THE TRIP 1988

 

 

Year

Date

City

Ballpark

Home Team

Visiting Team

Score

WP

LP

S

HR

HOF

Other Players of Note

1988

Aug. 13

Chicago

Wrigley Field

Cubs

Cardinals

5-1

Jamie Moyer

Bob Forsch

 

 

Ryne Sandberg

Ozzie Smith

Ryne Sandberg

Andre Dawson

Willie McGee

                Highlights:  A young Jamie Moyer threw a six-hit, one-run gem against the punchless Cardinals, limiting them to five singles and one double.  Sandberg’s home run, single and three runs batted in paced the Cubs in this two-hour, twenty-eight minute game.

1988

Aug. 14

Chicago

Wrigley Field

Cubs

Cardinals

8-3

Mike Bielecki

Ken Dayley

Les Lancaster

Tom Brunanski

Darrin Jackson

Mitch Webster

Rafael Palmeiro

Ozzie Smith

Mark Grace

Vince Coleman

Tom Brunanski

Highlights:  A balanced Cubs offence pounded away at Jose Deleon and a host of Cardinal relievers, including former K.C. Royal Dan Quisenberry.  Les Lancaster, later to become the coach of the Lincoln Saltdogs, pitched two innings of no-hit relief to earn his fifth save of the season.  Umpire Dutch Rennert led a watchful and diligent blues crew to another admirable performance. However, the biggest excitement of the day was pregame as McBlunder exhibited undaunted courage but questionable judgment as he negotiated our tickets from long distance with the purveyor holding both tickets and cash at a considerable distance from Stretch.  Happily, this recipe for disaster and disappointment did not turn into grist for a 20-20 expose, as the inbred honesty and integrity of our Chicagoland ticket broker won out in the end.

 

 

This year's league trip was another unqualified success. The six league managers who do not wear pink lace underwear had a bang-up time in Chicago. The hotel accommodations were posh, the beer cold and free-flowing, and the women on Rush Street smitten by the six sophisticated baseball impressarios from Nebraska. Magpie set a personal standard by getting drunk three times in the same 24-hour period during the first day of our trip.  Brother did a nice job of negotiating with the brothers for our Sunday tickets, although we were all a little bit nervous when we saw one such ticket agent holding both our tickets and our money. Jigger didn't drink much during the trip.  Snickler had a helluva weekend for the $23 that he spent.  Underbelly lost a few more hairs.  All in all, it was a splendid trip, and the six participants have agreed to vote that no league championship money shall be awarded in the future to a spineless manager who does not attend the league trip.