June 25: An Ode to Ed, Farrah and Michael Jackson
Hello …
Let’s get started with some Cardinals’ business…
1. Chris Carpenter Needs Some Runs: In 10 starts, Carpenter is 5-2 this season with a 1.73 ERA and hitters are batting only .165 against him. He’s having an exceptional season but his win total isn’t what it should be because of the small supply of runs that the team is producing behind him. And the Cardinals are only 5-5 in Carp’s 10 starts. His run-support average of 2.74 per game is the second-lowest in the majors; San Francisco’s Barry Zito has gotten 2.70 runs per game. (These calculations are based on STATS LLC’s method of counting the runs that were scored while the pitcher was in the game). Carpenter hasn’t had a lot to work with, even when he wins. In his five victories his RSA is a modest 3.12. We saw it again Thursday at Citi Field. The Cardinals had early chances to accumulate some runs against Mets starter Johan Santana but kept stranding runners in scoring position. They finished 2 for 12 with RISP for the game. The St. Louis offense was dreadful in the team’s 1-3 series at New York; the Cardinals went only 6 for 27 with runners in scoring position and scored 9 runs in four games.
In 2009 the Cardinals have scored 3 runs or fewer in 35 of their 74 games.
2. How Essential is Albert Pujols to the Cardinals Offense? He can’t be perfect, and when he isn’t, the other guys don’t do enough to pick up the slack. It happened again Thursday in NY. In the 6th inning of the 3-2 loss Pujols finally made an out with the bases loaded — it’s bound to happen, right? — and that was pretty much the end of things for the Cardinals. When Pujols drives in a run this season, the Cardinals are 27-9. When he plays and doesn’t drive in a run the team’s record is 13-24. Pujols is batting .358 with runners in scoring position this season, so it’s petty to blame him when he misses on an opportunity.
3. The Missing Thunder in the Cardinals Outfield: It isn’t pretty. Let’s go one-by-one:
- Rick Ankiel: Since Aug. 5 of last season, Ankiel is batting .215 with a .286 OBP and .376 SLG and has only 8 homers in 242 at-bats.
- Chris Duncan: Here’s the bottom line… healthy or not, the big fella has 11 homers in his last 446 at-bats, going back to late July, 2007. But if you want to break it down on what he’s done lately, Duncan’s numbers since May 2 are a .205 batting average, .252 OBP, and a .305 SLG. With 2 homers in 151 ABs.
- Ryan Ludwick: Since April 26 Ludwick is batting .173 with a .274 OBP and .315 SLG.
- In a combined 374 at-bats since May 1, Ankiel-Ludwick-Duncan are hitting .208 with 12 homers.
- You can certainly make the case that rookie Colby Rasmus is the best hitter in the outfield right now. That isn’t saying much, considering that Rasmus is batting .265 on the season. But since May 26 the rookie is batting .326 with 3 homers and 9 doubles for a .566 slugging percentage. And that includes a .351 average vs. RH pitchers.
4. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson:
We’re going to go off sports here, if you don’t mind. If you’re a 50-year-old person like me, the deaths of McMahon, Fawcett and Jackson probably took you back through very specific periods of your lives.
In the 1960s, when TV was new and exciting for a young kid like me, and staying up late to watch it qualified as an adventure, The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson was a cultural touchstone. Johnny and his sidekick Ed McMahon introduced us to the stars, the starlets, the writers, the singers, the old-school comedians and the hip new comedians. There was good music and inside-ball humor and a certain coolness that was otherwise inaccessible. You could close your eyes and imagine Johnny and Ed and Michael Landon and Raquel Welch getting together after the show for martinis, a perfect steak, and maybe someone like Sinatra would be in the same restaurant and come by their table. And we knew we could never be as cool as Johnny — but we surely could relate to Ed, and it would be pretty swell to be Ed, and have all of that fun. We lived vicariously through Ed McMahon. It’s hard to explain or understand unless you grew up watching the show, but it really mattered. This was before cable, satellite TV, the internet, iPhones, 24-hour sports talk, ESPN, Entertainment Tonight, etc. Johnny and Ed took you to a new place, introduced you to a new sensibility, and formed a Zeitgeist lens through which we would view entertainment/culture for the rest of our lives.
