by Kevin Burton When I was growing up in the 70s these teams were baseball royalty: Cincinnati, Oakland, Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Of the 40 division titles available in the decade in the old playoff format, those four teams won 22 of them. That was five each for Oakland and Baltimore, six each for …
Tag Archives: 70s baseball
Taking The Helm Of Expos Baseball
by Kevin Burton Growing up, if you had a sibling, you had a sibling rivalry. There are a lot of variables here, closeness of ages, gender, talents, interests. But even if it was just competition for the attention/approval of mom and dad, chances are you had a little something simmering at all times, …
Recalling The 70s Through Baseball
by Kevin Burton The Cincinnati teams of the 70s, particularly in the mid-70s are regarded as the best National League teams ever assembled. The Royals built on what they did in the 70s and came of age in the 80s with two World Series appearances and one championship in 1985. If I ever …
Do Or Die For Kansas City In Game 5
by Kevin Burton The signs carried by Royals fans said “we believe” as well they should. The Royals themselves believed. The vaunted Big Red Machine had been contained in Cincinnati where the teams split two games, but had exploded for seven runs in each of the two games at Royals Stadium. The …
Kansas City Needs Win To Draw Even
by Kevin Burton Long before the A’s, long before the Royals, The Kansas City Monarchs were charter members of the Negro National League in 1920. The Monarchs were perhaps the most prominent team in Negro League baseball. KC is host to the Negro League Baseball Museum at 18th and Vine in the Jazz …
KC Fans Get First Taste Of World Series
by Kevin Burton You know this is a simulated World Series because fans jam-pack the stadiums. Imagine the thrill of a city’s first trip to the World Series. The Kansas City A’s had come tantalizingly close, finishing sixth in 1955 and seventh three other times before the team left for Oakland after the …
Battle Of Bullpens In World Series Game 2
by Kevin Burton Nobody used the term “walkoff” in the 70s but that’s what we had in game one of my 70-something World Series won by Cincinnati. Kansas City tries to bounce back behind right hander Steve Busby. Busby won 56 games from 1973 to 1975 including two no-hitters. Injuries derailed what might …
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Game 1, Royals-Reds, 70-Something Series
by Kevin Burton The World Series seemed exotic when I was young. It was the only time that American League teams could play National League teams in games that mattered. In those days the Reds were the home team. The Royals were like a breath of fresh air. They were the team …
Reds, Royals Meet In 70s Dream Series
by Kevin Burton It’s baseball playoff time as I am sure you have noticed. I mentioned in August how my two favorite teams came within one run of meeting in the 1976 World Series (“Trying To Get The Baseball Feeling Again,” Aug. 30) and haven’t come close to meeting since. My …
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