RobKirkpatrick.com

Hendrix Pinacle Concert poster by John Van Hamersveld

John Van Hamersveld's ENDLESS SUMMER design

If you’re going to be in Las Vegas on Friday night, stop into the Freemont Street Experience, where I’ll be signing copies of 1969: The Year Everything Changed at John Van Hamersveld’s Hippie Nation Gallery & Records, on Friday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

This event is part of the FSE’s summerlong promotion, “Summer of ‘69: Vegas or Bust!”  Go to vegasexperience.com for more info, or vanhamersveldmuseumofart.com to learn more about the famed artist.

- Rob

Wednesday, July 23, 1969

The top players from the National and American Leagues squared off in the All-Star Game at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.

Centerfielder Matty Alou got the National Leaguers started by leading off the game with a single and later scored on an error by leftfielder Frank Howard.

In the top of the second, the Senior Circuit increased its lead when Mets leftfielder Cleon Jones singled and Johnny Bench followed with a 2-run homer off AL starter Mel Stottlemyre.

Howard, the hometown hero, got the American League on the board with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning, but the NL answered back with a 5-run outburst against A’s pitcher “Blue Moon” Odom. Hank Aaron singled with no outs and Willie McCovey sent one over the fence. Felix Millan doubled in 2 runs and then scored when starting pitcher Steve Carlton surprised everybody by smacking a double, chasing Odom from the game.

Bill Freehan smacked a home run for the American League in the home third, and Willie McCovey responded with his second home run in the two innings.

Freehan notched an RBI single in the 4th. The pitching staffs from both teams took over at that point, and the National League cruised to a 9-3 victory.

Cleon Jones had a 2-for-4 night, and Mets teammate Jerry Koosman pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Cubs third baseman Ron Santo went 0 for 3.

NL 9, AL 3.  W: Carlton  L: Stottlemyre  SV: P. Niekro

STARTING LINEUP

NL

CF Alou (PIT)

SS Kessinger (CHI)

RF Aaron (ATL)

1B McCovey (SF)

3B Santo (CHI)

LF Jones (NYM)

C  Bench (CIN)

2B Millan (ATL)

P  Carlton (STL)

AL

2B Carew (MIN)

CF Jackson (OAK)

RF F. Robinson (BAL)

1B Powell (BAL)

LF Howard (WAS)

3B Bando (OAK)

SS Petrocelli (BOS)

C  Freehan (DET)

P  Stottlemyre (NYY)

A quick thanks to John Hancock of WBT 1110 AM/99.3 FM in Charlotte, North Carolina, for having me on this evening.  I think we had a good spot.  Here’s the link to John’s page: http://hancock.wbt.com/

- Rob

That giant leap made by NASA and the brave astronauts of Apollo 11 – Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins – happened 40 years ago today.

Here’s a link to a priceless mission transcript on the Kennedy Space Center site: http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/apollo/apollo-11/apollo-11.html 

Here’s a special New York Times feature on “Readers’ Moon Memories”: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/07/15/science/space/20090715moon-readers_index.html

And below are a couple of cover stories on the moon landing, one real, one fake.  One could argue the fake one more accurately depicts the dizzying achievement of Apollo 11.

And, of course, the moon landing is placed within the context of the times in my book 1969: The Year Everything Changed, now available at a Barnes and Noble near you…

- Rob

Sunday, July 20, 1969

A 3-run inning in the 4th was Gary Gentry’s undoing as the Expos took the first game of a doubleheader from the Mets. Tommie Agee drove in both New York runs with a single in the 2nd.

In the second game, Ron Swoboda doubled and moved to third on an error with two outs in the tenth inning, and then he scored the go-ahead run on pinch-hitter Bobby Pfeil’s bunt single. Starter Don Cardwell gave up just 1 earned run in 7 1/3 innings, but Ron Taylor blew a save chance in the 9th by surrendering a home run to Coco Laboy.

At the conclusion of the series, the Mets players sat in the airport in Montreal and watched history being made on television, as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 became the first men to walk on the moon.

Expos 3, Mets 2 (1).  W: Wasleswski (2-3)  L: Gentry (9-8)

Mets 4, Expos 3 (2, 10 inn.)  W: DiLauro (1-3)  L: Face (4-2)

***

Fergie Jenkins was dynamite against the Phils, tossing a complete-game shutout and striking out 9. Don Kessinger’s RBI single in the third accounted for the only run.

Dick Selma was nearly just as good in the nightcap, allowing just a single unearned run through 9 innings. Kessinger and Ron Santo each struck 3 hits.

Cubs 1, Phillies 0 (1).  W: Jenkins (13-7)  L: Jackson (9-10)

Cubs 6, Phillies 1 (2).  W: Selma (10-4)  L: Champion (3-5)

***

Saturday, July 19, 1969

Tom Seaver wasn’t his usual self and gave up 4 runs on 7 hits in just 2 innings of work. A pinch-hit 2-RBI single from Ron Swoboda in the 7th brought New York to within 1 run but Bill Stoneman, whose 4 runs allowed were all unearned, held of the Mets for a complete-game victory.

Expos 5, Mets 4.  W: Stoneman (6-12)  L: Seaver (14-5)

***

Deron Johnson had 2 home runs and 4 ribbies as he led his Phillies over the Cubs.

