britain since the 60’s.  Britain still has the Falklands.

Argentina and Spain have interesting narratives.  Lionel Messi was born in Argentina, but his legend sprang from Barcelona FC in Spain.  Messi led Barcelona and their fanatical followers to several European championships. He is their all-time leading scorer. He famously took a photo holding Spanish teen superstar Lamine Yamal in his arms.  The legend is real, but that photo is kind of creepy.  Messi rocking a Javier Bardem No Country for Old Men pageboy awkwardly holding the future of Spain. It was a publicity stunt for the FC.  Who is the genius in that marketing department?

No more Kings!

Doc Holliday had a huckleberry in Tombstone and so do the Dodgers, the San Diego Padres.  There was constant chatter out of San Diego in 2024. Manny the Mouth and Fernando the Juiced were tearing up the league and the Dodgers demise was forecasted.  The Dodgers overcame the 2-1 Series deficit and went on to win the 2024 WS and then again in 2025. San Diego has not recovered, and the Chargers are not coming back to heal that winter pain. Thursday July 2, the Pads hit three homeruns in the first two innings taking a 6-0 lead in Los Angeles. They ended up getting pummeled 12-7. Friday night, they took a 3-0 lead into the 8^th before Teoscar hit the game winning Grand Slam. Saturday night Yamamoto struck out 10 in seven innings in a 3-0 defeat. For a modest $21 million, Machado has hit 18 home runs, played a solid 3^rd base while batting .188. Tatis hitting .290 with 5 HR’s for his $20million. The All-Star break is approaching, and the Friars $213 million payroll is 14 games out and fading.  Machado is 34 and never happy. Tatis is 27 and steroids tainted.  Neither are clubhouse leaders just the highest paid. The Giants were our nemesis. They are barely ahead of the Rockies and well past their expiration date. Arizona was all the rage when they went to the 2023 WS. They have not made the playoffs since.  Now they are just another middling team in Arizona. The Padres had offered promise to their title starved ciudad. They were false prophets.

The King James era began its decay on February 2, 2025, when the Lakers traded for Luka Doncic. The Yard wrote one of our best pieces going deep undercover on Google revealing details of this historic transaction. One key detail was that Lebron was not consulted regarding the trade. James had exerted his influence over the organization since the 2020 title.  The King came and he delivered the Laker nation their 17^th title.  He broke the NBA all-time scoring record as a Laker surpassing Laker Kareem.  Kareem has a statue in front of the Lakers home court, whatever it is now called.  Lebron never will. He was an interloper in Laker history, not a legend in Laker lore.

The news was national headlines that Lebron was leaving Los Angeles.  James announced he was not coming back, and pundits bemoaned the Lakers’ loss.  The Lakers had no intention of re-signing him for another year.  He had worn out his welcome with the Buss family and Rob Pelinka.  When the Lakers were trying to find their next superstar, it was Lebron.  After the 2020 title, James inserted himself in personnel decisions and Jeanie and Rob let him.  He advocated for Russell Westbrook as the missing piece to another title.  Laker fans know how that went and there has not been another title since 2020.  The Lakers had to draft Bronny James because Lebron wanted to play with his son. The Lakers traded for Luka to replace the King as the face of the franchise. There was a science project this past year to see if maybe they could share the ball. Luka got the three-year $165 million deal, and James was exit stage left.

Magic City and Maz

We received feedback regarding the piece on the 1968 Detroit Tigers WS championship.  Incarnation Elementary school is where Yard delinquents listened to the 1968 game on the radio.  Several of the 1971 Incarnation alumni subscribe to the Yard.  They promptly reminded staff that it was not 5^th grade Mrs. Dawson’s class, but 6^th grade with Sister Leona.  Leona was a Yard favorite who spent countless hours in parent-teacher conferences with Yard parents. Leona was a lifelong family friend who even attended a Dodger game with her three T’s of trouble: Tim, Tom and Tony.  

 We also were called out for citing hall of famers who never played in the Super Bowl.  Dan Marino’s name was mentioned.  I was notified by many that Dandy did play in SB XIX.  In just his second year in the league, Marino’s legacy was etched when he became the youngest starting QB in SB history. He still owns that record. The game was played in the old Stanford stadium for some reason. Joe Montana and the SF 49’ers bulldozed the Dolphins 38-16.  Marino would pass for over 300 and 1 TD but two picks. Marino would play 17 years for Miami. He would never play in another SB.

