Our Love is All of God's Money, Everyone is a Burning Sun

Congratulations to Ms. Heidi Hipp for naming "Down with Disease" by Phish as the Monday Song of the Day.

#5-1988 World Series-Los Angeles Dodgers v. Oakland A's

Yes, you're right. This one only went 5 games, but who can forget it? I'll set the scene. 9th inning of Game 1. The Dodgers are down by one run, 4-3. It has been a hard fought game, but now the A's have sent out the man who has led them all season, Dennis Eckersley. The Eck was a formidable foe back then and just moving into that rarefied air that we now reserve for fearsome closers like Goose Gossage, Trevor Hoffman, and Mariano Rivera. Eckersley had 45 saves in the '88 season and it appeared that he was quickly closing in on #46.

Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda sends pinch-hitter Mike Davis to the plate in an effort to get something started in the bottom of the 9th. Davis draws the most important walk of his career, but here's the problem: weak-hitting pitcher Alejandro Pena is up next. Lasorda looks down his bench seeking a much-needed spark. His eyes settle on the 1988 National League MVP, Kirk Gibson. You may ask yourself, "If Gibson was the NL MVP that year, then why in the heck was he not playing already?" Gibson had been fighting a leg injury during the playoffs and was scratched from a start in Game 1 of the Series.

Despite those facts, Lasorda sends Gibby to the plate anyway. Gibson limps up to the plate and stares down Eckersley. The two stars begin to battle on baseball's largest stage. Isn't this what kids dream of when they begin playing the game? Down in the bottom of the 9th, up against a fearsome closer, and your team needs you to come through. Gibson begins to foul off pitches and he looks almost pitiful. You can see the pain on his face as he grimaces with each swing. The count comes down to 3-2. Then magic happens....
Gibson catches a pitch that Eckersley leaves out over the plate and lifts it into the Los Angeles night. As the arc of the ball heads for the Dodger Stadium bleachers, the crowd is already in pandemonium. Vin Scully's voice is seared in the memory of every baseball fan as he exclaims, "I don't believe what I just saw!" Gibson limps around the base and pulls out an immortal fist pump as he rounds second. The Dodgers win the game 5-4 and go on to win the Series in 5. What a scene.

I know, I know. It was only a 5 game series, but if you ask any baseball fan about the Top 10 moments of the last 25-50 years, that moment has to be on the list.