  Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1695 Registered: 01-2005 |
This could probably go under the sports forum, but since it's also TV, I'll let it fly here. Been watching the ESPN mini-series, "The Bronx is Burning". It documents the year 1977 in the Bronx when the Billy Martin/George Steinbrenner/Reggie Jackson feud dominated the news (along with the "Son of Sam" deal, thus the title. Curious as to your takes on the series. I think it is excellent, and that actor playing Billy Martin looks more like Billy Martin than Billy did. Last night's episode presented one mistake, though. It centered on an early Yankees-Tigers game at Tiger Stadium where Steinbrenner leaked to the press that he was going to fire Martin. Well, he didn't, and along with some vintage video of Tiger Stadium, it showed the actors playing Billy Martin and Detroit manager Ralph Houk at home plate with the umpires, giving the starting lineups. That done, "Houk" heads for the first base side dugout, and "Martin" heads for the third base side dugout. And, of course, we all know that the Tigers always called the third base side dugout home. So what'cha say? Good miniseries or no? | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1514 Registered: 03-2006 |
i like it but that is a bad mistake on their part, the home team is always third base side | ||
Jfried Member Username: Jfried Post Number: 1022 Registered: 11-2003 |
dude, when I first saw the title of this thread I was seriously upset wondering which bar the hipsters would get their haircut in from now on. | ||
Crash_nyc Member Username: Crash_nyc Post Number: 988 Registered: 08-2004 |
dude, real ny hipsters don't hang in the bronx unless there's a really good show & they cut their own hair with dull scissors with their wasted girlfriends i'm not one | ||
Jfried Member Username: Jfried Post Number: 1023 Registered: 11-2003 |
errrr. I meant the bronx on prentis & second. there used to be this lovely young lady who did haircuts for $5 on thursday nights. | ||
Dds Member Username: Dds Post Number: 290 Registered: 10-2006 |
quote: Not true. In fact, more teams have their home dugouts on the first base side. List | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1515 Registered: 03-2006 |
wow that's crazy I always thought it was standard for the home team to be on the third base side | ||
Rbdetsport Member Username: Rbdetsport Post Number: 331 Registered: 11-2005 |
3rd base side is not always the home side. Some teams go on the 1st base side. I believe Boston does. | ||
Waz Member Username: Waz Post Number: 131 Registered: 11-2006 |
I switched to it on and off during that interminable Tigers game last night. Did you catch Ernie Harwell's voice doing the broadcast during that Tiger Stadium scene, though? Wonderful! Since I only seem to catch bits and pieces of the series so far, I son't see where the Son of Sam story fits. It just seems extraneous to the Martin/Jackson/Steinbrenner story. But like I say, I missed a lot of it. | ||
Sharms Member Username: Sharms Post Number: 6 Registered: 07-2007 |
I noticed the dugout mistake, although the Yankees at Yankee Stadium also use the first base dugout. I like the series and I think they have done a great job (other than the dugout gaffe) in trying to match actual film/tape of those days. The guy who plays Bucky Dent is also a dead ringer for the real guy. | ||
Blondy Member Username: Blondy Post Number: 1153 Registered: 10-2003 |
FYI, that lovely young lady who cuts hair works here at Canine To Five, but she also does an amazing job cutting hair still out of her home in woodbridge if you are interested. | ||
Ticub Member Username: Ticub Post Number: 6 Registered: 05-2007 |
I think the Giants, Padres and D'Backs also have the first base dugout. I do know that there are lifts that go about 3 1/2 feet to the dugout. Some people ask about this on Comerica Park tours. What's that thing? I don't think it's EVER been used, but it's there. | ||
Cman710 Member Username: Cman710 Post Number: 351 Registered: 07-2006 |
I haven't seen the series, but have heard that George Steinbrenner isn't very happy with the person portraying him. | ||
Waz Member Username: Waz Post Number: 132 Registered: 11-2006 |
I heard the Steinbrenner now has dementia. | ||
Cman710 Member Username: Cman710 Post Number: 352 Registered: 07-2006 |
No, Steinbrenner definitely does not have dementia. He still speaks to the press, and is quite lucid. | ||
Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 220 Registered: 04-2006 |
Oliver Pratt plays Big Stein, and I think he's awesome. (Pratt, that is.) But if it's 1977 and the Yankees are at Tiger Stadium, where's The Bird?! (I know ... he's probably nursing a sore wing.) WE WANT THE BIRD! WE WANT THE BIRD! Loved catching sight of Ralph Houk. He once managed the Yankees, of course. Turturro is brilliant. Whether Martin really said it or not, I don't know, but Turturro has a great line about Steinbrenner: "He was born on third and thinks he hit a triple." | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1696 Registered: 01-2005 |
Another dead ringer is the actor playing Yogi Berra. I'll try to catch his name in the credits next week. And "Thermon Munson" is a right - on looker, also. Great casting effort. | ||
Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 221 Registered: 04-2006 |
Erik Jensen plays Thurman Munson. Joe Grifasi plays Yogi Berra. Both actors sure look the part! | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1698 Registered: 01-2005 |
Thanks, Harper. I'm one of the few who usually enjoys reading the credits at the end of a movie, but I missed this one.  | ||
Jz_detroit Member Username: Jz_detroit Post Number: 19 Registered: 12-2005 |
Jfried...I was thinking the same thing!!!! My friends live next door and I was about to call them until I read the entire post! LOL. The Bronx Bar is the Sh*t! | ||
