Monday, December 17, 2007

Kwiz Green/Johnson

Okay, this is a double kwiz, numbers 7 and 8 of the season. It's all about the Dire Straits video for "Walk of Life." That was the one with all the sports bloopers in it. It's so funny how the band is clearly playing to no crowd at all. When I was ten years old, when the video came out, I don't think I knew this. They're even laughing the whole time, like, "so we're just supposed to pretend we're playing and singing like it's a real concert?" Then they try to fool you by splicing in an actual crowd at the end.

Naturally, I've been trying to figure out when some of these sports plays from the video took place. I'm talking baseball only, of course. I could care less about when the fifteen different shots of NBA coach Bill Fitch took place. Some of them are really hard. Like, the shot of Clemens--there's nothing else visible besides him. He's got long sleeves, but he really didn't pitch any cold weather home night games in '84 or '85. (I figure '85 is the latest possible year for highlights included in the video.) So I had to give up on that one. One of those games it was like 60 degrees at game time, but I think that was the lowest. Or maybe he just wore the sleeves regardless back then. I also tried to see if he had any really bad innings that would cause him to roll his eyes. Plus, he appears to be walking back to the mound after backing up home, but, again, nothing really conclusive. I also thought it might be a Monday night ABC game, making for easier access to the clip. But the other Fenway clip is NOT from a Monday night (remember that). These are the things you need to think of as a forensic highlightist.

I also tried to figure out the swing-and-miss where the guy falls down (1:09 mark of the video). I immediately recognized him as Ivan Calderon, when he was on Seattle. It's obviously Tiger Stadium. He only batted in one game there in '84, and one in '85. It could be either one, as the catcher in each game had white skin in both. But if you look at the '85 game, he batted in the first inning only. Since Detroit is so far west within the eastern time zone, it doesn't get dark until way after that. For June 3rd, 1985 it was 9:04 PM. That at bat came in the light, the one in the video came in the dark. So it has to be the '84 at bat. (Also note the huge crowd, which points to the '84 game.) Sunset on August 18th, 1984 in Detroit was 8:28, so I'd say this would be the at bat of his fourth inning strike out, or more likely his seventh inning double play.

Now it's your turn. Aren't you lucky? Kwiz Green: What's the date of the play where the Red Sox player slides into first and is called out emphatically by the ump (2:34)? Kwiz Johnson: What's the date of the play when the infielder and outfielder collide, with the infielder holding the ball up from his back (3:02)? I got the first one pretty quickly. The second one took a little longer. And I just used GooTube, not a real TV:



These are two separate kwizzes, so you can guess on two at once, just don't guess twice in a row for either kwiz. And say which one you're referring to when you answer.

Comments:
Also, Ahmad Rashad was right, Krazy George will go anywhere for 50 bucks. (In this vid, he's cheering for the Chiefs, on the NBC one, it was Oilers, and according to Ahmad, it was the Vikes when he played.)
 
Another thing I tried to figure out is the bat rack. What team/park is that? I think '84 Mets, Shea Stadium. With Danny Heep grabbing the bat.
 
Kwiz Green: April 24, 1984
Red Sox vs. CA Angels
Wade Boggs grounded out (first to pitcher [Sanchez]) 8th inning
 
Kwiz Green: I am going to say April 24th, 1984
 
You both got it. I published both comments at once, so Ryan didn't see Kara's answer. So you each win half the points on that kwiz, but Kara gets .1 more for techically getting it first. 3.1 Kara, 2.9 Ryan.

Nice job! Now we'll see if anyone can figure that other one out.
 
Kwiz Johnson-I'm taking a wild stab and saying that it's a 1982 Yankees game (they are away somewhere) and that's Bucky Dent (#20) getting the ball. That's all I could figure out and I'm not even sure if it's right.
 
That second one is ridiculous. I am fairly sure I have the two players and some other details, but jeez.
 
I see we're doing some work....
 
April 6, 1984?
(#20, Howard Johnson, Detroit Tigers?)
 
Nope. Between Kara and SFSF, we've got at least one thing correct. That's all I'm saying for now.
 
Thanks so much for posting the video, Jere. I'm a huge Dire Straits fan, and I haven't seen this video version in about 20 years, when I worked at Tower, and my manager would punish us by putting on MTV all day.
 
Christ, I obviously need a new monitor. It's all I can do to pick out the #20, and I'm not 100% sure of that. The unis look more like Tigers than Yankees to me, but like I said - I can't really see. My head hurts. I'm leaving this to the pros :)
 
Q--No problem. I just grabbed this one off YouTube, didn't put it up myself. For a fifth grader, that was like the coolest video ever. Another kid in my class that year inexplicably didn't like the video. We were both baseball players/fans, too. I was like, No no, not the band playing, the parts with the bloopers! And he says, Yeah, that's what I don't like about it. (????!!)

Sosock, glad you gave it a shot! It is pretty dame hard to see. But there is a way to get this one.
 
If your last comment counts as a clue, I think I can guess again. If not, sorry. : )
September 30, 1984
 
It's cool. Incorrect, though.
 
I was lucky enough to see Dire Straits in concert twice...once before their heyday and again when MONEY FOR NOTHING was on every radio station everywhere. Every genre. But alas, I have no guesses. I even have the song on a video tape collection. Thanks Jere.
 
How about September 22, 1984?
 
Nope. I see we like 1984. I'll tell you it was earlier than that.
 
Clues: It was '81 and it was Dent and Mumphrey.
 
How about August 10, 1981?
 
Wrong.
 
05/22/81?
 
Ah, Mumphrey leaves game with thigh problem. Nice try. But no. We're getting closer, though....
 
Yeah, it looked more like a head injury to me.
 
Jere, this is wicked hard.
 
May 10, 1981?
 
That doesn't look like the Astroturf of the Kingdome to me! But you're right in that it was a road game for the Yanks. Technically, you can guess again now since that was a clue.
 
August 30, 1981?
 
Nope. I'd guess Dent getting hit by the pitch was the reason he left that game early.
 
April 19, 1981?
 
No, but that is a Yankee road grass day game from '81 with Dent and Mumphrey.

We're getting there!
 
Okay, I'm ending this now.

The key to this one, after figuring out it was a Yankee road game, with Dent, number 20, and a center fielder colliding, taking place on a grass field, in the daytime, was doing a news search.

May 3, 1981:
"In the same inning, Bucky Dent and Mumphrey collided in shallow center field chasing a fly ball that Dent caught while sprawled on the grass."

This is from a NYT article describing the May 2nd game, in which the A's beat the Yanks, 6-3. In the A's 2nd, "Heath made an out to shortstop;". Later in the game, Dent is pinch-hit for. (There was also an out to Dent at short in the sixth, but nothing else of interest happened that inning, and the Times says, "in that same inning," which leads me to believe something did in the inning of the collision--in the second, Tony Armas homered for the first run of the game.) (We don't know because it doesn't give you the whole article.--However, bonus: I bought the article. The 2nd inning theory is correct.) (But I only asked for the date anyway. May 2nd, 1981.)

Both players were back in action the next day, with Mumphrey playing both games of a doubleheader, and Dent playing just game one.

Point totals to follow.
 
Amy, Kara, SanFran each get .5.

Ryan, pweezil, each .2.

Full 6.0 not awarded since no one got it.
 
Darnit, I was going to try and guess again but I got caught up in the huge storm we've had out here. Glad for my .5 point though! Good kwiz Jere.
 

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