Then we moved into the 1970s, and if you were a high school boy at the time, chances are you had a Farrah poster on the wall, or maybe one of your friends did. We watched her show, Charlie’s Angels, and this was part of a natural discovery process. When you were about 10 or 11 they were just girls, sitting in your class, and you annoyed them, and they annoyed you, and there was no connection. You co-existed with them, and it was awkward, and you didn’t really understand how older guys could get all mushy and have girlfriends and take them presents and kiss them on the couch when the parents weren’t home. The girls in your class seemed alien and somewhat threatening, and yet you sensed that there was something about them. An aura. And then one day…. they became WOMEN. And they were beautiful. And they were interesting. And you were curious. And anxious. And you found yourself staring at them and appreciating the way they looked, and you were enticed by their fragrance, and if one of them looked back at you in a certain way, your heart felt like a mini-basketball, bouncing inside your chest in a weird but wonderful way. And by now that Farrah Fawcett poster was definitely up on the wall, in that bathing suit and with the blonde locks, and instead of having debates over Ted Simmons vs. Johnny Bench, all of a sudden you were debating Farrah Fawcett vs. Jaclyn Smith, or later you’d argue over who was better: Farrah or Cheryl Ladd, the actress who replaced her. (I was more of a Ladd guy.) And yes, it was very silly, and still on the side of innocence, but gradually a threshold was being crossed, and you were going from boy to man. The teenage boys still loved their sports heroes, but all of a sudden there was room — lots of room — for the young women who captured our fancy. And so many of them were getting their hair cut and shaped to look like Farrah, which only heightened our awareness, and interest. Instead of playing basketball at recess, now you were wandering over to the corner of the schoolyard, over there by the tree, where the girls hung out. And somehow Farrah was part of that discovery process. A symbol of our evolution as we tried to walk like men. The poster was an announcement, an endorsement: we’re no longer little boys, and so we are here to tell you that women are awesome. And we like them.
And Michael Jackson? Johnny Carson was the ’60s, and Farrah Fwacett was the mid-late ’70s (the high school years) and Jackson was the early ’80s, as we crossed that generational bridge. Look, I know about Jackson’s demons and the changes and his freakish look, and all of the sordid allegations against him. But I’m putting that aside now, because when his music mattered, none of the ugly stuff was part of the Jackson story. It was all about music and entertainment then. If you were in your early 20s when “Off the Wall” became a hit album, followed up by “Thriller” the top-selling album of all time, you’ll know how much Jackson mattered. He was just a mega star, the way Elvis had been, and the Beatles. And that music was the sound track for the times, especially in social settings. You’d go to clubs with a girlfriend — or maybe go there to find a girlfiend — and the place would be packed, and the lights would be shining, and all the young dudes and babes would be dancing or bouncing to “Rock With You.” Or in my case, we’d have summer parties at a beach house, and I’d usually be the DJ, and you could make the walls shake and get dozens people dancing in a living room or the front porch just by ripping through “Billie Jean,” and “Beat It,” and all of the hits on “Thriller.” And then after slowing it down a bit — maybe go old-school, with something slow by Johnny Mathis, which the ladies always appreciated – I’d spin some of the Jackson 5’s greatest hits, and the floors would tremble again — so much, in fact, that the fire marshall suddenly arrived one night and ordered an evacuation, because he feared that the old house would collapse. I’m not joking. We almost brought the house down. And Jackson supplied the beat.
As a young sportswriter, I was once on a long flight to San Diego to cover an indoor soccer playoff series, and I must have listened to the “Thriller” album in its entirety (on cassette) a few dozen times as I flew across the country. On the team bus, the players put it into the sound system and cranked it up again we moved down the freeways, en route to the arena. You just couldn’t get away from it, even if you wanted to. It was a booming phenomenon, and 20somethings all across America would stay at home to watch MTV and wait for the debut of the newest Michael Jackson video. It was a big deal, a very big deal. It seems quaint now, but at the time there was nothing bigger. We were all getting out of school and landing jobs and marrying and all of this was happening with Jackson singing in the background.
In some strange way it was all connected. In terms of the culture, Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson formed a thread that led me (and many others) from childhood to adulthood. Not by themselves, obviously; we had many other influences. In particular, I loved many forms of music, and a lot of it (like Springsteen) was more important to me than Michael Jackson. But the three of them died this week, all in a row, and in retrospect you just appreciate them even more. Their presence represented a stop, a phase, in our lives. May they rest in peace.
If you made it this far, thanks for indulging me …
-Bernie
Thanks Bernie. I enjoyed the article very much. It’s a pity the Redbirds can’t muster any support for one of the best pitchers in baseball. What a waste to throw away starts like last night’s, with the main reason being the outfield is just a complete disaster on offense.
