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Awesome night card, pt. 55

This will be the last plug for my new blog -- 1975 Topps (it's far out, man) -- that will appear on Night Owl Cards. After that, I will let the fledgling blog, the mere tadpole of a blog, speak for itself. Except that I'll leave that little advertisement up on the sidebar. Nobody looks over there anyway, right?

Meanwhile, if you could add the newbie to your blog rolls (that is, if you like it), I'd appreciate it.

On the occasion of the insanity of starting a second blog, I thought I'd feature -- what else -- a 1975 Topps night card!

It was 35 years ago yesterday that Game 4 of the 1974 World Series was played. That was back when the World Series took place in October. You remember that, right?

Game 4 didn't turn out so well for the Dodgers. The mustachioed A's scored four runs in the sixth inning on their way to a 5-2 victory. It was the only game of the 5-game series that was not decided by a 3-2 score. It makes a Dodger fan think that L.A. could have pulled that Series off with a little more luck. In fact, here is how the A's scored those four runs in that fateful sixth inning:

1. Bill North walk (ugh, walking North is not a good idea)
2. North to second base on Andy Messersmith's errant pick-off try
3. North scores on lucky opposite-field bloop single by Sal Bando
4. Reggie Jackson walk (so we can lay all of this at the feet of Messersmith, huh?)
5. Bando to third and Jackson to second on Joe Rudi's sacrifice bunt
6. Intentional walk to Claudell Washington loads the bases
7. Pinch-hitter Jim Holt supplies the only solid hit of the inning with a two-run single
8. David Green RBI ground out
9. Ken Holtzman ground out to end the inning

Fortunately, I didn't watch an inning of that game. It would be two more years before I actually paid full attention to the World Series.

The '74 World Series was the Dodgers' 14th postseason appearance since 1900 and first since 1966. The Dodgers are now in the midst of their 26th postseason since 1900. They face the Phillies for the 5th time in the NLCS. Each team has won two series against each other. I think the Dodgers have enough to win a third against the Phillies. If it means anything, I didn't think that last year.

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