Black Tie Affair, 1986 - 2010

    

BLACK TIE AFFAIR IN HIS LATER YEARS

  

     Black Tie Affair, who died July 1 at the age of 24, was the only Chicago-based Horse of the Year in recent decades, and given the lamentable state of racing in Illinois, he might well have been the last of all time. Owned by suburban car dealer Jeff Sullivan and trained by Chicago fixture Ernie Poulos, Black Tie Affair won his last six starts—all in graded-stakes competition—to take home the award in 1991.
     A gray colt foaled in Ireland in 1986, Black Tie Affair was, in racing parlance, a “speedball” who ran every race the same way. As soon as the gate opened, he charged to the front and played “catch me if you can.”
     For the first three years of his career, Black Tie Affair made 35 starts, 16 of them at Arlington, Hawthorne, or Sportsman’s Park. As his running style seemed to dictate, he was almost invariably entered in “sprint” races of a mile or less. On November 24, 1990, Poulos tried stretching him out to a mile and a quarter in the Hawthorne Gold Cup. At odds of 8-to-1, Black Tie Affair led from gate to wire under Juvenal Diaz for his first victory at any distance longer than a mile.
     Black Tie Affair never attempted a mile and a quarter again until a year later, in the 1991 Breeders’ Cup Classic. By that time, he had won five consecutive races at five different tracks—each at the distance of a mile and an eighth and each in front-running fashion. The last of these was the Washington Park Handicap at Arlington on September 14, in which Black Tie Affair splashed to victory in the slop by seven and a half lengths under Shane Sellers.
     In the Breeders’ Cup Classic on November 2 at Churchill Downs, Black Tie Affair confronted a field that included two Kentucky Derby winners, Unbridled and Strike the Gold, along with the highly regarded Twilight Agenda. Sent off at lukewarm odds of 4-to-1, he was equal to the task. Expertly ridden by Hall-of-Famer Jerry Bailey, Black Tie Affair went to the front, as usual, and never looked back.
     The Daily Racing Form official chart described the effort thusly: “Black Tie Affair, away alertly, was rated along on the lead while saving ground, held a clear advantage into the stretch and was roused to turn back Twilight Agenda in a long drive.” In layman’s terms, it means that Bailey sent Black Tie Affair to the front—or more accurately, allowed the horse to carry him to the front—and then deftly managed the pace so that the horse had enough left in the tank to withstand a challenge in the home stretch.
     Black Tie Affair’s victory was a perfect illustration of the old saying “pace makes the race.” It was also testimony to the skill of Bailey in holding him together for a mile and a quarter and of Poulos in preparing him to go that far against the best horses in the world. Black Tie Affair retired after the race and took up a lengthy career as a stallion. To date, 683 of his sons and daughters have raced, 410 have won at least once, and together they have earned $56 million. Two of them, Evening Attire and Formal Gold, have joined their dad in the ranks of Grade I winners.

"You Don't Think Pennants in July"

For the first three months of the 1969 season, the Cubs looked unbeatable. They entered July with a 50-27 record and a seven-and-a-half-game lead in the standings. On July 8 (41 years ago today), the Cubs began a series against the second-place Mets in New York. This series and another in Chicago the next week showed that the race was far from over. “You don’t think pennants in July,” said Mets manager Gil Hodges. The following account of the two series is from the recent book Heydays: Great Stories in Chicago Sports.