I also appreciated your thoughts on McMahon, Fawcett and Jackson. I’m 47, and like you my youth was spent with no cable/satellite, no 24 hour news, no all night television, no VCRs, no remote, no MTV….As the oldest child, once we got a color television I was given the mammoth black & white TV/record player comb. Oftentimes, I would stuff my pillow under the door, to block out the light from the TV, and watch the “Tonight Show” when I was supposed to be in bed. It was truly special. Ed and Johnny always looked like they were having so much fun, and I think that sense of having a good time transferred to the audience. I don’t think those who grew up later can really understand the special place Carson and McMahon hold for people of our generation.
As far as Fawcett, I was never a fan of the show, even as teenage boy, and never had the poster. But, she was definitely a cultural phenomenon. Once again, at the time the show was on, we didn’t have hundreds of channels to choose from. In St. Louis, we had ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Channel 11 and Channel 30. That was it. Shows like “Charlie’s Angels” were watched weekly by a huge portion of television viewers, due to the fact that there weren’t hundreds of channels to divide the audience.
And Michael Jackson…My first records, 45s, were the Jackson 5’s “ABC” and “Rockin’ Robin.” When I was in college in the mid-80s at Mizzou, like you I often ended up being the DJ on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, before heading out to The Fieldhouse, Harpos, Deja Vu…And there was probably never a night when a Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson song were not played both at the apartment before going out or at the bars. It’s sad the way his life seemed to go out of control, but he was a man of immense talent, the type of artist who comes around only once in a generation. As you said Bernie, may they all rest in peace. Thanks again, Bernie, for the memories.
bernie,
you summed up the deaths of three people who each mattered in an odd way to those of us coming of age through those decades. well put. (i always like to read what you have to say that’s not sports as much as i enjoy reading you on sports).
Boy, did you hit the nail on the head with those three wonderful entertainers. Thank you very much.
Such a good call on the lacking outfielders. Dang, I hate seeing those numbers.
Dittos on the part about Ed McMahon…I am 48, and in 1975 at the age of 14 started to get to stay up late to watch The Tonight Show. There will never be another show like that one.
Never into Michael Jackson as I preferred the likes of Springsteen’s “The River” album for example!
don’t forget David Caradine (Everybody was Kung Fu fighting)
Ah what a strange week this has been. You encapsulated what we “50-somethings” have been feeling about our younger selves. Lots of memories zipping through especially watching Michael Jackson videos and old clips of The Tonight Show.
And as for our hapless Cardinals, they are just an exercise in futility right now aren’t they? They annihilate the Royals, get some spark, and then fall flat on their faces with the banged up Mets, save the great pitching by Pineiro. But, hey, we’re in first place so that’s all that matters, right? ;^)
Bernie, I can just picture the soccer team bus filled with 20-something players, cruising down the highway with “Thriller” booming from the sound system!! What a sight!
Thanks for the insightful statistics on the lack of production from Ankiel, Duncan and Ludwick. The trend is disturbing and I am concerned that their most current numbers mean they have fallen back to earth permanently. Unless one or all of them rise to previous heights, it’s doubtful that the 2009 Redbirds will see the post season.
Regarding the passing of Ed, Farrah and Michael……Ed seemed an annoying square to me back in the day, although I learned to appreciate his interaction with Johnny later. Farrah didn’t impress me, but I can vividly remember some of the local girls who did their best to emulate her hairstyle and mannerisms. What sticks in my mind most about Michael, tossing aside all of his personal quirks, was the first time I heard the song “Thriller” on a new car stereo while driving out west. I remember thinking what an amazing production it was….miles ahead of anything else on the radio at the time. Then, I saw the video and it added a whole new dimension. Too bad all the sordid stuff overshadowed his talent in later years.
Terrific piece on the deaths of three icons. It’s that type of writing that has gotten you where you are.
Bernie, you are not only a great sportswriter but a great “writer” as well. You writing on the recent deaths paint pictures and trigger flashbacks of our memories. Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks Bernie, this article is why you are the best. From baseball to Farrah nobody writes it better.
Michael Jackson was a pedophile. Is there anything worse?
Back in the days before management shopped for ballplayers exclusively on the waiver wire, the disabled list, or e-bay, wasn’t this about the time that Jocketty would sign a Will Clark or Larry Walker and we would all live happily ever after?
