Angels withdraw from playoffs! 1986 Red Sox to play Yankees

dead | 10/2/02 | dead

[dead]

NEW YORK – Inexplicably citing a long list of accomplishments by this year’s Angels team, a teary Mike Sciosia announced today that his team was pulling out of their division series with the Yankees after dropping the opening game.

“We had a good run. Ninety-nine wins is something to be very proud of. But we ain’t gonna win this series. Everybody knows it. You guys in the media, all you want to talk about is Giambi and Jeter. Soriano and Clemens. Doesn’t anybody want to talk about Weber and Levine? Schields and Donnelly?”

Angels Manager, Mike Sciosa – “We just cannot win this series.”

The sudden withdrawal of the Angels left the American League scrambling for a replacement team. After being turned down by many of this year’s clubs, most of whom cited fishing and golfing commitments, the league finally secured the services of1986 Red Sox.

“You bet I’m in!” blurted an excited Bill Buckner, before dropping the microphone between his legs. “I’ve been doing squat thrusts to limber up.”

“Just tell me who to bean.” mumbled Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd, while swatting imaginary flies from his hair.

The Yankees, however, are not thrilled with the prospects of continuing the series against a different club.

“What a bunch of bull(bleep)!” bellowed a partially drunken David Wells. “Those pussies quit! Now, I’m supposed to go out and pitch to a bunch of old has-beens who traipse in at the last minute?! Thanks but no thanks. There’s three strippers at Scores with my name on their asses.”

George Steinbrenner, however, supported the replacement idea. “Hell, I’ve sold the damn tickets. Good luck getting a refund from me!”

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, hunkered down in his office, was unavailable for comment.

Tonight’s starting matchup:
Boston – Roger Clemens (24-4)
Yankees – Roger Clemens (13-6)

[CollegeRepublican]

LMAO!!! This is great work. Classic.

[FourtySeven]

LOL...good lighthearted fare!

[CollegeRepublican]

You should send this to Rush and some newspapers.

[Psalm 73]

Are you not the second funniest man alive?

(Thanks for the much needed levity...)

[ilgipper]

Tonight’s starting matchup:

Boston – Roger Clemens (24-4)

Yankees – Roger Clemens (13-6)

I pick the '86 rocket.

[Gumlegs]

ROTFLMAO!!!

Great work!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

The Yankmees can be beat but not if you do stupid stuff like Not putting in you 99 mph closer when you need one out in the eigth and then using him in the 9th.

Just like Sweet Lou blowing it by not sending in his defensive replacement for Al Martin in the 8th inning last year and then having a truly awful Al Martin in LF not make a catch that led to at least 5 runs that inning. Game over, series over.

Ask yourself how many times the last 3 years the Yankees, even with dominant starters and bullpen, they looked like they were going to go down only to take advantage of a stupid play, choke job, or bad managerial decision?

[stanz]

Aw, c'mon, look at all the attention they showered on little David Eckstein.

[Mo1]

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[Gumlegs]

Ping! This one's really funny!

[Maceman]

WANT TO SHOCK HILLARY?

THEN DO YOUR PART TODAY! GO TO:

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A resource for conservatives who want to help a Republican majority in the Senate

[dennisw]

Amusingly enough the 1986 Red Sox had a great and raucous American League playoff with the Cal. Angels before they got to the World Series.

[dennisw]

