The "True" Golden Age of Baseball: the 1970s and 80s

Some are saying that we are living through the best period or era of baseball that has ever occurred. Their argument is made more valid with the fact that attendance increases every year now and revenue is at an all-time high. But does this mean the product is the best its ever been? Are we experiencing the greatest baseball that has ever been played? Attendance and revenue may lead us to believe it, but let's look back to a recent but earlier time, when baseball still seemed innocent and children were still being raised with the thought that it was our national sport, our true national pastime. Let's go back to a few decades ago, before one hundred million dollar payrolls, before steroids, before wildcard teams, before rich versus poor market controversies.

The 1970s: Vietnam, Watergate, the draft, gas lines for even and odd license plates, the Ayatollah, Nixon, Ford, Carter, and the existence of the Soviet Union. Major league baseball had just gone through a second expansion, adding two teams to each league and splitting all of the teams into two divisions. The surprising Mets, one of the first expansion teams in the National League, were reigning champs. Seattle had just lost their team to Milwaukee, and the Athletics had recently moved for the second time, from Philadelphia to Kansas City to Oakland, California. The National League had added the first ever Canadian team, the Montreal Expos. Baseball was thriving, as it almost always had. Purists of the game were somewhat upset at the addition of these extra teams and the expansion of the post season. Another huge event that had recently occurred had been the advent of free agency, culminating in the movement of many of the players from team to team. Overall, the effects did not seem all that negative, as players were beginning to earn larger and larger sums of money, and marketing was improving the way franchises made profits. Life was good. It was to get better.

The year 1970 brought about a power change in both leagues, moving away from the usual Yankee, Dodger, and Cardinals dominance. What made baseball "golden" during these coming years was the "natural" balance that seemed to exist in baseball. In the American League the Baltimore Orioles were the kings. The Orioles franchise had been moved from the city of St. Louis where they had been called the Browns. This franchise had won only one pennant in fifty odd years and had been losing attendance and money, especially to the success of the crosstown Cards. They were competing with the Minnesota Twins, another franchise that had been moved from its original location, Washington D.C. where the lowly Senators had played. Two six-team divisions would now compete against each other in a league playoff to decide who would go to the World Series. This was giving an extra team, and an extra bit of excitement, to the seasonal race.

In the National League, although the Mets had won the previous year, the two divisions brought about two equally competing franchises to the fore, the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Both teams would play a prominent role in the coming decade, and both teams would each win two world championships. Other teams, like the Phillies and Dodgers, would get their chances as well. The parity that existed in those days was a natural one, giving many teams possible hope for winning the crown. Great players were at their prime, or reaching it. People like Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Hank Aaron were giving fans something to scream about. In the American League there were players like Brooks and Frank Robinson of the Orioles, Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew, and Carl Yastrzemski. There were great pitchers in both circuits, like Catfish Hunter, Bob Gibson, Steve Carlton, and the crowd of twenty game winners for the Orioles. Fans were still being treated to great future Hall of Fame players like Willie Mays and Aaron. The Orioles and A's were ruling the American League while the Reds and Pirates were owning the National. There would be time for other teams with other players.

As the decade progressed, the Phillies began to show their muscle and beat out the Pirates for the East Division of the National League. Philadelphia baseball fans had not had alot to crow about in those days, so the improving records of their Phillies was encouraging. The Pirates won their division six times in that decade, with the Phillies winning three of their own and the other being won by the surprising Mets (once again) in the strange 1973 race. In the West Division, the Reds matched the Pirates with six divisional titles, usually beating the Bucs in the playoffs (except in 1979), and the Dodgers winning three and the San Francisco Giants winning one. Both divisions were highly competitive, and teams like the Expos and Braves showed promise. In the junior circuit, the East Division was controlled by the Orioles five times, with the Yankees winning three, the Tigers and Red Sox winning won each. In the west the Twins won in 1970, followed by five in a row for the A's, then the fairly new franchise, the Kansas City Royals, won three in a row followed by the California Angels with the division crown in 1979. Let us not forget also that this was the decade where Hammerin' Hank Aaron broke Ruth's old home run record. Times were good, and the wealth was spread out amongst many teams and many players. Who could also forget the characters and the teams? How about the Oakland A's, a team that seemed more like a zoo but won three series titles in a row. Who could forget "the Bird" in Detroit, the knuckleball of Wilbur Wood, or the "rumors" of the spit ball with the Niekro Brothers? There were enough identities to go around.

The 1980s proved to be just as exciting, as several teams won or played in the World Series. The title was won by teams such as the Phillies (their first and only one), the Tigers, the Royals, the Cardinals, the Twins, the Orioles, the Mets, the A's, and the only team to win the title twice in that those ten years, the Dodgers. The old guard was somewhat changed in for the new. Gone would be the oldtimers like Mays, Stargell, Yaz and Aaron. In would be the likes of such players like George Brett, Rod Carew, Rickey Henderson and Mike Schmidt, and even a young upcoming pitcher by the name of Roger Clemons. The franchises all seemed to be thriving and the cash dividends were tremendous. It seemed that every team had at least a chance to win a division, or even a league pennant. We had records being set before players like Nolan Ryan and Steve Carlton retired. Small and poor market teams were competing with the larger, rich markets. It was the day before the bottom tier became the "farm teams" for the rich. It was before any team had the money to keep or buy enough players to hold on to a division crown for ten or more years. Who can deny the fun and excitement of seeing so many compete for so little?

Yes, players nowadays are stronger, faster, probably smarte, and bigger. Science and technology has made baseball into more than a sport, but an industry. We sometimes find ourselves today wondering if there ever was a time when the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox owned more than just a few million in players, and when the American League East Division was more than just those two teams. You can have your modern domination and the inbalanced playing field of today's so-called golden age, but I will take the 70s and 80s over them any day. By the way, do kids even play "catch" any more?