I am to the point where I feel like you could ship this entire outfield out. In the last year they have done nothing. I can no longer watch Duncan, he is just going to strike out or pop out. Why is this guy still on the team? He needs to be sent down!
…and who can ever forget Ed McMahon saying “…and here’s Johnny”. Thanks Bernie for a good article.
Very good column, Bernie. I enjoyed your insights on those three icons. Michael Jackson is to my 14-year-old daughter what Elvis was to me. There is an odd symmetry and continuity to these kinds of things.
On Carpenter, the lack of run support for him is troubling, but the fact is he’s going to be up against the other team’s best guy most of the time. Let’s not forget, Gibson had nine losses en route to amassing an ERA under 2 in 1968.
On the outfield, I know Tony does not want to overexpose him, but Rasmus should be playing every day, especially with Duncan, Ankiel and Ludwick struggling so. Would it make sense to you to play Tyler Greene at second base and put Schumaker in left, at least for the time being?
Thanks for the article Bernie - it was great. As a 47 year old, I also have my own memories of Ed, Farrah and Michael and what great times they were in my life; staying up late to watch the Tonight Show, tring to get my hair to look just like Farrah’s and dancing in front of the tv with my girlfriends to Thriller. I love reading you on sports, but as Deb Peterson said, I really enjoy reading you on other topics as well. You are a great writer.
Farah was an icon, Michael’s music is still some of the best…but boy oh boy did I have a thrill when I was 22 (1982).
I was a musician in a local band when a music producer from D’arcy Advertising heard us play and hired me on the spot to play the music for a Budweiser television commercial. It ended up, that I played all the parts … drums, piano, guitar, synth, etc. etc. When it was time to record the voiceover (VO) … Mr. Ed McMahon was brought in to perform the read.
What a thrill! Music for Bud, played all of the instruments, got paid for it, and “Big Ed” did the read. I still have a VHS of that spot somewhere in my portfolio.
Thanks for the memories, Bernie.
Bernie,
re: Ed, Farrah and Michael
I am a 52 year-old male. I can relate to every word you said.
When I finished reading, all I could say was “amen.”
Great column, Bernie. The redbirds are my passion but music comes in a close second. Always appreciate your musings on popular culture, and as a 51 year old born and raised in NE OK I am a cards fan thru and true.
Colby R. seems to be the lone bright spot in this year’s OF. Hopefully he’ll be allowed to continue his development without giving away too much PT to the incumbents. He seems to be the smoothest defender of the group already, though Ankiel does have a flair for the dramatic, without Edmond’s polish. IMO, Duncan MUST hit for power to deserve to be given any PT.
Liked and identified with your thoughts on the lives and passing of our cultural icons. Always enjoyed Ed’s give and take with Carson; was a Farrah fan until SI’s swimsuit issue with Christie B. As for the music, I was a metalhead (Sabbath, Purple, Zep, you know the drill) but have to say I was blown away by ‘Thriller’, esp ‘Billie Jean.’ What a great song.
Hey, I was wondering if you’re a Rush fan? Seems like the kind of band that you’d enjoy.
Thanks
nice blog bernie
Nice comments on the 3 that passed. Passing icons of a generation always bring back memories.
As for the other 3, Chris, Rick and Ryan,…I don’t know what message it would send moving 1 or 2 back to the minors for some rehab hitting instructions but it sure would make a fan base really happy. When they’re hitting close to their own weight or below its time to rethink some things.
Rick’s is a easy fix,…drop his hands and start slapping at it like Rod Carew did,..Ryan just needs to stop swinging at low and away, and Chris, well I got nothing,…trade him to Memphis?
Bernie,
Your points about the Cards outfield are well taken but Dunc, Ank, and Lud are coming back from injuries. The Cards have no choice but to play these guys until they get back their form. It will happen but patience is required. Glaus being out all season hurts because he was an important part of the offense but injuries are part of the game. It is a long season.
I am 58 and grew up watching Carson and McMahon. They were great and their levity was a relief from all the Vietnam body count/casualty stats and race riot, assination stories that domominated the news in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Steve Allen was also a great comic.
Michael Jackson was a talented performer but his music doesn’t excuse his pedofilia. His likely drug overdose death should come as no surprise. At least he didn’t suffer. Farah was pretty but Charlie’s Angels was a bore. A good friend of mine was in treatment with Farah at a cancer center in Germany and said she and Ryan O’Neil were very nice as was Cher who he also met there. Farah died a miserable death as did my friend.