Better luck this time Angels' playoff return gives '86 alums fresh hope BY MICHAEL FISHER THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE 1986 / THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE Bobby Grich, whose strikeout ended the pivotal Game 5 against Boston, is optimistic the current Angels can soar in the playoffs. 1991 / THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE Darrell Miller says although memories of that disappointing day in Anaheim Stadium still return, "I don't believe in bad luck." Gary Lucas, a lanky left-hander from Riverside, strode to the pitcher's mound in Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series needing just one out to send the Angels to their first World Series. Considered a control pitcher, Lucas hit Boston Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman with the first pitch. The errant toss added life to an improbable Red Sox comeback from a three-run deficit in the ninth inning. With the Angels one strike from the World Series, Boston outfielder Dave Henderson homered off Angels closer Donnie Moore. The Angels' championship dreams slowly vaporized with the 11th-inning loss and losses in Games 6 and 7 in Boston. As the Angels prepare for their first postseason start in 16 years Tuesday, players from the 1986 roster are hoping their old team will seize the glory that slipped from their grasp. "I feel for everybody who feels that pain of the Angels not being able to get in," said Lucas, 47, a graduate of Riverside Poly High and a former Riverside Community College student. "I had a lot to do with that. . . . It still eats at me," said Lucas, a pitching coach for a Minnesota Twins farm team. "Hopefully, they can take it a little bit further." Gene Mauch, manager of the 1986 Angels, watches all of the team's televised games. On Friday, Mauch, 77, plans to trek from his Palm Springs home to Anaheim to see the Angels' return to the playoffs firsthand with Game 3 of the first-round series against the New York Yankees. "My heart has been in baseball all my life, and it was with them this year, same as it was when I was managing. I pulled for them hard," Mauch said. "I can't tell you how happy and proud I am." Mauch said he rarely thinks about the 1986 season. When he does, the memories are not bitter. "For 166 games, no one in the world could have had a better time than I did," he said. "But games 167, 168 and 169 were not quite as much fun." That fateful day Mauch disputes how baseball history remembers the October 12, 1986 loss to the Red Sox, who trailed 5-4 in the ninth when Lucas' stray pitch sent Gedman to first and Henderson to the plate. Henderson crushed a two-out, two-run home run, giving Boston the lead. "Everyone talks about that home run beating us. That home run put them one run ahead," Mauch said. "We came back and tied the score." Henderson struck again in the 11th inning when his sacrifice fly put the Red Sox up again by one. The Angels loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, with Doug DeCinces coming to bat. But DeCinces popped out, and second baseman Bobby Grich struck out to end the game -- and the Angels' momentum in the best-of-seven series. Watching the Angels clinch the wild-card playoff spot Thursday triggered a flood of memories from the 1986 season for Darrell Miller, a Riverside Ramona graduate who was on the team's roster that year. "To be honest, I actually played the whole thing out in my mind," said Miller, 44, an older brother of NBA all-star Reggie Miller and former USC and Olympic basketball star Cheryl Miller. Hurt in 1986, Darrell Miller was sent down to the minors. Miller said he was to be activated for the World Series. Miller, who spent 22 years with the Angels as a player and administrator, does not buy into the so-called "Angels' curse," which some fans cite when discussing the team's postseason drought. The Angels also lost playoff series in 1979 and 1982. "It's time for that stuff to die," said Miller, a Yorba Linda resident. "I don't believe in bad luck, either. The organization has had only three cracks at this." Different story now Grich, who lives in Orange County and works in the Angels' speakers' bureau, said the 2002 Angels are poised to dispel the disappointment of 1986. "The team has to make believers out of their fans," said Grich, who retired after the 1986 season. "They have to show their fans they can do it and the fans will get behind the team." Grich cited the team's unity and confidence as keys to its success this year. "They have a group that really puts the team's best interests at the forefront at all times, and they don't seem to care who gets the headlines," he said. Mauch, Miller and Grich agreed the 1986 Angels would match up well in speed and power with the 2002 roster, but the current Angels have the edge in pitching. "They might be a little deeper in the bullpen than we were, and so far the manager they have now knows a lot more about handling the bullpen than the manager we had in 1986," Mauch said dryly. Lucas, who now lives in Wisconsin, was flicking through channels on his television Thursday when he spotted the Angels' postgame celebration. "I was just so happy," Lucas said. "I think it's just great for them to get back. . . . They have some great fans out there, and those people deserve to have a winner." Reach Michael Fisher at (909) 368-9470 or mfisher@pe.com Published 9/30/2002

[dennisw]

Better luck this time
Angels' playoff return gives '86 alums fresh hope

BY MICHAEL FISHER
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE


1986 / THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Bobby Grich, whose strikeout ended the pivotal Game 5 against Boston, is optimistic the current Angels can soar in the playoffs.

1991 / THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

Darrell Miller says although memories of that disappointing day in Anaheim Stadium still return, "I don't believe in bad luck."

Gary Lucas, a lanky left-hander from Riverside, strode to the pitcher's mound in Game 5 of the 1986 American League Championship Series needing just one out to send the Angels to their first World Series.

Considered a control pitcher, Lucas hit Boston Red Sox catcher Rich Gedman with the first pitch.

The errant toss added life to an improbable Red Sox comeback from a three-run deficit in the ninth inning. With the Angels one strike from the World Series, Boston outfielder Dave Henderson homered off Angels closer Donnie Moore. The Angels' championship dreams slowly vaporized with the 11th-inning loss and losses in Games 6 and 7 in Boston.

As the Angels prepare for their first postseason start in 16 years Tuesday, players from the 1986 roster are hoping their old team will seize the glory that slipped from their grasp.

"I feel for everybody who feels that pain of the Angels not being able to get in," said Lucas, 47, a graduate of Riverside Poly High and a former Riverside Community College student.

"I had a lot to do with that. . . . It still eats at me," said Lucas, a pitching coach for a Minnesota Twins farm team. "Hopefully, they can take it a little bit further."

Gene Mauch, manager of the 1986 Angels, watches all of the team's televised games. On Friday, Mauch, 77, plans to trek from his Palm Springs home to Anaheim to see the Angels' return to the playoffs firsthand with Game 3 of the first-round series against the New York Yankees.

