Unraveling the mystery of a photo
Scribbled Notes on a Cocktail Napkin: Dusty Baker throws a ball into the infield as one fan pukes and another runs on the field?!?
Scribbling from Sacramento
It’s a photo that appears on social media occasionally and always makes me stop to laugh at the absurdity of sporting events in the 1970s.
Dusty Baker, playing left field for the Dodgers, throw the baseball back to the infield. One shirtless fans is running onto the field. Another shirtless fan is leaning over the railing and appears ready to puke. A group of kids watch with a casual expression like this is routine.
Here’s the photo with my favorite caption.
I’ve been meaning to get to the bottom of this photo for years. I’m in Sacramento this weekend, the hometown of Dusty Baker, and I’m determined to find the answer.
A few clues: we can see bunting on the stadium walls, meaning it’s either Opening Day or a playoff game. A quick internet search leads to a headline on Reddit that says the photo was taken after a Graig Nettles double in the World Series.
Searching on Baseball-Reference.com, I’ve narrowed the photo to Game 5 of the 1977 World Series, the top of the seventh inning.
I’ve found the entire broadcast on YouTube. The Yankees lead the series, 3-1, with a chance to clinch the title. But the Dodgers have taken a 10-0 lead into the seventh inning. Reggie Jackson and Chris Chambliss both singled to begin the inning, off Don Sutton. I’ve got it cued up. Nettles is up.
Let’s watch.
So it’s two fans on the field going after the ball. It looks like the whacky shirtless guy — it’s not really George Carlin — went after the ball, realized it was in play, and was trying to run out of the way.
The guy puking? I think he just reached for the ball, couldn’t get it — and maybe, I don’t know — he’d bent over and couldn’t get up? Here’s a screenshot from the video with a different angle before Dusty’s throw.
Analyst Tom Seaver remarks those fans, “may get an escort out of the ballpark.” May.
“They should,” a defiant Howard Cosell proclaims.
“That’s the first untoward incident I guess we’ve had … ” chimes in play-by-play announcer Keith Jackson. Yes, he really used the word untoward.
“Here at Dodger Stadium,” interjects Howard Cosell, almost in rhythm with Jackson.
That’s it. The announcers don’t make any further comment about the play. The director never shows any images of the fans getting escorted out of the ballpark. Baker leads off the next half inning. The camera shows Frank Sinatra and fans singing “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” but no mention of the fans on the field.
I checked newspapers.com to see if there was a story about fans on the field. Here’s a minute-by-minute recap of the game does not include anything about the fans on the field.
There is a story about unruly fans that makes the wires and includes a quote from Dusty Baker. But the story is about fans in New York and what’s waiting for the Dodgers in Game Six.
Baker says he wouldn’t care if the game was played in Vietnam. The story mentions Reggie Smith getting hurt when a hard rubber ball was thrown from the stands and hit him in Game Two.
Apparently, a few fans going after a fair ball in Los Angeles was nothing compared to fans in the Bronx. For good reason.
Let’s skip ahead to Game Six. Reggie Jackson has just connected on his third home run of the game to cement his Most Valuable Player award. It’s now the ninth inning, the Yankees are one out from winning the World Series.
Check out this screenshot of fans sitting on top of the outfield wall, debris all over the field, and Jackson looking over his shoulder at the stampede that’s about to occur.
A few seconds later, a firework goes off and lands in right field.
I’ve cued up the exact moment from the game. Jackson comes off the field. But he just wants to exchange his soft cap for a harder helmet. Cosell pontificates about some unruly Yankees fans spoiling what’s otherwise a great city.
Two pitches later, the Yankees clinch, Jackson runs for his life off the field, racing like a running back in the open field, dodging some fans, running over others, and Cosell is oblivious to it all because he’s got a speech to give.
Within this context, a shirtless fan briefly on the field at Dodger Stadium, and another fan bent over (not vomiting), do seem pretty innocent.
It’s still a hilarious photo … and I sorta wish it was George Carlin and involved puking.
"Scribbled notes on a cocktail napkin" is my weekly Sunday feature that's a tribute to the sports columnists I grew up reading who penned Herb Caen-inspired three dot columns. It's an excuse to shamelessly plug my other side projects, post my favorite Immaculate Grid from the week with a story about one of the players, link to stories I found interesting, and string together loose topics on my mind.
This week’s not-so-random Immaculate Grid name: Charlie Hayes
Charlie Hayes played 14 years in the major leagues. I remember collecting his rookie cards in the overly manufactured Junk Era of the late 1980s, getting his autograph at spring training, and one of the key player the Giants relinquished to acquire closer Steve Bedrosian from the Phillies for the second half of the glorious 1989 season.
Hayes was later traded to the Yankees, selected by the Rockies in the Expansion Draft, the Yankees tried to null the selection (they couldn’t). You know he was respected because he went back to the Phillies, back to the Yankees, and back to the Giants before his career ended.
What most people remember about Hayes is he caught the final out of the 1996 World Series.
For a long time, Hayes resented that he was only known for one simple catch. As time goes by, Hayes softened his stance.
“That really bothered me, because I played 14 years in the Major Leagues. That takes a skilled player, a lucky player, and a lot of hard work. I finally learned to accept that as you get older, but I used to hate to see that photo.”
By 1996, the security at Yankee Stadium was drastically different than the radical 1970s. Hayes caught the final out in foul territory. No fans made it on the field. The celebration involved just the players on the field.
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This is some top notch sleuthing! I don't think the fans were as sophisticated back then as this would never happen today. The 70's were an especially raucous time for fan behavior for some reason. (probably all the weed)