If you watch MLB now, a lot has changed. They have a pitch clock, players celebrate more, no Angel Hernandez....the game has evolved into what modern fans should like. 30 years ago, a solution almost paralyzed it to its foundation.
In 1994, MLB was coming off an exciting 93' campaign which ended in Joe Carter's walk-off home run off Mitch Williams to end the World Series and give the Toronto Blue Jays back-to-back world championships. This season was going to top the previous season due to the new three-division format. The Texas Rangers opened their new ballpark, what is now called Globe Life Park. The Astros debuted their now underrated uniforms (as did the Rangers). The Dodgers had their premier pitching prospect since Fernandomania in Hideo Nomo, and MLB had those awesome gold logos in the back of their hats to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the game. It was going to be a banger of a season.
There are times when my memory is sharp and there are times when I forget stuff instantly. This is one of the times when my memory is sharp as a tack. During this summer of 1994, my brother and I went to Southern California to visit our dad and stepmom for a month. It was a summer of Pogs, Ace Of Base and the Colossus burger from Jack-In-The Box. Through all of that, my father took my brother and I to a Dodgers game against the Houston Astros. The experience was good one as Jeff Bagwell blasted a home run and the Chavez Ravine team won it with a walk-off blast by Delino Deshields. Good times, there.
There were always whispers. I won't get into the names Fay Vincent or Donald Fehr because that will cause me sleepless nights and angst. Players and owners were trying to be in good faith and patch out something to help MLB be fruitful. As the season progressed, the whispers grew louder of a work stoppage. Since there wasn't any social media or very little internet in 1994, we were not sure about what the owners and players were planning or thinking unless you turned on ESPN or the evening news. Days would go by, and tensions would run high as the whispers grew louder and louder.
There is a video of comedic legend Billy Crystal with a young child in the broadcast of a Dodgers game before the strike commenced and as Billy named the first names of Dodger players, the little kid would answer with the last name. Crystal would tell the announcers, "Is this what baseball should be?"
On August 12, 1994, two days after my 15th birthday, MLB decided to lock everything up and a time later, cancel the playoffs and World Series.
So, I'm refer to myself as a "sports nerd" because sports are my life. I live, breathe and think about it on a daily basis. So, what I'm about to tell doesn't sound so crazy.....this was an absolute betrayal to me. You can laugh if you want, but no, there was a betrayal that many fans couldn't believe. Major League Baseball committed the ultimate sin and stab their fans in the back by closing everything that is associated with the brand of MLB. I mean, you could still buy caps and t-shirts from your favorite team, but what's the point when your club isn't playing, in spite of you. Also, employees from these franchises would not get a check during these times. Not exactly making certain people happy at this point.
Also, I wasn't the only one p'd off about this. Pizza Hut made a commercial that made it crystal clear what they felt about the strike. The ad starts with fans booing players on a baseball field as one of the players suggest they buy a meal for the fans. The Pizza Hut Lunch Buffet for $3.99! My mouth is watering over thinking about that. The commercial ends with the players counting how much money they have on them. One proclaims that he has "a quarter of a million" and asks for change. See that dig they put in there? The WWF also used a commercial to take swipes at MLB. Set in an abandon field, a child is sad until Macho Man Randy Savage shows up. The message was that professional wrestling is still around. The kid asks Macho if they ever go on strike and he says, "No way, never!" So many jokes I could post here, but no. There was also a sitcom called "Hardball" that I didn't know about, until I watched a video from Baseball's Not Dead. It was a show starring Joe Rogan with a full head of hair. The sitcom was supposed to resemble the movie Major League, but it failed and didn't last long.
Then, MLB thought it was a "brilliant" idea to use replacement players for the upcoming 1995 season. This idea infuriated fans because they didn't want to see people replacing their favorite players. Hopefully, this was only Spring Training. They had a plan in place to use these replacement players for the now reduced 1995 season.
But on April 2, 1995, after much litigation and many headaches, an agreement was made, and the strike would come to an end at 232 days. Despite the relief that the work stoppage ended, many fans were still pissed about MLB stopping everything. They would have to do a lot to get the fans back into their good graces. This process would take years to manifest.
Okay, the 1994 season robbed us of many accomplishments. Obviously, everyone knows about the McGwire and Sosa home run race of '98, but Matt Williams had 43 dingers and Ken Griffey Jr. ended up with 40. If the strike didn't occur, everyone would be discussing the Williams/Griffey HR race. Ted Williams is the last player to hit. 400 in 1941. Tony Gwynn was at .390 when everything was halted. The strike ruined any chance of him trying to reach that mark. It also robbed us of the Texas Rangers probably winning the AL West with a losing record. But the one victim from this strike that had everything going for them, only to have everything collapse on them is the Montreal Expos. They raced to the top of the NL East and defeated the Atlanta Braves in a critical series in Atlanta late in the year. The strike crippled the Expos financially and as the 1995 campaign was about to get started, they had to liquidate everything. The strike killed everyone's love for the game.
As the saying goes, time heals all wounds. Look at the picture above, I went to a Major League Baseball game in my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona. The strike happened, but it didn't stop MLB from getting a team in Tampa and Arizona. MLB has done a lot to win fans over throughout these years. We have seen dynasties accomplished, curses broken, players becoming Hall of Famers, Managers being legends, crowds flocking to games to party and have a good time cheering on their teams. Even though I am not keen about the rule changes, I need to calm down and realize that the changes could help the game grow. The players celebrating, the pitch clock...etc. etc.
30 years ago, MLB made fans go into mad mode due to their dilemma. Now, I can say...they made up for it, and then some.
I forgive you, MLB.
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