Infinite Inning 112 The Championship Huggers of '81

Jason Turbow (“The Baseball Codes” and “Dynastic, Bombastic, Fantastic”) discusses the 1981 Los Angeles Dodgers as portrayed in his new book “They Bleed Blue.” Plus, forgotten All-Stars remembered and wild pitching appreciated. TABLE OF CONTENTSEveryone Has a Special Anniversary (Len Barker Makes the All-Star Team)*Dolly Gray Goes Wild*Jason Turbow: Why the 1981 Dodgers?*What the Dodgers Did Right, Not What the Yankees Did Wrong*The Longest-Running Infield*Steve Garvey Against Davey Lopes in the ’81 Strike*Steve Garvey Against the World*Reggie Smith, Unknown Great*Young Dave Stewart*Tommy Lasorda in Retrospect*Wise Words from Dusty’s Dad*Lasorda’s Broken Aces*What Was Fernandomania?*Al Campanis’s Pre-Nightline Racism*”Coconut Snatching” and Pedro Guerrero*The Guerrero/Sax Anecdote*The Sneaky Way to Publish a 300,000-Word MS*Rick Sutcliffe vs. The Frank Sinatra Wall*The Dave Kingman Footnote*Goodbyes.The Infinite Inning is not only about baseball but a state of mind. Steven Goldman, rotating cohosts Jesse Spector, Cliff Corcoran, and David Roth, and occasional guests discuss the game’s present, past, and future with forays outside the foul lines to the culture at large. Expect stats, anecdotes, digressions, explorations of writing and fandom, and more Casey Stengel quotations than you thought possible. Along the way, they’ll try to solve the puzzle that is the Infinite Inning: How do you find the joy in life when you can’t get anybody out?