Thursday, April 30, 2020

Plague Theater: Bobby Murcer on "What's My Line?"

Posted by el duque at 12:31 PM



Leave it to Gene Shalit. 

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A KID, I USED TO WET THE BACK OF MY HAIR SO WHEN I PUT MY YANKEE HAT ON, THE HAIR WOULD CURL OVER THE BACK END OF THE HAT.

IN ORDER TO LOOK LIKE MURCER.

GOD , I LOVE THE YANKEES.

April 30, 2020 at 1:15 PM
Carl J. Weitz said...

I don't know who Wally Brunner is but he certainly is no John Charles Daly.

April 30, 2020 at 3:42 PM
Anonymous said...

The 1971 Yankees must have been really awful when Mercer and Blomberg could be guessed as the "popular" ones.

Looking at Mercer's stats, I never knew he was actually a stud player until he turned 28 and then he was really awful. I only remember him with his second time on the Yanks and by then he really didn't deserve to be playing baseball let alone on the Yanks. I always wondered why people loved him so back then and now I know.

April 30, 2020 at 4:28 PM
Friend of Local Bargain Jerk said...

I am currently wearing my hair in tribute to Bobby Mercer.

April 30, 2020 at 4:35 PM
HoraceClarke66 said...

Yes, Carl, it's interesting to see how much they tried to make the show hip. Didn't work.

May 1, 2020 at 4:13 AM
HoraceClarke66 said...

Anon, Murcer was a tremendous class act. He played under incredible pressure, put there by the usual morons who expected him to be another Mickey Mantle because he came from Oklahoma.

He had a great 1971 (and yes, that Yankees team was very mediocre). Hit .331, should've been the MVP. His career really took a dive when the Yanks moved to Shea Stadium for in 1974 while the original Stadium was shamefully gutted. It took away his power stroke, he hit just 10 homers, and the Yanks dealt him to SF for Bobby Bonds.

Which ended up being a good deal for our boys. But he remained a very good ballplayer, made another all-star team in the NL. And when he came back, he was still a decent hitter.

He got screwed over in the 1981 Series—another bad turning point. Yanks up 2-0 in games, Fernando Valenzuela on the ropes in the top of the 8th, in a 5-4 game.

First two Yanks single. Valenzuela's thrown a TON of pitches. He's let up 9 hits, 7 walks. Idiotically, LaSorda leaves him in.

Murcer goes up to pinch-hit for the pitcher. He asks Manager Bob Lemon, who was losing it by then, if he should bunt or hit away.

Lemon tells him—and I quote—"Bunt for a hit."

BUNT FOR A HIT. What is he, fucking Jackie Robinson? Ty Cobb? He's an aging slugger with bad legs! Go up there and swing for the fences against a starter who's running on fumes!! If you strike out, no big deal, let the next guy have a crack!

Murcer, who had last bunted probably in Nixon administration, pops up a bunt, Ron Cey grabs it at third and throws out Larry Milburne trying to get back to first. Valenzuela gets the next four outs, the Yanks lose the next three games, too, and don't make it back to the Series for 15 years.

Bunt for a hit!


May 1, 2020 at 4:28 AM
JM said...

Wally Bruner is no John Charles Daly, but Arlene Francis is still there, without Fred Allen, Dorothy Kilgallen or Bennet Cerf.

Fred Allen died the day before they were doing a show back in 1955, from a heart attack as he was walking down the street. Steve Allen got the call and filled in, a sad show that featured a nice tribute by J.C.D. Steve Allen was no Fred Allen, but he had a much bigger ego.

Murcer was great in the early 70s. He also lost two years to military service in the 60s. He wasn't Mickey Mantle but, like Roy White, I was always glad to see him in the lineup.

May 1, 2020 at 1:06 PM
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July 3, 2021 at 2:10 PM

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