Royals, Giants World Series: Where Were You in 1985? MLB Network Stars Remember
We all know the story by now—the Kansas City Royals are about to play in their first World Series game in 29 years tonight.
And while this should have every sports fan excited about the possibility of one of the biggest underdog stories in recent memory ending happily, it also got me thinking about where some people in sports were back in 1985.
I got the chance to ask a few of MLB Network's personalities that exact question, so see what they—and a few other stars—were doing back when the Royals last played in the Fall Classic.
Sean Casey
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After a 12-year MLB career that saw him bat .302 and make three All-Star appearances—including a .529 clip in the 2006 World Series with the Detroit Tigers—Sean Casey moved to MLB Network as a studio back when he retired in 2009.
But where was he all the way back in 1985?
He was just 11 years old, joking to be limiting his ability to steal bases in Little League because he was eating too much pizza and McDonald’s cheeseburgers.
Looks like pizza and burgers really is the breakfast of champions.
Bo Jackson
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While former two-sport star Bo Jackson may have hoped to lead the Kansas City Royals to a World Series much earlier than 2014—Bo played for K.C from 1986-90—he was accepting a different honor in 1985.
That's because Bo, who was still bulldozing over defenders on the gridiron, had just won the Heisman Trophy in 1985 after a stellar season for the Auburn Tigers.
Heidi Watney
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Heidi Watney is a reporter who has been seen covering Kansas City Royals game for MLB Network during this postseason—and posting some very cool, behind-the-scenes photos on Instagram in the process.
She was a far cry from the dugouts of a baseball field in 1985, though, as she was just four years old and claiming to likely be mastering her ABC’s and playing dress up with her sister.
Now she's dressing up and getting the best seat to the biggest baseball games on the planet; not a bad gig.
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Brian Kenny
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The current host of MLB Network's studio show, MLB Now, Brian Kenny has been seen on the airwaves for quite some time over the past couple decades.
But before he could ever imagine being on-air at a major network, Kenny was just starting out in his broadcasting career, working as a 22-year-old sportscaster at WLIG-TV 55 in Riverhead, New York, claiming that he had a bad mustache from the '70s and bad hair.
He hadn’t read Bill James yet—who is the statistical mad man of baseball—and, because of that, Kenny joked he was a lost soul.
Bruce Bochy
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He may be being mentioned as the best postseason manager in MLB history—taking his San Francisco Giants to their third World Series in five seasons—but Bruce Bochy was still behind the plate back in 1985.
That's because Bochy was playing catcher for the San Diego Padres 29 years ago, coming off a 1985 season in which he hit six home runs, drove in 13 RBI and batted .268 in part-time duty for the Padres.
Who would have thought he would be going for his third World Series ring as a manager this year back then?
Matt Vasgersian
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The host of MLB Tonight, Matt Vasgersian gives the daily skinny on everything baseball related.
And while he's a big-timer now, he wasn't back in 1985, as he had just graduated high school and was an 18-year-old just looking for a job—which ended up being a part-time gig at the local Shell gas station.
It turned into a full-time job not too long after, joking that when the mechanics would leave at 5:00 p.m. each day, he would crank up the Sammy Hagar tunes and prank call the gas station across the street so the guy who was working by himself would always be running between the phone and the pumps—all while eating our weight in pizza.
It seems like Matt has come a long way since those days.
Greg Holland
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Want to really put into perspective how long ago it was that the Kansas City Royals last made the World Series? Their current closer, Greg Holland, was born three weeks after they celebrated with champagne in their locker room.
Born on November 20, 1985, the Series ended on October 27 of that year.
After saving 46 games for the Royals this season, I'm sure Holland is looking forward to the chance to be on the bump for the final out of another Kansas City title this time around.
Al Leiter
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A two-time World Series champion with the Toronto Blue Jays and Florida Marlins, former 19-year pitching veteran Al Leiter knows a thing or two about memorable postseason performances.
In 1985, Leiter could only dream of earning a World Series ring one day, though, as he was still just a 20-year-old minor league pitcher who had dreams of the majors.
In that same year, after being demoted from the High-A Ft. Lauderdale New York Yankees to the Oneonta Yankees of the New York-Penn League, Leiter pitched for current Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter in his Buck's first season as a pro manager.
All the team did was win the championship that year—which is Buck’s only championship so far in his managerial career.
Kevin Millar
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Best known as his dubbing of the 2004 Boston Red Sox as "The Idiots," Kevin Millar is proving he's anything but, sharing his knowledge as a co-host on Intentional Talk on MLB Network.
Winning the World Series with those same Red Sox to end the 86-year Curse of the Bambino was one of the best memories in sports history, but what was he doing back before he could imagine he would be a part of that great team?
Millar was just 14 years old and still attending Hart High School in California, which, ironically, is the same high school that current Kansas City Royals pitcher James Shields went to.
Not starting his freshman year on the JV baseball team, his career was in question.
All he has to do is flash his World Series ring to prove that he overcame that little hiccup, though.
Michael Jordan
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He would eventually go on to become the greatest hoops player on the planet, but back in 1985, Michael Jordan was nothing more than a second-year player who had just won the league's Rookie of the Year.
After averaging 28.2 points per game in the 1984-85 season, MJ found himself on the bench a lot more during the 1985-86 season—but not because of poor performance.
It was rather due to a broken foot that he sustained just 18 games into that regular season.
John Smoltz
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One of the most unique pitchers in MLB history—recording over 200 career wins and saving another 150-plus games in his 21 seasons—former pitcher John Smoltz will likely find himself in the Hall of Fame soon.
For now, though? He's an analyst for the MLB Network, giving his insight thanks to a successful run with the Atlanta Braves in the '90s, which ended with one World Series ring.
But in 1985, Smoltz was just getting his professional career underway, as he was drafted in the 22nd round by the Detroit Tigers at age 18.
He thinks he should have gone higher, but I'd say it turned out just fine for him.
Peter Gammons
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One of the premier baseball journalists in our lifetime, Peter Gammons is not only a Hall of Fame award winner thanks to his contributions to the sport, but he remains to be just as impactful now than ever before.
An insider for the MLB Network, Gammons has seemingly seen it all.
In 1985, Gammons was a 40-year-old reporter who remembers the day leading up to Game 7 of the 1985 World Series at Royals Stadium quite vividly.
About an hour before each game, former St. Louis Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog would let Gammons, Rick Hummel and John Lowe in to the back door of his office. With the Cards just losing the Don Denkinger game just 21 hours earlier, he left Whitey’s office, overhearing the manager say, “Gentleman, we’re screwed.”
Turns out Herzog was right, as the Cardinals lost to the Royals 11-0 in Game 7 later that day.
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