Given that in 1966 public awareness of LSD was still relatively dormant outside of hippie circles, it's not impossible that the cartoonist was just having some fun with the last place Cubbies, and slipped it by whoever was in charge of censoring these things. It's as good an explanation as any I can think of.

Tune in, turn on, pop out.

Tune in, turn on, pop out.

You couldn't come up with a better description of the 1966 Cubs than that.

Young Julian Lennon must have also shown his drawing of his classmate Lucy in the sky with diamonds to someone in the Astros' marketing department. Not sure how that happened.

Bucky Dent's middle name is Earl, but I still see "BFD" everywhere.

First of all LSD was pretty much in the news, because wasnt it made illegal in the spring or summer of '66?

Also, not sure why the author is speculating on the meaning ("according to Hartig"). Isnt the wording Leo S Durocher printed right there on the program? I cant read it but presumably the original program it is readable.

EDIT: according to yahoo/wikipedia it first became illegal in Calif. Oct 6, 1966. Federal law made it illegal in 1968.

It may indeed have been a veiled reference to the counter culture. Couldnt the artist have just put "Leo" on the bottle? WOuldnt that be a more obvious reference to Durocher?

It seems to have been very much in the news at this point. In April '66 Time Magazine ran an article warning of its dangers. The exploitation film Hallucination Generation was released in Dec. Sandoz also stopped making it in '65 under pressure from US gov't, no doubt if it was today it would be called "Trending".

1966 was a 'button-down era'? One year before the Summer of Love?

Also in April '66 the NY Times ran two articles about its dangers including the "LSD murder." Naturally this led to outrage and the NY assembly made the law 20 years for possession. Apparently this is also when Calif. went apesh!t and they started a bill. But it go hung up in the committee which then triggered a furhter outrage from conservatieve, Reagan, etc. so they finally passed it in Oct. not without some controversy.

So yeah LSD was very much in the news these days, ANdy's recollection notwithstanding.

Another reference Sept 9, 1966 Life Magazine cover:

http://badassdigest.com/2012/04/22/when-lsd-was-legal-and-cary-grant-was-tripping/

apparently the Luce's were big fans of LSD.

http://badassdigest.com/2012/04/22/when-lsd-was-legal-and-cary-grant-was-tripping/

not sure if that link works, but the cover is pretty trippy.

In the summer of 1963 my dad was doing graduate work at Harvard*, and remembers that Timothy Leary was going around asking for volunteers in upcoming psychological experiments involving hallucinogens.

* Several years before that (around 1960) he was overseas in the service and a lot of his fellow soldiers were already smoking pot.

In the summer of 1963 my dad was doing graduate work at Harvard*, and remembers that Timothy Leary was going around asking for volunteers in upcoming psychological experiments involving hallucinogens.

I highly recommend this excellent history of LSD

1966 was a 'button-down era'? One year before the Summer of Love?

That's my response too. Folks were already protesting the war. Heck, some old biddy had already set herself on fire.

LSD frequency in books

America didn't know about LSD because the Blue Boy episode of Dragnet was still seven months away.

In the summer of 1963 my dad was doing graduate work at Harvard*, and remembers that Timothy Leary was going around asking for volunteers in upcoming psychological experiments involving hallucinogens.

IIRC there was a 1963 issue of some Harvard magazine (Harvard Review??) that had an article by Leary on that subject. But it wasn't really until 1966 that it (LSD) broke into the broader public consciousness.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1966 was a 'button-down era'? One year before the Summer of Love?

That sounds silly at first glance, but there's actually a lot of truth to it. At least on the Duke campus and in the streets, the difference between those two years was profound, in everything from politics to clothing. 1967 was when the first really big anti-war demonstrations took place, and also when the Newark and Detroit riots made a huge political impact. Not to mention the aforementioned "Summer of Love", which was even better publicized than the Summer of George.

To put it in graphic terms, here's TIME's 1966 Man of the Year cover honoring the "Twenty-five and Under" generation. "Button-down" would seem to be quite an appropriate adjective.

Just 10 months later, here's how TIME presented that same generation to the world.

I was born in 1968 and it always amazes me how quickly the 1960s became THE SIXTIES. We went from "A Hard Day's Night" to Altamont in five years.

According to Hartig, those words read: “Leo S. Durocher,”

As much as I dig a good LSD reference, my guess is that he is being perfectly honest here. My guess, considering the time period, is that he specifically means “Leo S(tinkin) Durocher”. You know, like Bucky F'in Dent later on.

I've only done LSD once, and it was too cut with speed to enjoy. Kept me up all night.

But my one experience with MDMA, taken with my siblings, was quite positive. I'm mad at the stupid ravers for giving the drug a bad name.

But my one experience with MDMA, taken with my siblings, was quite positive. I'm mad at the stupid ravers for giving the drug a bad name.

Once for me too, but while I was rolling (or whatever the proper word is) I was craving loud music, bright flashy lights, (and chugging water, and grinding my teeth) ... I think the drug found its proper audience.

As much as I dig a good LSD reference, my guess is that he is being perfectly honest here. My guess, considering the time period, is that he specifically means “Leo S(tinkin) Durocher”. You know, like Bucky F'in Dent later on.

C'mon....I mean, the Leo Durocher thing makes a good (wink wink) cover story, but look at the expression on the face of the Astro. Now look at the Cub, with his tongue hanging out and his eyes crossed. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes LSD means LSD.