Yard beginnings in career work life began with a southern firm called Lanier Business Products. LBP was led by the irascible Gene Milner. Lanier offered sales training to neophytes to learn how to sell dictation equipment. Lanier bought the technology from Thomas Edison, so it goes back a bit. Dictation was an archaic business product that is buried alongside 8-track tapes.  Lanier is where Jim Rome got his start after UCSB. The sales training was in Atlanta, GA at a converted Ramada Inn off I-85 in an area that preceded gentrification.  Tattletale Gentleman’s Lounge was a stumble away. Sales newbies and sales trainers made the clandestine trek to the Tale.  Atlanta has a legendary strip club history. The Gold Club raised the bar in 2001 luring in NBA superstars like Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman. Special favors were provided to their famous clientele and profits soared.  The Gambino Crime family was thrilled until the FBI got involved and started deposing NBA players. Gold Club closure and jail for the owners came next.

Twenty-five years later, the Atlanta Hawks will be hosting Magic City Night at State Farm Arena on Monday March 16. The event pays tribute to Magic City which the Hawks contend is a cultural institution.  Magic City advertises itself as the Premier Atlanta Strip Club on their website. We don’t think there will be table dances at the arena, but we are advised to bring some small bills. Not sure if the “like a good neighbor” State Farm guys are thrilled with this promotion.  The backlash has just started, and the Hawks marketing department is on LinkedIn update alert.

The Ides of March are upon us. In 44 BC, it was when Julius Caesar was dramatically removed from the Roman Senate.  Leaders of state seemed to be getting removed a bit of late.  In 2026, March 15 is when the NCAA March Madness selection show is scheduled. The Yard has always pledged our allegiance to the NCAA basketball tournament.  It is a national event that links communities small and large on either side of the political spectrum. It can be pure joy until Bryce Drew hits a 23-foot runner at the buzzer to eliminate your team. Unless of course, your pool had Valparaiso that afternoon. The first two days of the tourney are the most exciting 48 hours in sports.  April 6, there will be an NCAA Champion and Notre Dame will probably still be pissed at the NCAA.  Let the Madness carry us through the insanity.

Senior night can be a special night in an NCAA basketball player's life. Graduating and graduation adjacent, these seniors are recognized by the university, family and friends celebrating their journey.  It was a real big deal before the one and done era.  Kobe and Lebron were none and done and don’t think they missed it. Patrick Ewing had a senior night and so did Reggie Miller.  The UCLA greats from John Wooden’s ten championship teams all had epic senior nights including Lew Alcindor, Marques Johnson and Gail Goodrich. Today’s elite programs have few graduating seniors who play.  The “players” are usually in the NBA prior to their senior night.  It was the only night seniors at Kentucky got on the floor. In 2026, senior night is farcical at times.  With NIL, players are staying in college longer.  Not to get an education but to get paid for playing college sports. The Yard supports that.  Athletes are going to court to get years five and six of their college eligibility. Athletes claim lost seasons to Covid seasons or other injuries.  Bluto Blutarsky could barely get away with this rationale.

RIP:  Pittsburgh Pirate HOF Bill Mazeroski died last week at the age of 89. Maz will always be known for his dramatic walk off Game 7 bottom of the 9^th homerun to win the 1960 World Series over the Yankees. His HOF career batting average was .260.  He hit 138 HR’s and 853 RBI’s.  It was pedestrian stats for the Hall. He is still the only Game 7, bottom of 9 walk off HR to win the WS. Everyone saw Joe Carter’s but that was Game 6. Yard youth loved the pugnacious 2^nd basemen called Maz and Glove.  He did win 8 Gold Gloves.  He won another title with the Pirates in 1971.  The Baltimore Orioles were heavily favored to repeat as WS. Maz was coming off the bench, but Roberto Clemente was at the height of his powers and carried the day.  Yard Youth got to see those Pirates on June 16, 1970.  Maz went 0-4 with four assists. Matty Alou went 0-4 leading off and Willie Stargell 0-4 batting cleanup.  Dodger Don Sutton pitched a 4-hit shutout and the Blue won 1-0.  The Pirates would win the WS the following season.  Mazeroski played his entire 17-year career for Pittsburgh. Good speed Glove, they might need you for spring ball upstairs.

Super Bowl Sam and the Tigers of Summer

There have been many iconic moments in Super Bowl history with LX looming in Santa Clara. The original two SB were called the World Championship until KC founder Lamar Hunt coined the Super Bowl in 1966.  It became official in 1969 just in time for Broadway Joe and the NY Jets to storm the Orange Bowl on January 12. The heavily favored Colts were still in the NFC and residing in Baltimore. Who knew it was the Jets last moment in the sun? The 1970 KC Chiefs showed the World that the AFL was no joke blasting the heavily favored MN Vikings 23-7 behind the mastery of Len Dawson. Many future HOF athletes played in the Super Bowl.  Some famously did not like Dan Marino, Dan Fouts and Phil Rivers. Trent Dilfer has a SB Ring, so does Jeff Hostetler and Nick Foles. The most surprising QB’s missing from Super Bowl lore is one from USC.

