Oh, I really liked him.

He thought they were saying "go, go, go!!" but they were saying "no, no, no!!!". Oh well. He gone.

I came to post the same thing. "They" being Don Zimmer. That's a heck of a thing to be remembered for. Griffin, then Doyle, then Remy. The 2nd basemen of my childhood.

which featured five future Hall of Famers that year,

It would have been six if Rice hadn't been hurt.

It’s interesting how both brothers had super memorable World Series and otherwise forgettable careers. Obviously even more so for Brian whose career was very forgettable but World Series was amazing

As mentioned in the obituary, Doyle's career paralleled that of Larry Bowa. I think both were eligible for the initial free-agent draft in 1965, but neither was drafted; Doyle had been on a basketball scholarship in college and baseball was his second sport. The Phillies signed them both after try-outs, started both in the minors in 1966, and brought them both up to the majors in 1970. It took them a while because neither of them could really hit. Neither of them could ever really hit, except in brief runs here & there, 1975 being Doyle's. Both were fun to root for, especially if you were a little kid who couldn't even hit Little League pitching. RIP.

I was going to school in the Boston area during that series. Amazing times.

I had two acquaintances who had an interesting World Series bet -- they were backgammon players, and the bet included a doubling cube. For those who are unfamiliar, at the start, at any time, one of them could double the bet, and the other player had three options -- accept the double, at which point he would hold the doubling cube and had exclusive rights to do any further double; reject the double and pay off the bet; or "beaver" -- immediately re-double while again holding the doubling cube and having excusive rights to any further re-doubling.

If you are familiar with how that series went, you will not be surprised to learn that the cube went back and forth more than once. In the ensuing 47 years, I have forgotten how it ended.

Hell of a series.

He thought they were saying "go, go, go!!" but they were saying "no, no, no!!!". Oh well. He gone.

(from Doyle's SABR bio)
'Asked for his memory of the daring ninth-inning dash for victory, Doyle replied thoughtfully. “First, let me say that Don Zimmer was the best third-base coach I ever had. He and I teamed up over the last months of the season, and we were able to run on a number of outfielders with weaker arms. In Game Six, I was the runner and it was up to me to pick up the third-base coach’s direction. I didn’t do that. There really isn’t anything more to say.'

Zimmer's version always bugged me, because I thought the way you hold the runner is to stand in his line of sight with both arms up - which Zimmer was definitely not doing on this play. You never rely on whatever the coach is yelling, for exactly this reason, and as Zimmer would have known as well as anybody. Props to Doyle for not blaming Zimmer, but... I think this was on Zimmer.

#7: I love that story. The backgammon doubling cube is fascinating for game and wagering theory. You'd think you should drop a double whenever you are below even in win expectancy - but there's value in possessing the cube and being able to double again if events do swing in your favor. Backgammon does have a complication that baseball doesn't, in the possibility of double equity in the case of a gammon game -- but wow, wouldn't it be fun if say a no-hitter counted for two wins in a series?

Zimmer's version always bugged me, because I thought the way you hold the runner is to stand in his line of sight with both arms up - which Zimmer was definitely not doing on this play. You never rely on whatever the coach is yelling, for exactly this reason, and as Zimmer would have known as well as anybody. Props to Doyle for not blaming Zimmer, but... I think this was on Zimmer.

I watched the clip and I think there is a pretty good case to be made that sending him was the right play. The ball was right on the foul line, that's a tough throw to make, you have to get it over the runner but not airmail the catcher in the process. Foster made a hell of a throw.

Also, and hey it's 50 years ago so cut Doyle some slack, but the lack of athleticism there was shocking. Or I should probably say the athleticism that player in 2022 would display would be shocking to those guys. Calling what Doyle did a "slide" is an insult to the name Billy Hamilton (OG version). That's a spot where a decent slide would have done the trick.

If you ven diagram athletes and baseball players you could put a decent sized planned community, with plenty of green space, on the non-athlete baseball player section.

That's a spot where a decent slide would have done the trick.

Then, we wouldn't have gotten to see Fisk's HR.

I was at that game, btw. I sat in the grandstands, almost even with 3rd base, maybe a bit toward the OF side. Now, they probably call them "upper boxes". Anyway, we were under the roof, and when Fisk's ball went past us, it was obscured by the roof, so I watched Fisk. Wowie!

Wow. I've been re-watching the 1975 Series the last few days. I remember catching the A's series here and there as a kid, but 75 was the first one I watched attentively. Hooked this 11-year-old for life.

Doyle was one of my favorites on the Red Sox that series -- he and Petrocelli (dug the name) and Tiant. Moret and Beniquez, too, as fellow boricuas.

Pete Rose would have never been able to barrel into Doyle the way he did in Game 7 under today's rules. That was probably the pivotal (no pun intended) play of the game.

Doyle was right to go. Foster's throw had to be perfect, and was.

RIP.

I was at that game, btw. I sat in the grandstands, almost even with 3rd base, maybe a bit toward the OF side. Now, they probably call them "upper boxes". Anyway, we were under the roof, and when Fisk's ball went past us, it was obscured by the roof, so I watched Fisk. Wowie!

So you got to see Fisk's legendary home-run hula live in real-time. That's awesome.