FERGIE JENKINS

     The Cubs won nine of 12 games on a late June homestand, including four straight from Pittsburgh and three of four from St. Louis. Thus they sent their two most likely challengers spinning out of contention. By July 4, after Fergie Jenkins bested the great Bob Gibson in 10 innings, the Cardinals were seven games under .500 and 16 games behind the Cubs. The Pirates, in the throes of a seven-game losing streak, were 14½ games off the pace.
     The New York Mets had now emerged as the Cubs’ nearest pursuers. It was understandable that the Cubs weren’t sweating too hard just yet, for the Mets had been a running joke since entering the league in 1962. They’d lost an unprecedented 120 games their first season and had finished last or second-to-last every year since. Their numerous and inventive ways of losing ballgames had inspired Casey Stengel, their first manager, to call them “those amazin’ Mets.” Now, under the fatherly Gil Hodges, the Mets were changing the meaning of their nickname. An 11-game winning streak in late May and early June had put them over the .500 mark for the first time in their history, and they were still rising. There was no question that their pitching was good enough to keep them in the race (they had an outstanding young staff anchored by third-year man Tom Seaver, sophomores Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan, and rookie Gary Gentry), but their everyday lineup was adequate at best. “I know the Dodgers won pennants with just pitching,” Cubs third baseman Ron Santo declared, “but this Mets lineup is ridiculous.”
     On July 8, the Cubs invaded New York’s Shea Stadium for a firsthand look at the upstarts. Jenkins carried a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning. The first batter, Ken Boswell, lifted a shallow fly ball that looked like an easy out, but the Cubs’ rookie center fielder Don Young misjudged it—he broke back, then raced in too late. It fell for a double. Tommie Agee fouled out, then Donn Clendenon drove one deep to left-center. Young sprinted back to the warning track, reached out and made a fine catch—only to have the ball drop out of his glove when he slammed into the wall. Clendenon was credited with a double, and the score was now 3-2. A legitimate double by Cleon Jones tied it up. After an intentional walk and a groundout, Ed Kranepool came to bat. Kranepool’s fifth-inning homer had been the only hit off Jenkins prior to the ninth. Jenkins fooled him this time with an off-speed pitch, but Kranepool threw his bat at the ball and looped a little humpback liner into left to score Jones with the winning run. “Somebody said the Cubs weren’t taking us seriously,” Jones said after the game. “Maybe they’ll take us seriously now.”
     “[Jenkins] pitched his heart out,” said Cubs manager Leo Durocher, “and one man can’t catch a fly ball. It’s a disgrace.” Although neither ball that escaped Young had been scored an error, his teammates believed he should certainly have caught the first one, at least. Santo said so within earshot of reporters. “Everybody was saying, ‘Jesus Christ, the ball’s got to be caught,’” Glenn Beckert recalled. “Santo’s name got associated with it. Not the other 24 guys who were saying the same thing.”
     Santo called a press conference the next morning to apologize for his remarks. That evening, though, Young was on the bench and another rookie, Jimmy Qualls, was in center field. A delirious crowd of 59,083 saw Seaver retire the first 25 Cubs to face him before Qualls lined a single to left with one out in the ninth. Seaver made short work of the next two batters to complete a one-hit shutout, 4-0, for New York’s seventh consecutive win and the Cubs’ fifth straight loss.
     It looked like more of the same the next day when Jones scaled the fence to rob Santo of a three-run homer in the fourth. But Qualls jump-started a five-run rally when he stretched a single into a double leading off the fifth. The Cubs went on to win 6-2 behind a gritty effort from righthander Bill Hands.

     The Cubs’ lead was five games when the Mets came calling at Wrigley Field the next week. “People used to laugh and laugh at the Mets,” said Ernie Banks, “but not anymore.” On Monday, July 14, a raucous crowd of 40,252 was treated to an exquisite pitching duel between Hands and Seaver. Don Kessinger led off the Cubs’ sixth with a single, went to second when Beckert grounded to the right side on a hit-and-run play, and scored on a single by Billy Williams. Hands scattered six hits before Phil Regan relieved him with one out in the ninth. The Cubs won 1-0, and Santo did his “victory kick” again and again for the ecstatic Bleacher Bums. “That,” said Durocher, “was a World Series game.”
     But New York won 5-4 on Tuesday on a three-run homer by journeyman infielder Al Weis; it was Weis’s second homer in the past four years and only the fifth of his career. Even more appallingly, the usually light-hitting Mets chased Jenkins to the showers on Wednesday with a six-run barrage in the first two innings en route to a 9-5 triumph.
     The Cubs’ lead was still a reasonably secure four games, but the Mets had been emboldened. “These boys have thought all along they were strong contenders,” said Hodges, “but it’s been tough convincing some others.” As Hodges spoke, Santo sat stunned in the opposite clubhouse. “Two out of three in our park,” he lamented. “I still don’t believe it.”