Whithorn11446 Member Username: Whithorn11446 Post Number: 127 Registered: 03-2007 |
"But if it's 1977 and the Yankees are at Tiger Stadium, where's The Bird?!" Unfortunately, on the disabled list. His decline began in Lakeland during spring training. Billy and Earl Weaver made the American League interesting at certain times. Reggie received the massive publicity in New York being their second free agent, but in reality he was a better all around player in Oakland. By the way, did they show Tiger Stadium with the green or blue seats ? (Message edited by Whithorn11446 on July 26, 2007) | ||
Jfried Member Username: Jfried Post Number: 1024 Registered: 11-2003 |
blondy - I think you would strike gold if you hooked up a dog park / "get your hair did" special. seriously. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1701 Registered: 01-2005 |
"By the way, did they show Tiger Stadium with the green or blue seats ?" Hard to say; the ancient video wasn't too sharp, but it looked green. I'll watch the re-run this weekend and post. | ||
Paulmcall Member Username: Paulmcall Post Number: 282 Registered: 05-2004 |
I was at that game and the talk was wild going through the pregame crowd that Martin would be fired that night. Billy got a great ovation when he showed up. He hadn't been around before the pregame routines. The Bird pitched a great game and the Tigers won. Bob Uecker interviewed him on national tv by the third base dugout after the game. | ||
Whithorn11446 Member Username: Whithorn11446 Post Number: 128 Registered: 03-2007 |
"Billy got a great ovation when he showed up. He hadn't been around before the pregame routines" Well, at least he was there. When he was manager of the Tigers sometimes he did not bother to show up at all, or not until 10 minutes before the game. Whether you count the times he was hung over, but present in the physical sense as "being there" is subject to interpretation. | ||
Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 233 Registered: 04-2006 |
That game The Bird pitched against the Yankees was in '76, not '77. These were two different games, a year apart. June 28, 1976: The Bird takes the country by storm. It was on Monday Night Baseball. Martin got his standing ovation one year later, while the Bird struggled with arm trouble. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1705 Registered: 01-2005 |
Watched the re-run last night....It was the old green seats, I'm sure. | ||
Harpernottingham Member Username: Harpernottingham Post Number: 234 Registered: 04-2006 |
The green seats were replaced after a fire sometime in 1977, if I remember correctly. Not necessarily accurate, but here's what I found in the time I had: From ballparksofbaseball.com: Fire broke out at Tiger Stadium in 1977 and destroyed the press box. The city of Detroit bought the stadium from the Tigers for $1 and decided to renovate Tiger Stadium. All of the original green wooden seats were replaced by new orange and blue plastic seats, a new video scoreboard replaced the old hand operated one in centerfield, and a new press box with two luxury suites were hung from the second deck. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1707 Registered: 01-2005 |
I remember that fire. It was during the winter, and had something to do with the construction people welding or something like that. Anyway, it was fixed up in time for opening day. | ||
Michmeister Member Username: Michmeister Post Number: 214 Registered: 10-2006 |
"The Million Dollar Scoreboard", a lot of money back then.Loose change for the players, at least most of them, these days. | ||
Jiminnm Member Username: Jiminnm Post Number: 1343 Registered: 02-2005 |
"Well, at least he was there. When he was manager of the Tigers sometimes he did not bother to show up at all, or not until 10 minutes before the game. Whether you count the times he was hung over, but present in the physical sense as "being there" is subject to interpretation." Maybe so Whithorn but, as stated on the program, he was a great field manager. He took a very mediocre 1972 Tiger team (team batting avg about .235) to the ALCS and within a couple of runs of the World Series. | ||
Whithorn11446 Member Username: Whithorn11446 Post Number: 129 Registered: 03-2007 |
"Maybe so Whithorn but, as stated on the program, he was a great field manager. He took a very mediocre 1972 Tiger team (team batting avg about .235) to the ALCS and within a couple of runs of the World Series." Billy along with the umpire John Rice helped cost them that game in the ALCS. The idea he was a great field manager is not a given. Billy often lost the respect of his players with the stunts he pulled. Just because out of spite to Willie Horton, he sends his drinking buddy Duke Sims to play left field for Game 5, meanwhile Freehan is catching with a broken thumb. Sims should have caught and Willie play left field. It made a difference in that game. I guess one of Billy's bad moods from being tanked at the Lindell A.C. the night before impaired his baseball judgement again. Mickey Lolich had great years in 1971 and 1972, but the reality is Billy overused him and it began to show his last couple of years in Detroit. How come when guys like Kaline, Freehan, Cash, etc. came through in the clutch it was due to Billy's "great" managing, but when they did not it was their own faults ? I don't buy Billy as a great field manager, never did and never will. Billy was novelty that wore out his welcome after the first year. The Tigers clubhouse was dysfunctional and it was showing by 1973 on the field to go along with the other core issue of age. The Tigers won the AL East 1972 because the rest of the division was somewhat weak, and because of good pitching from Lolich along with clutch hitting. Especially Kaline and his last hurrah in September 1972. |