Enjoy your writing Big Dog. Keep it up.
Wow Bernie! I was beginning to wonder if we went to school together. As a sportswriter, you’ve got a great gift to write on issues that reel us all into an identity and that identity has a byproduct that reaps great appreciation for the work you do. Honor begets honor Bernie. This peice gave great appropriate tribute to the deceased. It is fitting of you to go with your heart and let the truth flow upon that keyboard into our laps. Your work blesses me…GOD BLESS YOU!
Thanks to all for the kind words …
As for Jackson’s hideous behavior and conduct later in life … my comments on the blog were not about the person. My reflections were on his music from about 25, 30 years ago. The blog was a reflection on growing up and our journey through the decades. That’s all. Thanks.
Well done today Bernie! I am 51. The Tonight Show was as good as it got growing up. Staying up late with my grandma watching that show brings smiles. I had the Farrah poster - still do somewhere.
And your numbers on the outfield really did put things into prospective - and it isn’t good. What in the world are they gonna do? Or or we just gonna ride it out….again…. for another summer…. while Albert wastes his prime years?
To the best of my knowledge, none of the stars of T.V. or film or music that you mentioned were pedophiles except Micheal.
What about the damaged lives of all the children he molested? The bloom was off the rose with him by the late 80’s as soon as the first revelations of his sexual proclivities became public knowledge…
While I take no joy in his death and feel bad for his family members, I think of all the young men that will have to live the rest of their lives dealing with the aftermath of his perversion..
Again, the blog was not a commentary or a reflection on Michael Jackson, the person … it was a nostaligic look at the music at a specific time of our lives. That’s all. 1980s music. Thank you.
Very interesting, Bernie. Question for you: Is there a weaker outfield in the majors than Ludwick, Duncan, Ankiel this year?
Excellent retrospective on ed,farrah and mike.I’m older (just turned 60)so I really relate to the Ed McMahon perspective…I actually stayed up and watched the Carson show during that timeframe.Today’s venue of Letterman,et al,is pretty boring, and so leftwing an old kid from South St. Louis can’t stomach it.Ed was a WWII and Korean War Veteran(USMC)who deserves to be honored for his service and fathfulness to his country.Farrah was a beautiful woman….Michael Jackson was talented but so troubled on many levels.May they all RIP.
Now to the the Cardinals.I thought once again after KC that,just maybe,we would go on a tear in NY.Not to be…it was back to square one with decent pitching for the most part and absolutely no hitting,again.Your stats on Ank,Luddy and Dunc are scary!
A trade seems impossible-who would want any of our outfield crew?
So why not bring Wallace up and that AA 2nd baseman(Declasio or something)and lets give them a turn at the plate.We need power at the plate before we burn Pujols out.
Anyway,I enjoy your writing style and rank your columns among the best I
read online.
Did you go to Mizzou?
Please card lets hit today!
Hey Bernie, when you want to, you sure do write awfully well. You’ve always been the #1 article I look for everyday since you came on board. It’s great to be able to communicate with you on emails and blogs, something that people in the past could never do and it’s just another example of how times have changed. But there’s something special about growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, something we had that kids today don’t have, and that’s imagination. We didn’t have the internet, or all these other technological advancements that have developed over the years and which continue to develop and consume people. I mean, is there anything left for kids today to imagine and dream about? I mean, to me, imagination is what makes life, and that’s what I loved about my life back then. That is what made life for me, and that is something to me that is special & irreplaceable. Unfortunately I don’t think kids have that anymore………good one about Simmons vs Bench…..Johnny Bench was my first favorite player that I rooted but I loved Simba too. 2 things that worked against Terrible Ted, 1)he didn’t have a gun for an arm behind home plate 2) he played on average Cards teams whereas you had Bench, Fisk and Munson who all played on better teams and all 3 could catch………I do remember Tom Seaver saying in SI back in 75 that the 2 hitters he feared most were Willie Stargell and Ted Simmons……..Even today Johnny Bench is an advocate for Simmons to be in the Hall………I still think the White Rat made a mistake to unload him to make room for Darrel Porter. The Cards would of won the World Series with Simmons, I think Whitey over did it on that one, and wouldn’t you know it, the Cards ended up trading Hernandez anyway in 83. I bet if Herzog had a crystal ball and saw that coming he would of kept Teddy. Have a good Sunday!
Thanks for the walk down memory lane, I couldn’t agree more.