Reprinted from Heydays: Great Stories in Chicago Sports
(c) 2009, 2010 by Christopher Tabbert

The Dream Game

Major League Baseball’s first All-Star Game took place at old Comiskey Park 77 years ago today. The photo above shows the American League team, with Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, and manager Connie Mack (in business suit) recognizable on the left side of the back row.


     Arch Ward, sports editor of the Tribune, dreamed up what he called the Dream Game—better known as Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game—as an added attraction for Chicago’s Century of Progress Exposition in 1933. A capacity crowd of 47,595 turned out for the inaugural All-Star Game at Comiskey Park. A nationwide poll of fans had selected the American and National League rosters, and the league presidents appointed Connie Mack and John McGraw, respectively, as managers. These choices had sentimental appeal: Mack was in his 33rd year at the helm of the Philadelphia A’s, and McGraw had recently retired due to ill health after three decades with the New York Giants.
     The American Leaguers wore their regular home uniforms, while the National Leaguers were decked out in steel-gray flannels with NATIONAL LEAGUE in blue block letters across their chests. With the home folks cheering him on, the White Sox’ popular third baseman Jimmie Dykes scored the first run in All-Star history. He coaxed a walk in the second inning and came around to score on a single by Yankee pitcher Lefty Gomez. Dykes played the entire game for the A.L., going two-for-three and fielding his position flawlessly.
     Appropriately, the first home run in All-Star competition came off the bat of Babe Ruth; it was a two-run shot in the third off Bill Hallahan of the Cardinals. Ruth was 38 and growing more rotund all the time. Yet he showed that he could still rise to the occasion. In the eighth, he made a fine running catch of Chick Hafey’s sinking line drive to end a National League threat.
     The American Leaguers held on to win 4-2. Gomez was the winning pitcher, while Hallahan took the loss. Al Simmons of the White Sox had one hit in four at-bats. For the Cubs, catcher Gabby Hartnett and shortstop Woody English each went 0-for-1, and pitcher Lon Warneke surrendered one run in four innings of work (he also rapped a triple and scored a run). Of the 30 players who appeared in the game, 17 were destined for the Hall of Fame.
     When this first All-Star Game captured the public’s imagination to an extent that hadn’t been anticipated, baseball’s powers decided to make the midsummer classic an annual event. It became an immensely popular fixture over the years, fueling the genuine rivalry between the two leagues.
     Having hit a home run with his idea for baseball’s dream game, Ward inaugurated football’s College All-Star Game the next year. It matched the defending NFL champions against an all-star team of incoming rookies, and was played at Soldier Field every summer from 1934 through 1976.

Reprinted from Heydays: Great Stories in Chicago Sports
(c) 2009, 2010 by Christopher Tabbert

Going Forth From the Fourth

     The Fourth of July is a traditional milestone in the baseball season. The good teams and the bad teams have been sorting themselves out, and the pennant races are taking shape. As we mark the Fourth this year, it appears more than likely that the Cubs will not be active participants in a pennant race, but rather will be observing from a safe distance. It remains to be seen whether the White Sox will sustain their recent success for the long haul, but they at least have given themselves a shot. The Sox are 41-38 (.519), in third place, two games behind Detroit and Minnesota, who are in a virtual tie for first place.
     How does the Sox' current situation compare to previous seasons that ended with the South Siders at the top of the standings? Over the years, nine White Sox teams have finished in first place. One, the 1917 world champions, had an almost identical winning percentage before July 4 and thereafter. Five teams improved significantly in the latter part of the season--most notably, the 1983 Sox, who played almost .700 ball from July 4 onward (this club also overcame the largest deficit on July 4, four and a half games out, of any Sox club that has finished first). The three most recent Sox division champs each occupied first place on July 4 and also ended the season there--despite playing markedly worse from the Fourth to the finish line.
     The following list shows where the Sox' previous first-place finishers stood on the morning of July 4, and how they did the rest of the way.