"My heart has been in baseball all my life, and it was with them this year, same as it was when I was managing. I pulled for them hard," Mauch said. "I can't tell you how happy and proud I am."

Mauch said he rarely thinks about the 1986 season. When he does, the memories are not bitter.

"For 166 games, no one in the world could have had a better time than I did," he said. "But games 167, 168 and 169 were not quite as much fun."

That fateful day

Mauch disputes how baseball history remembers the October 12, 1986 loss to the Red Sox, who trailed 5-4 in the ninth when Lucas' stray pitch sent Gedman to first and Henderson to the plate.

Henderson crushed a two-out, two-run home run, giving Boston the lead.

"Everyone talks about that home run beating us. That home run put them one run ahead," Mauch said. "We came back and tied the score."

Henderson struck again in the 11th inning when his sacrifice fly put the Red Sox up again by one. The Angels loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning, with Doug DeCinces coming to bat.

But DeCinces popped out, and second baseman Bobby Grich struck out to end the game -- and the Angels' momentum in the best-of-seven series.

Watching the Angels clinch the wild-card playoff spot Thursday triggered a flood of memories from the 1986 season for Darrell Miller, a Riverside Ramona graduate who was on the team's roster that year.

"To be honest, I actually played the whole thing out in my mind," said Miller, 44, an older brother of NBA all-star Reggie Miller and former USC and Olympic basketball star Cheryl Miller.

Hurt in 1986, Darrell Miller was sent down to the minors. Miller said he was to be activated for the World Series.

Miller, who spent 22 years with the Angels as a player and administrator, does not buy into the so-called "Angels' curse," which some fans cite when discussing the team's postseason drought. The Angels also lost playoff series in 1979 and 1982.

"It's time for that stuff to die," said Miller, a Yorba Linda resident. "I don't believe in bad luck, either. The organization has had only three cracks at this."

Different story now

Grich, who lives in Orange County and works in the Angels' speakers' bureau, said the 2002 Angels are poised to dispel the disappointment of 1986.

"The team has to make believers out of their fans," said Grich, who retired after the 1986 season. "They have to show their fans they can do it and the fans will get behind the team."

Grich cited the team's unity and confidence as keys to its success this year.

"They have a group that really puts the team's best interests at the forefront at all times, and they don't seem to care who gets the headlines," he said.

Mauch, Miller and Grich agreed the 1986 Angels would match up well in speed and power with the 2002 roster, but the current Angels have the edge in pitching.

"They might be a little deeper in the bullpen than we were, and so far the manager they have now knows a lot more about handling the bullpen than the manager we had in 1986," Mauch said dryly.

Lucas, who now lives in Wisconsin, was flicking through channels on his television Thursday when he spotted the Angels' postgame celebration.

"I was just so happy," Lucas said. "I think it's just great for them to get back. . . . They have some great fans out there, and those people deserve to have a winner."

Reach Michael Fisher at (909) 368-9470 or mfisher@pe.com




Published 9/30/2002

[Sabertooth]

Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig, hunkered down in his office, was unavailable for comment.

"Upon further review, the Commisioner's office has decided to declare
the playoffs between the '86 Red Sox and the '02 Yankees a tie.
No one feels worse about this than I do, really."

As a result of this tie, the '82 Brewers will play the winner of the '73 A's vs. '87 Twins playoff.

[Gothmog]

Funny, nicely written. I've been comparing Torch to the Rams quiting on the Patriots in the 3rd quarter and asking to bring in some other team.

[dittomom]

LOL!!! GO RED SOX!!!

[Fred Mertz]

Super job!

GO Clemens GO!!

[Molly Pitcher]

LOL! needed those laughs!

[Molly Pitcher]

Limbaugh is presenting similar scenarios....

[CollegeRepublican]

Rush Limbaugh just mentioned a scenario similar to this. Did you send it to him?

[CollegeRepublican]

Damn your fast....

[ampat]

I don't follow baseball at all. Is this similar to the New Jersey Senate fiasco. If so, why don't they get a team made up of Torricelli, Lautenberg, Baker, Menendez,Tony Soprano, and a few of those mob/union construction guys who never do any work.

[LisaFab]

Priceless. Go Yanks!

[lysie]

LOL.

[Yankee]

The Yankmees can be beat but not if you do stupid stuff like Not putting in you 99 mph closer when you need one out in the eigth and then using him in the 9th.

Just like Sweet Lou blowing it by not sending in his defensive replacement for Al Martin in the 8th inning last year and then having a truly awful Al Martin in LF not make a catch that led to at least 5 runs that inning. Game over, series over.

Ask yourself how many times the last 3 years the Yankees, even with dominant starters and bullpen, they looked like they were going to go down only to take advantage of a stupid play, choke job, or bad managerial decision?

You could have expressed your opinion, as well as the opinion of those who think like you, much more succinctly, and with far fewer key strokes, had you done so thusly:

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! It's not FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIR!