Phillies 5, Cubs 3.  W: Wise (7-8)  L: Hands (11-8)

Friday, July 18, 1969

Art Shamsky and Jerry Grote both homered and drove in 2 runs as the Mets opened a series in Montreal with a win.  Jerry Koosman got the complete-game win, striking out seven.  Tommie Agee also went 2 for 4.

Mets 5, Expos 2.  W: Koosman (8-5)  L: J. Robertson (2-8)

***

Ernie Banks was the hitting star with a home run and 4 RBI as the Cubs pulled away from the host Phillies. Jim Hickman and Randy Hundley also added roundtrippers. Don Young went 3 for 4 and Don Kessinger scored twice. The game was tied 5-5 after 6 but Chicago tallied 4 late runs against the Philadelphia bullpen.

Cubs 9, Phillies 5.  W: Regan (10-5)  L: B. Wilson (2-3)

Wednesday, July 16, 1969

The Mets put up 6 runs in the first two innings and held on for a 9-5 win to take a second series from the Chicago Cubs this month.

New York jumped early on starter Fergie Jenkins, who allowed three straight hits to start the game. Jenkins was charged with 5 runs in just 1 inning of work.

Staked to an early lead, though, ex-Cubs starter Don Cardwell was unable to make it out of the second innings for the Mets. Chicago drew to within 6-5 after 3 innings, but New York’s Cal Koonce righted the ship with 5 scoreless innings in relief, and Ron Taylor added 2 of his own to finish out the game and the series at Wrigley.

Art Shamsky went 3 for 5 with 2 RBI, Tommie Agee had a double and home run, and Cleon Jones went 2 for 5 and scored three times. J.C. Martin has 2 hits and 2 RBI, and Ken Boswell also had 2 hits and an RBI.

The win pulled the Mets back to within 3.5 games of the first-place Cubs.

Mets 9, Cubs 5.  W: Koonce (4-3)  L: Jenkins (12-7)  SV: Taylor (9)

***

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    57   36    1  .613     -
New York Mets                   51   37    0  .580   3.5

I’m pleased to say that 1969: The Year Everything Changed has been picked up for a special sales deal by the History Channel for their web store:

http://shop.history.com/detail.php?p=106101&v=All 

And…I’m told that the History Channel documentary Sex in ‘69, in which I’m interviewed, will air Monday, July 27,  at 9 pm – with the proverbial “check the local listings for the exact time in your area.”

- Rob

There’s a cool review of Magic in the Night by N.Y.C. music writer David Chiu, posted on a blog called Microphone Memory Emotion. My favorite excerpts are: “Kirkpatrick certainly knows Springsteen’s music as if it was on the back of his hand” and “Magic in the Night is an excellent guide to a legendary artist’s catalog so full of personal depth and complexity that it requires some navigating, but in the end yields so many rewards.”  And I especially liked that he cited my joke about The Ghost of Tom Joad and the Grad-School Girl.  You can read the full review at:

http://microphonememoryemotion.wordpress.com/2009/07/15/book-review-magic-in-the-night-the-words-and-music-of-bruce-springsteen/

Tuesday, July 15, 1969

The middle of the New York Mets infield acted like they were hitting in the middle of the Mets lineup today.

Al Weis, New York’s eighth-place hitter who came into the game hitting just .208 with no home runs, lead off the third inning with a single and scored the game’s first run on Tommie Agee’s triple. An inning later, Weis homered over the Wrigley ivy with two on and two outs to give the Mets a 4-1 lead. Second baseman Ken Boswell also had two hits, including a solo shot in the fifth.

The Cubs drew within one run after back-to-back homers from Billy Williams and Ron Santo off starter Gary Gentry with two outs in the eighth, but Ron Taylor came on for a flawless four-out save.

After Taylor retired Jim Qualls for the last out, Mets ace Tom Seaver came out of the dugout and jumped up and clicked his heels together again and again, mocking Santo’s postgame gesture from the previous day.

Mets 5, Cubs 4.  W: Gentry (9-7) L: Selma (9-4)  SV: Taylor (8)

Team Name                        W    L    T   PCT    GB
Chicago Cubs                    57   35    1  .620     -  
New York Mets                   50   37    0  .575   4.5

Monday, July 14, 1969

A three-game series touched off in Wrigley between baseball’s newest rivals, the Mets and Cubs. Tom Seaver, the clear leader among the New York pitching staff, squared off against Bill Hands, arguably the team’s best hurler this season, and both players lived up to their billing. The only run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth, when Don Kessinger reached on a bunt single, advanced to second on Glenn Beckert’s grounder, and scored on a two-out single by Billy Williams.

With two outs in the top of the ninth, J.C. Martin got his second hit of the game off Hands, but Phil Regan came on and got Don Clendenon on a lineout to second, prompting third baseman Ron Santo to jump in the air and click his heels together in celebration.

Cubs 1, Mets 0.  W: Hands (11-7)  L: Seaver (14-4)  SV: Regan (9)

Team Name                        W    L    T     %     GB  
Chicago Cubs                    57   34   1  .626     -  
New York Mets                   49   37    0  .570   5.5