I was given the opportunity of a lifetime prior to the Canton Crocodiles game against London (Ontario) on June 11, 1999, at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadiumin Canton, Ohio. As part of Perfect Game Promotion Night, three members of the media and a fan stepped up to the plate against Len Barker, who tossed a perfect game in 1981 as a member of the Cleveland Indians.
A part-time sports correspondent for The Free Press, a weekly newspaper in town at the time, I was chosen to represent the paper as a “replacement” for one of the co-managing editors who was unable to participate. When my turn to hit came, I put a batting helmet on and had one goal in mind. Just as Rocky Balboa wanted to “go the distance” with Apollo Creed, I simply yearned to make contact. I didn’t care if it was fair or foul, I just wanted to get wood on the ball.
Barker’s first pitch – around 80 mph – was a fastball. I swung at it. Problem was, I didn’t start swinging until the ball was in the catcher’s mitt. I was just a little late. Second pitch, same thing. I realized if I was going to have any chance of achieving my goal of making contact, I would have to swing just a tad earlier.
But I hung in there and, on Barker’s third pitch, slapped a grounder about 10 feet foul down the first-base line. Next pitch, swing and a miss. Next one, foul tip. Last one, swing and a miss. Altogether, out of six pitches – all heaters – I made contact twice.
Two-for-six. Not bad. In my mind, I batted .333 in six swings against Large Lenny Barker.
I’ll take that. At least my percentage of making contact was better than the percentage of innings I was able to watch the night of Lenny’s “perfecto.”
These days, missing a Cleveland Indians game – whether it be on radio or television – is no big deal to me, for other, more important concerns seem to pile up as the years go on. When I was growing up, though, the number of Tribe games I missed was far and few between. Whether it was Harry Jones and “Mudcat” Grant, Joe Tait and Bruce Drennan or any of the other television duos describing the action on the tube, or Tait or Nev Chandler teaming with Herb Score on radio, I was there, listening to and/or watching the depressing events unfold before my eyes and/or ears. Every now and then, though, fate would cause me to miss a game.
Of course, one of the few game I missed was Len Barker’s perfect game on May 15, 1981, against the Toronto Blue Jays. Barker’s effort, a 3-0 Cleveland victory, was just the 11th perfect game in major-league history.
Actually, I did see the first two innings. Then, I heard my mother yell, “Roger, time to go!”
Go where? To a service at our synagogue – the last place I wanted to be on a Friday night, especially with the first-place – yes, first-place – Indians on WUAB-TV 43. (Nothing against my religion; I’m quite proud to be Jewish, but priorities are priorities, and I would much rather have stayed home to watch the rest of the Indians-Blue Jays game in the Tribe’s Temple of Gloom – Cleveland Stadium.
Two innings were in the books. The Indians led the Blue Jays, 2-0. “Oh well,” I thought to myself, “maybe I’ll be able to catch the end of the game in the car on the way home.” As I turned off the television set in our family room, I noticed Toronto was hitless. “He’s got a perfect game going!” I thought to myself, knowing full well it was nothing more than a pipe dream. I mean, big deal, a perfect game after two innings means nothing, right? One must realize, however, that during that era Indians fans had to reach for just about anything of a positive nature that might have given them a minute glimmer of hope during some very dark days. The Tribe’s stunning 15-8 record and first-place standing at the time was a start. Hell, I clearly remember watching Action 3 News some two weeks beforehand when the Indians were a sparkling 7-4. John Henk, who was anchoring the sports news on the six o’clock telecast, flashed the American League East standings on the screen. The Tribe was at the top. It was remarkable seeing “Cleveland” at the top of the standings a full 11 games into the season!
When the service at the synagogue concluded roughly two hours later, the score of the game – whether it was over or not – was of paramount importance. Barker’s mastery of the Blue Jays’ first six hitters two hours before was the last thing on my mind, it wasn’t even on my radar screen considering it had been 13 years since the last perfecto was hurled in the big leagues. Upon hopping into the back seat of the car, I asked my dad to flick on the radio so I could hear the score.
Much to my chagrin (albeit happy chagrin), the first words I heard came from color analyst Score in a tone that made it seem like no big deal anymore: “…And once again, Lenny Barker throws a perfect game for the Indians.”
But then, and still now, it was a very big deal.
» Roger Gordon is the author of three books - two on the Cleveland Browns and one on the Cincinnati Bengals. his fourth book, on the Cleveland Cavaliers, is due out in the fall of 2004.
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Copyright © 2004 by Roger Gordon. Posted July 13, 2004.
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