[Billthedrill]

Clemens is lucky this is the American League, or he'd have to bean himself.

[L,TOWM]

Don't count the Halos out so fast. Last night was Weber's fault, throw four bad pitches to Soriano after getting him 0-2. Add in Spezio and Fullmer having the "Deer in the Headlights" look, those were the only bad things I saw from that team last night.

Remember, the Angels started 6-14 and were declared dead. They have either set or come close to a season record for comeback wins this year.

Spezio will have it together tonight; Wooten will DH against against the Lefty, and at some point in this series, Weber will do what he has done all year; set up Percy by getting 2-4 outs in the 7th or eigth inning.

They should have won last night, and they may end up losing the series against the Yankoffs, but they won't go quietly.

[MeekOneGOP]

Angels Manager, Mike Sciosa – “We just cannot win this series.”

Noting that Democratic control of the Senate is at stake in the Nov. 5 general election, Mr. Torricelli said: "I could not stand the pain if any failing on my part will do damage to the things and the people that I have fought for all of my life."

[GnL]

Good one. The only problem is, that 95% of the population wouldn't understand the analogy and would just be arguing that baseball sucks and that the NFL rules.

[TomB]

This is very, VERY good.

I like Clemens starting against himself.

[MeekOneGOP]

heh heh !

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I never said anything wasn't fair, or the Yankees get favorable treatment, or any other bullbleep.

All I said was the Yankees could be beat but their opponents keep making mistakes and the Yankees take advantage of it.

If that's whining you've never had children.

[Freemyland]

But that's what makes the Yankees the better team. They don't make the stupid play, choke job or bad managerial decisions the other teams do.

[L,TOWM]

to win AND have class

Dude, what are you smokin'?

I still remember the beer cups, at least one filled with urine being thrown onto Greg Vaughn in the '98 World Series. I remember the reports of the players wives being threatened and cursed in the foulest language available. The name Eddie Whitson ring a bell for you Yankoff fans? How 'bout the World Series that was lost, except for the intervention of a kid and a myopic umpire.

Please, the Bronx Bummers have a great history, and have had a heck of a run, but don't ever try to equate class with that organization and the gatherings of 10's of thousands of dangerous thugs that are known as "Yankee Home Games".

[Registered]

This was great. bttt.

[Yankee]

All I said was the Yankees could be beat but their opponents keep making mistakes and the Yankees take advantage of it.

And that's the sign of a champion. The ability to take advantage of your opponents failure at a crucial moment.

The Yanks were on the flip side of that equation last year.

Remember, they had the game in hand until Mariano unloaded a throw past Jeter into center field.

Then the D-Backs capitalized.

That's the way it goes.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

So now I'm not a whiner or am I still I whiner? To qoute a famous NY phrase "You F$@&*^g Pr$%k 'ya".LOL

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

Tonight’s starting matchup:
Boston – Roger Clemens (24-4)
Yankees – Roger Clemens (13-6)



yea thats great and all but the 13-6 clemens has rivera waiting in the wings 86 rog would be handing the ball over to the steamer. and tommorrow you will pitch pettite and we got oil can boyd

[eastsider]

Way to go, bro!!! : )

[L,TOWM]

Make sure you drink the beer BEFORE you pee in the cup and throw it at guy trying to catch a baseball.

At least Erstad is'nt married, so his wife won't have to hear the death threats and being called things the lowest woman on the planet should'nt hear, like Mrs. Johnson did last year. Of course, Garrett Anderson's wife will deserve to get whatever the Yankoff fans yell at her, right?

[maxwell]

BWAHAHA... Bro, those are two most unfortunate poses. [snortle]

The one reminds me of them "bubba" teeth you can buy fer Halloween...

[Right Wing Professor]

Ping! This one's really funny!

Not just funny, damn brilliant.

[angcat]

I had the urge to bake him some cookies and give him a glass of milk. They are so young I did not know the angels were that young of a team. Anyway they will be on vacation by the weekend.

[eastsider]

Got urine?

[Yankee]

Make sure you drink the beer BEFORE you pee in the cup and throw it at guy trying to catch a baseball.

At least Erstad is'nt married, so his wife won't have to hear the death threats and being called things the lowest woman on the planet should'nt hear, like Mrs. Johnson did last year. Of course, Garrett Anderson's wife will deserve to get whatever the Yankoff fans yell at her, right?

I've never engaged in any of the behavior that you've gratuitously accused me of.

I didn't know if Anderson or Erstad were married, nor do I care. I admire both of them actually, but of course, I want the Yankees to beat them.

But thanks for acting like a knee-jerk liberal and trying to tar all Yankee fans as hoodlums.

[jigsaw]

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent.

Bravo!

[eastsider]

I'm no fan of the hoodlums, either. Thanks to them, there are no more beer sales in the bleachers.