I'm disappointed the program wasn't physically covered in LSD, like all those made up stories I was told about LSD covered trick or treat stickers as a kid.

Like Andy Pettite, the Cubs didn't really believe they tried to enhance their performance.

C'mon....I mean, the Leo Durocher thing makes a good (wink wink) cover story, but look at the expression on the face of the Astro. Now look at the Cub, with his tongue hanging out and his eyes crossed. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes LSD means LSD.

Why can't it be both? That is, Leo Stinkin' Durocher on LSD?

"I was born in 1968 and it always amazes me how quickly the 1960s became THE SIXTIES. We went from "A Hard Day's Night" to Altamont in five years."

I was born before the high point of the civil rights era, and my oldest brother graduated from an Ivy League school not long before The Beatles broke up. Yeah, it was a busy time.

I am truly shocked that no one in this thread has mentioned Dock Ellis. For shame!

"I was born in 1968 and it always amazes me how quickly the 1960s became THE SIXTIES. We went from "A Hard Day's Night" to Altamont in five years."

It does seem like some things were changing over night. The one thing that impressed me the most was how people used to dress up for baseball games (and going on airplane and going on trains). If you look at world series photos you can see damn nearly every adult male is wearing suit or sport coat (tie optional).

THen one day it all stopped. Right? When was that? In 1971 world series they are still all dressed up like that. By 1974 I dont think so...

Was it the whole Watergate thing? I know it happened real quick.

And when the hell was Durocher ever known as "Stinkin?" His nickname was "the Lip" everyone called him that. If you wanted to indicate it was him you'd put "LIP" or "Leo" or "da Lip" or something like that on the bottle. Right?

To put it in graphic terms, here's TIME's 1966 Man of the Year cover honoring the "Twenty-five and Under" generation.

Boy, Matt Damon has really aged well!

And when the hell was Durocher ever known as "Stinkin?

I didn't mean it was his nickname at all. Simply stating that it was a common expression of the times. You wouldn't say Leo ####### Durocher, but you would say Leo Stinking Durocher.

"I was born in 1968 and it always amazes me how quickly the 1960s became THE SIXTIES. We went from "A Hard Day's Night" to Altamont in five years."

It does seem like some things were changing over night. The one thing that impressed me the most was how people used to dress up for baseball games (and going on airplane and going on trains). If you look at world series photos you can see damn nearly every adult male is wearing suit or sport coat (tie optional).

THen one day it all stopped. Right? When was that? In 1971 world series they are still all dressed up like that. By 1974 I dont think so...

Well before 1971, there was a big difference between the "dress codes" in the World Series and the regular season, and between the box seats and the unreserved seats and the bleachers. I went to 10 to 25 games a year in Washington from the mid-50's through the early 60's, and spent entire weeks in Yankee Stadium in the midsummer of 1960 and 1961, and the "costume" of choice was usually white T-shirts or short sleeved collared shirts. During the World Series the box and lower reserved seats were mostly set aside for politicians and corporate types, and the weather was usually cooler. This is why those photos of World Series crowds usually show waves of suits.

What really changed the look of the crowds was when teams began pumping out replica jerseys and an infinite variety of T-shirts in team colors. This started in the late 70's but really took off during the Selig era. You can go to many games today, both regular season and postseason, and see a virtual sea of identical colored clothing.

What also changed in the coastal cities, especially New York and Oakland / San Francisco, was the growing disregard for the pregame Star Spangled Banner. I'm not sure exactly when this began, but I remember lots of heat by sportswriters being directed at Knicks fans during the 1969-70 season when they'd begin loudly cheering long before the music ended. And when I was living in Berkeley in 1971, it was a commonplace sight in the 3rd deck of the Oakland Coliseum to see scores or even hundreds of fans remaining seated during the entire National Anthem. I don't recall seeing anything like that in recent years.

"I was born in 1968 and it always amazes me how quickly the 1960s became THE SIXTIES. We went from "A Hard Day's Night" to Altamont in five years."

Pshaw... Gen X went from Nirvana to Bush in two!

I didn't mean it was his nickname at all. Simply stating that it was a common expression of the times. You wouldn't say Leo ####### Durocher, but you would say Leo Stinking Durocher.

It was the "f**king" of the time.

I've only done LSD once, and it was too cut with speed to enjoy. Kept me up all night.

But my one experience with MDMA, taken with my siblings, was quite positive. I'm mad at the stupid ravers for giving the drug a bad name.

I feel like college would have been the perfect time to try LSD but I chickened out, and now I'm too old and too much of a wuss to try anything stronger than pot.

Gizmodo has an interesting piece on different drugs and how they are suited for outdoor use.

I feel like college would have been the perfect time to try LSD but I chickened out, and now I'm too old and too much of a wuss to try anything stronger than pot.

My third week of college, my roommate tried it and had a bad trip. I had to literally hold his hand all night. That pretty much scared me off hard drugs for good.

Is that Astros guy wearing pants? The 60's were weird.

And when I was living in Berkeley in 1971, it was a commonplace sight in the 3rd deck of the Oakland Coliseum to see scores or even hundreds of fans remaining seated during the entire National Anthem. I don't recall seeing anything like that in recent years.

Starting with the mere premise of there being fans in the 3rd deck of the Oakland Coliseum.

This was when Bill Giles was in charge of marketing the Astros, and it's essentially a print version of his wild Astrodome scoreboard.