The rich Trojan legacy has produced many heroes in Super Bowl history. Lynn Swann SB X MVP, Marcus Allen SB XVIII MVP and Malcolm Smith XLVIII represented the U well.  USC is among the leaders trailing Michigan with six SB MVP’s five go to Tom Terrific and one for Desmond Howard.  USC has never had an alumni QB start in the Super Bowl.  Carson Palmer got the closest. Pat Haden got injured and Vince Ferragamo got the nod in 1979.  Matt Lienart thought pro football was supposed to be like the pool scene in 1969 with Broadway Joe lounging in a bathing suit talking to reporters.  Mark Sanchez was a Jet and a sportscaster with a bright future once. John David Booty was booted out of the NFL before an opportunity arose.  Sam Darnold will be the first USC QB on the main stage. UCLA has had two in our less storied history.  Troy started 3 and the ageless Billy Kilmer started SB VII for the Washington Redskins. Darnold has had a remarkable two seasons after an unremarkable start of his career.  The Jets will do that to you.  The Yard is rooting for Sudden Sam and the upstart Seahawks. Yard disdain for the Patriots has not diminished since TB moved to the booth.  With Belichick’s recent HOF snub, we are not the only ones.

Indiana’s mythological charge to 2026 Natti happened fast.  Fernando Mendoza is a rare talent, and Curt Cignetti is an exceptional coach. Mark Cuban’s investment via NIL into Indiana University cannot be understated. The Indiana Alum partnered with Cignetti to leverage his financial largess into a national champion.  USC has been funneling donor money to athletes for a millennium. Reggie Bush and Joe McKnight were cashing NIL money 20 years before NIL became a thing.  The Trojan alumni have been conducting research on this slippery slope for generations.  Their results with legitimate NIL graft have been middling. With Will Ferrell, Spielberg, Lucas and the rest of the Trojan oligarchs, USC should be dominating the Big Ten not losing in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Oklahoma State had T-Bone to fund their rise from obscurity in the SWC.  Phil Knight made the Oregon Ducks into a powerhouse. We are waiting for Sergey Brin, and the Google boys to put the Stanford Cardinal back in the mix.  Nick Saban bailed from Alabama when he realized there were not many billionaire Tide fans to support the tectonic shift in college recruiting.  He could compete in the recruit’s living room but not their checking account. 

Tigers of Summer:  After being swept in the 1966 WS by the Baltimore Orioles, the Los Angeles version of the Boys of Summer had fallen with the leaves. They finished 28.5 games behind pennant winner STL Cardinals in 1967.  Those Cards were stacked with Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, Tim McCarver, Curt Flood, Lou Brock and the Baby Bull Orlando Cepeda.  Managed by the legendary Red Schoendienst, STL would win the 1967 WS over the then still cursed Boston Red Sox.  The Dodgers would finish 21 games out in 1968, and the Cards would return to the WS as defending champions. Yard yearling was just getting their legs underneath them when the Dodgers went to the WS in 1963, 1965, and 1966 winning twice.  It seemed that this is how sports fandom rolled for the inexperienced LA fan.  Pain and suffering would be revealed during this period.  This would last 16 years and beyond. The Cardinals were our demons then.  The Giants were not on our radar, and the Miracle Mets were a year away. 

We rooted fanatically for the Detroit Tigers in the 1968 WS. The Fifth grade at Incarnation was in an early testosterone phase and sides were taken that fall in Mrs. Dawson’s class. The Tigers would counter the Cards with our new heroes. Denny McLain and his 31 wins with 28 complete games.  HOF Al Kaline was coming off the bench with Norm Cash at first and Bill Freehan catching. Our favorite was Jim Northrup. The 28-year-old RF had 21 home runs in the regular season but four of them were Grand Salami’s.  On June 24, Northrup hit GS in consecutive innings on consecutive pitches. He would hit another GS in WS Game 6 to blow a hole in the Cardinal’s mystique at home forcing game 7. Mickey Lolich hit the only HR of his career to lead to Game 2 Win.  He was given the ball facing surly HOF Bob Gibson that final Thursday afternoon in October in 1968. They both had won two games in this Series. Mickey would prevail as both pitchers would go the distance.  Lolich would be the WS MVP.  He would pitch seven more seasons for the Tigers and won 217 games in the majors.  He is in the Yard HOF but not the MLB HOF.  He is one of only 14 pitchers to win three WS games in a single series. The most recent Dodger Yoshi Yamamoto with only Randy Johnson with DiamondBacks in 2001 in between.  Mickey Lolich is a name forever etched in Yard lore.  Mickey passed away last Wednesday at age 85.  RIP ML!