Like you Tony I was 11. This was the series that locked me into baseball. I got sent to bed by mom after 9 innings. Dad woke me up the next morning and described Fisks home run and he was jumping lik.e Fisk while telling me the story.

Doyle was my brothers favorite player. I read about The Mick over the winter and was a Yankee fan by the next spring.

It also helped that my grade six teacher was a baseball player who played for Canada that fall in the Pan Am Games. It helped in my baseball incubation when I would go shag flies while he practiced.

Like you Tony I was 11. This was the series that locked me into baseball. I got sent to bed by mom after 9 innings. Dad woke me up the next morning and described Fisks home run and he was jumping lik.e Fisk while telling me the story.

I was 8, already a die-hard Red Sox fan who went to bed around the top of the eighth. I woke up the next morning and my father had hung a sign on my wall that said, Carbo homer in the eighth ties it, Fisk homer in the 12th wins it. Game 7 tonight.

So you got to see Fisk's legendary home-run hula live in real-time. That's awesome.

Yep. I also was at game 7 in '67. My dad got four tickets...2 in the "upper boxes" behind home plate, and 2 in the "upper boxes" on the third base line. I sat with my dad behind the plate and my sister sat with a family friend in the other seats.

Captain, what an amazing pair of experiences - Game 6 of 1975 and Game 7 of 1967!

Game 6 of 1975 must have been one of those rare moments where you knew, in real time, you were at a truly historic event. When did you know you were in such a moment - was it when Fisk hit the home run, the Carbo game-tying home run, or some other moment?

I've been to two games where - in the moment - I knew it was something that would be special for the rest of my life: The Snow Bowl in early 2002 (others of you will call it the Tuck Rule game). We all knew we were at something special when the tuck ruling, followed by the improbable game-tying field goal, happened. The second one was Game 5 of the 2004 ALCS - probably the closing thing to a religious experience I've ever experienced involving sports. I was only one year old in 1975, and I imagine that 2004 experience will be the closest thing I ever see to compare with what you must have felt in 1975.

It is a blessing to be able to experience any of these games in person; even listening to the feelings people experience experienced who were at these rare moments is awesome.

When did you know you were in such a moment - was it when Fisk hit the home run, the Carbo game-tying home run, or some other moment?

Both, actually. Carbo's HR seemed out of nowhere. They seemed dead. I remember thinking that when the ball passed over second base it seemed to accelerate a bit...which is obviously impossible, and I wasn't high....so...

Fisk's HR was obviously going to be remembered as a classic.


Here's my negativism: As I said, even though we had good seats, we didn't see it hit the foul pole, as I would have liked. I've never liked Fenway, unless you had a seat that was completely unobstructed, and there are relatively few of those. I'd say at least 50% of the seats have some blind spots, in relation to the field.

I watched the game with the "tuck rule" on TV. It was one of the few football games I've watched in the last 45 years. I don't know why I watched it...I think it was because a friend suggested we watch it, so he came over for a visit.

Anyone else remember, in the back of the Bill Mazeroski annuals, the ads for the 3D baseball school?

Carbo's HR seemed out of nowhere. They seemed dead.

Leading to a wonderful line from Roger Angell, who wrote Sox fans in the Northeast watching at home at that moment were having "snow fall on them from out of their television sets."

Leading to a wonderful line from Roger Angell, who wrote Sox fans in the Northeast watching at home at that moment were having "snow fall on them from out of their television sets."

Bernie (a former Red) has told the story of rounding second, approaching third and yelling to Rose, "Pete, don't you wish you were this ####### strong?" And Rose responded, "This is fun." So even Pete knew they were watching something special after the Carbo homer (or perhaps he had the over on a 10-run line).

I remember watching the Tuck Rule game and thinking they overturned the play because it was a clear blow to the head and they were making up some ridiculous rule to account for missing that. I didn't realize the play was actually covered by a ridiculous rule. In the aftermath, it seemed odd that very few people (and certainly none of the announcers or media coverage surrounding it) acknowledged how Woodson drilled Brady helmet to helmet.

The most memorable home run of my baseball watching life was in the 1975 Series. But it wasn't Fisk's - it was Tony Perez's home run off Bill Lee's blooper pitch in Game 7 that brought the Reds back to life. Perez was my favorite player growing up, and I've been a lifelong diehard Reds fan. When Perez hit that home run, I know in my soul that the Reds were going to win the Series. The only other moment close to it was Eric Davis's home run in the first inning of Game 1 of the 1990 Series. It set the tone for the Series, although I never thought in my wildest dreams that the Reds would end up sweeping the Athletics.

When Perez hit that home run, I know in my soul that the Reds were going to win the Series.

hard for me to imagine expecting the Jinxed Red Sox to win a title (pre-2004).

I have mentioned being at Game 7 of the '86 World Series at Shea, loge section behind home plate. It was apparent that every single person in the building - including the Red Sox - knew that the final outcome was inevitable. The game just had to be played to form part of the historical record.

so the Red Sox had a 3-0 lead in the 5th inning, and there was not a doubter in the stands. more like, "Huh, this is an interesting script...."

of course, Game 7 in '75 followed the Fisk HR - and Game 7 in '86 followed the Buckner blunder.

and there's the difference right there.