Rick Reuschel: bad ass.

A squid swimming in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?

and firing up Van Halen's "Jump," which Cubs fans assure me was the 1984 team's unofficial theme song (

Not really. It was the music WGN used to introduce their broadcast, but it wasn't any kind of a team theme song.

Reuschel's teammate on the '84 Cubs and opponent for many years beforehand, tells a great story about the big righty. Playing for the Phillies one series in the late '70s, Bowa's team got smoked by the Expos in Montreal. Bowa told Montreal reporters he didn't mind, because the Phillies would be traveling to Chicago, where they'd beat up on a lousy Cubs team -- and by extension, Reuschel. The first time Bowa stepped to the plate, Reuschel drilled him in the ribs. Bowa swore at Reuschel as he hobbled down to first, while Reuschel stayed silent. Leading off first base, Bowa shouted to Reuschel that he was going to steal second. Reuschel quickly picked him off. Later in the game, Reuschel singled with one out. Bowa told his double play partner Dave Cash that if a grounder comes his way, send him a good toss and he'll bean Reuschel in the forehead on the throw to first. Sure enough, the next batter hit a perfect double play grounder to Cash. But the Phillies' second baseman juggled the ball before flipping it to Bowa. The bobble gave Reuschel extra time, which he used to slide high into second, spiking Bowa (Reuschel outweighed him by 80 pounds), unleashing a pool of blood and forcing Bowa to leave the game. Back in the dugout, Bowa waved a white towel of surrender in Reuschel's direction. Reuschel quietly tipped his cap, thanking Bowa for the tribute.

As far as tracers go, per bb-ref pi:

-Reuschel never hit Bowa with a pitch in his career. In fact, Bowa was only once hit by a pitch by a Cub- Ferguson Jenkins in 1971.

-Didn't see any games where Bowa was hit by a pitch in the first inning and then was picked off.

-You can also find all the times Reuschel singled against the Phillies. None of the games make any mention of Bowa having to leave the game.

It's weird- this has to be based on something, right? Cash and Bowa only played together for three seasons (1974-1976).

Reuschel did pick Bowa off twice in first innings in 1974. Technically, that makes Bowa retarded.

A squid swimming in a polyethylene bag is fast and bulbous. Got me?

That's a squid eating dough in a polyetheylene bag is fast and Bulbous. Got me?

Spending my thousandth and tenth day on the human totem pole.

Not really. It was the music WGN used to introduce their broadcast, but it wasn't any kind of a team theme song.

It's my understanding the song was used as entrance music starting that year. They still use it occasionally, and used it exclusively up until a few years ago.

BTW, I really enjoyed both of these. I don't have anything to add though.

1976, May, 28, 29, and 30. The Phillies get swept by the Expos by a combined score of 23-5. The next day the Cubs come to town and Reuschel is the first starter they see. Reuschel does get a hit but a runner is thrown out during the play and ends the inning. Bowa goes hitless and does not get hit. Secondly the games were in Philadelphia and there was no travel to Montrea then to Chicago that year.
In 1977 there were some matchups like that but the Phillies never got smoked and Reuschel got lit up.

It's my understanding the song was used as entrance music starting that year. They still use it occasionally, and used it exclusively up until a few years ago


Well, yeah that is when the song got released. I believe in the summer of 1984 and was in the album entitled 1984. There is nothing really identifiable about that song and the Cubs of 84 other then the fact that WGN plays that during all Cubs games for about 20 years.

Now Journey and the 2005 White Sox have a real connection.

Well, yeah that is when the song got released. I believe in the summer of 1984 and was in the album entitled 1984.

Released in January, but otherwise you're correct.

Ha! You know, I had a sneaking feeling the Bowa thing might be a tracer. Didn't have Neyer-levels of time to investigate though, unfortunately. Anyway, I liked Rob's book precisely because he doesn't actually have a problem with these stories being out there. They're part of the lore...I don't hold it against Bowa or anyone for forgetting/merging details, or embellishing.

I'm going to find myself rooting for various teams in future seasons, just for the chance to unearth some old teams. I'd love to take a crack at an early-90s Pirates team, the 1993 or 1980 Phillies, the 92-93 Jays, and a bunch of others.

Nice work, Jonah. Fun articles.

There is nothing really identifiable about that song and the Cubs of 84 other then the fact that WGN plays that during all Cubs games for about 20 years.

But like I was saying, it's not just WGN. It was at Wrigley itself. Either way, it more closely related than "Purple Rain."

Ha! You know, I had a sneaking feeling the Bowa thing might be a tracer. Didn't have Neyer-levels of time to investigate though, unfortunately.

It took me about 15 minutes on retrosheet and bb-ref.com, while I was taking a coffee break at work this morning.

Anyway, I liked Rob's book precisely because he doesn't actually have a problem with these stories being out there. They're part of the lore...I don't hold it against Bowa or anyone for forgetting/merging details, or embellishing.

You don't at all think it's problematic that you reported a story as fact that appears to be totally made up? I realize this is baseball we're talking about and not WMD's in Iraq, but journalism is journalism, right?

I apologize for picking on you, and I appreciate you taking the time to post and put yourself out there.

I'm getting obsessed with tracers since picking up Rob's book in Seattle last weekend. Since then I managed to discover a story related by Bob Friend in Maraniss's Clemente book is fiction, and I ran a partial tracer on a story my boss told me about Dick Freakin' Ruthven. I need help.

I believed it to be true when I wrote it. I'm not happy that I ended up being wrong, but I do like the content of the story itself.

It was sloppy on my end though, I take full responsibility. These two pieces were a bear to proof and fact-check everything, should've done so on the Bowa story too.

I'm getting obsessed with tracers since picking up Rob's book

During Neyer's speech at the Cleveland Library (a SABR convention tie-in with authors Charles Alexander and Tom Swift...Hey Calcaterra, wake up!) he mentioned how "the Primates at Baseball Primer are continuing to look into doing these tracers"...or somesuch.

OK - I flipped a coin between selecting "Zonk" and "Penguin" as my BBTF name - but in what universe is Ron Cey classified as a 'character'?

I wore #11 in HS, pony league, et al in honor of Cey -- but I also read virtually every book, throw-away or otherwise, about the Cubs 1984 season and Cey was universally painted as humorless.

I guess there's some humor in a short, bow-legged 3B who had surprising power for one of his stature... but 'character'? Better to have chosen Moreland or Davis... or even Ryne Sandberg, who though seemingly quiet to the media, was supposedly a master of the lost art of the hotfoot.

I wore #11 in HS, pony league, et al in honor of Cey -- but I also read virtually every book, throw-away or otherwise, about the Cubs 1984 season and Cey was universally painted as humorless.

I think Jay Johnstone described Cey as having no personality at all in one of his books. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but I think of Ron Cey whenever somebody says that about me.

I just read Robs book and liked it very much, but I agree with Jonah here, if the story is told to him by a player, and the point isn't to check the story but to illustrate something, then there really isn't that big of a reason to check the facts of this particular story. And it was clearly listed as "a story" in the article.

I think Jay Johnstone described Cey as having no personality at all in one of his books. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but I think of Ron Cey whenever somebody says that about me.

I think that Johnstone made him laugh early one season (maybe while they were both in Chicago) when Cey was going through a slump and Johnstone made a faux penguin out of a bunch of equipment and put it front of Ron's locker and gave it a motivational speech.