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The '78 crew was a volatile brew by Ron Fimrite Posted: Fri September 25, 1998 Comparing the Yankees of today with their World Series champion predecessors of 20 years ago is not so much a matter of apples and oranges as it is of fine wine and sour grapes. This is not to say that the 1978 Yanks were that much inferior to the present model. On the contrary, the Yanks of yore had a distinct advantage in at least two key positions—catcher and third base—and they weren't far behind in several others. No, what most profoundly separates the old from the new is what we now call "chemistry."
The Yankees of two decades ago, in sharp contrast, were notable exceptions to the "we-are-family" team concept then very much in vogue. Seeking to define the differences between the Yanks of that era and those contemporaries awash in brotherly love, I once wrote, "The Yankees, too, are a family. A family like the Macbeths, the Borgias and the Bordens of Fall Creek, Massachusetts." This dysfunctional family was overseen by not one but two managers; Bob Lemon replaced Billy Martin in July after Billy had injudiciously described both his boss, George Steinbrenner, and his star player, Reggie Jackson, as liars. Under Lemon, the team won 48 of its last 68 regular-season games, including a memorable single-game playoff with the Red Sox, en route to victories in the League Championship Series and the World Series. So today's perfect chemistry isn't the only formula that works. Anyway, for the sake of argument, let's compare the lineups of these distant cousins:
CATCHER: A clear edge for Thurman Munson of the '78 team over Joe Girardi and Jorge Posada of '98. Munson died in a plane crash the following August; this would be his last full season. He made it a good one, hitting .297 and fielding his position brilliantly. ADVANTAGE: 1978
FIRST BASE: Tino Martinez hits with much more power (28 homers) and drives in many more runs (123) than his '78 counterpart, Chris Chambliss (12 HRs, 90 RBIs). ADVANTAGE: 1998
SECOND BASE: A tough call. Chuck Knoblauch is an effective leadoff hitter (.265, 31 steals). But Willie Randolph (.279, 36 steals)—the '98 team's third-base coach—is one of the all-time Yankees. SLIGHT ADVANTAGE: 1978
THIRD BASE: Scott Brosius (.300, 19 HRs, 98 RBIs) is having a career year for the current Yanks, but Graig Nettles (.276, 27 HRs, 93 RBIs) was one of the great fielders at his position and a dangerous power hitter. ADVANTAGE: 1978
SHORTSTOP: No comparison here. Derek Jeter is a superstar; Bucky Dent definitely was not, even though he'll go down in Yankee lore for his playoff homer that beat Boston. ADVANTAGE: 1998
LEFT FIELD: The '78 Yanks had Lou Piniella (.314) out there most of the time. I'll give him the edge over the '98 team's committee of Chad Curtis, Tim Raines and Darryl Strawberry. ADVANTAGE: 1978
CENTER FIELD: Bernie Williams is another modern superstar. Mickey Rivers was colorful and quotable. ADVANTAGE: 1998
RIGHT FIELD: In an upset, I'll take Paul O'Neill (.317, 24 HRs, 116 RBIs) over Hall of Famer Jackson (.274, 27 HRs, 97 RBIs) on the basis of this year alone. The modern player is having one of his finest all-around seasons, and Reggie spent part of '78 as a designated hitter. ADVANTAGE: 1998
DESIGNATED HITTER: I'll call this one even. The Yanks of now have a committee, the Yanks of then had Jackson, Cliff Johnson and Jim Spencer. NO ADVANTAGE
STARTING PITCHING: Ron Guidry had a season for the ages in 1978—25-3, 1.74 ERA, 16 complete games, nine shutouts, 248 strikeouts in 274 innings. Behind him were Ed Figueroa, a 20-game winner for the first and only time in his career; an aging Catfish Hunter (12-6), rookie Jim Beattie (6-9) and Dick Tidrow (7-11). The '98 team has much greater depth with perfect gamer David Wells, David Cone, Orlando Hernandez, Hideki Irabu, Andy Petitte and Ramiro Mendoza. Guidry aside, I'll take the moderns. ADVANTAGE: 1998
RELIEF PITCHING: The 1978 righty-lefty combination of Goose Gossage (27 saves) and Sparky Lyle (9 saves) was hard to beat. Mariano Rivera (36 saves) is having a fine season as closer, but the oldies have the edge here. ADVANTAGE: 1978
MANAGER: Martin was among the best when he got interested, but he didn't last the season in '78. Torre has staying power. ADVANTAGE: 1998
That's a pretty even finish in the balloting—six categories for the 1998 squad, and five for 1978. I'd still have to say the Ninety-Eighters could be counted on to win anytime Guidry wasn't pitching. But we'll never know, will we?
Sports Illustrated special contributor Ron Fimrite was the magazine's lead baseball writer during the '78 Yankees' championship run.
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