1906
Before: Won 36, Lost 30 (.545), 4th place, 4 games out
After: Won 57, Lost 28 (.671), finished 3 games ahead
Won World Series over Cubs, 4 games to 2

1917
Before: Won 45, Lost 24 (.652), 1st place, 2 games ahead
After: Won 55, Lost 30 (.647), finished 8 games ahead
Won World Series over New York Giants, 4 games to 2

1919
Before: Won 37, Lost 24 (.607), 2nd place, 1.5 games out
After: Won 51, Lost 28 (.646), finished 3.5 games ahead
Lost World Series to Cincinnati Reds, 5 games to 3

1959
Before: Won 41, Lost 34 (.547), 2nd place, 1 game out
After: Won 53, Lost 26 (.671), finished 5 games ahead
Lost World Series to Los Angeles Dodgers, 4 games to 2

1983
Before: Won 39, Lost 37 (.513), 3rd place, 4.5 games out
After: Won 60, Lost 26 (.698), finished 20 games ahead
Lost A.L. Championship Series to Baltimore Orioles, 3 games to 1

1993
Before: Won 40, Lost 38 (.513), tied for 1st place
After: Won 54, Lost 30 (.643), finished 8 games ahead
Lost A.L. Championship Series to Toronto Blue Jays, 4 games to 2

2000
Before: Won 53, Lost 29 (.646), 1st place, 11 games ahead
After: Won 42, Lost 38 (.525), finished 5 games ahead
Lost A.L. Division Series to Seattle Mariners, 3 games to 0

2005
Before: Won 54, Lost 26 (.675), 1st place, 8 games ahead
After: Won 45, Lost 37 (.549), finished 6 games ahead
Won World Series over Houston Astros, 4 games to 0

2008
Before: Won 49, Lost 37 (.570), 1st place, 1.5 games ahead
After: Won 40, Lost 37 (.519), finished 1 game ahead
Lost A.L. Division Series to Tampa Bay Rays, 3 games to 1

Norris Trophy Winners

     The James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded each year to the best defenseman in the National Hockey League, was presented last week to Duncan Keith of the Blackhawks. The trophy is named after an early owner of the Detroit Red Wings, who later owned the Hawks and Chicago Stadium along with his son James, Jr., and Arthur Wirtz.
     We're going to loop back around sometime soon to recall James, Jr., who was one of the most colorful characters in Chicago sports history. For now, we're going to celebrate the Blackhawks who've won the trophy that (like Junior himself) was named after the old man.

Pierre Pilote, 1963, 1964, 1965

     Pierre Pilote joined the Hawks in 1955 and was a key member of the 1961 Stanley Cup champions. In 1964-65, Pilote won his third consecutive Norris Trophy and set a new scoring record for defensemen with 59 points (on 14 goals and 45 assists). Pilote also wore the "C" as Hawks captain for several years. His scoring record was broken by Boston's Bobby Orr in 1968-69, but Pilote's place in history was secure. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1975.

Doug Wilson, 1982

     Helmets were made mandatory throughout the NHL in 1980, but players already in the league were allowed to go without one if they chose. Doug Wilson so chose, and he was the last of the Blackhawks to take the ice bare-headed. The durable, steady Wilson was an offensive-minded defenseman whose booming slapshot from the point was a hallmark of the Chicago power play. He scored 225 goals while wearing the Indian head, and his 554 assists rank third in Hawks annals (behind only Stan Mikita and Denis Savard). Wilson is currently the general manager of the San Jose Sharks.

Chris Chelios, 1993, 1996

     Chicago native Chris Chelios won a Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens and two with the Detroit Red Wings. In between he spent almost nine seasons with the Blackhawks, who were in the midst of a prolonged Stanley Cup drought. With the Hawks, Chelios won the Norris Trophy for the second and third times, having previously won it in 1989 for Montreal. Chelios was acquired in a 1990 trade for another Hawks legend, Denis Savard, whom he will soon join in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He appeared in seven games with the Atlanta Thrashers, at the age of 48, this past season (his 26th in the NHL), and he ranks fourth all time in games played.

Duncan Keith, 2010

     Duncan Keith is one of three hockey players in the world who won both an Olympic gold medal and the Stanley Cup in 2010. Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook--Keith's teammates on the Canadian Olympic team and the Blackhawks--are the others. Keith played all 82 regular-season games and all 22 playoff games for the Hawks, establishing himself as the best defenseman in the league. During the postseason, Keith proved his toughness and his commitment to the team (as if either were ever in doubt) when he took a puck flush in the mouth, lost seven teeth, and kept right on playing.