August 10, 1978: A newspaper strike shuts down New York City's 3 major newspapers until November 5. It was a multi-union strike: Not just the reporters, but the paperhandlers, machinists keeping the presses literally rolling, and the mechanics and drivers for the delivery trucks. Over 10,000 employees were out.
Wages were not the main issue. When the strike was settled, the union won some concessions in benefits, while management eliminated some overtime. Both sides could legitimately claim victory.
The fact that there were fewer reporters to bother them, and to complain to (although there were still TV and radio guys), is often credited as being one of the reasons the New York Yankees made their epic comeback and won the World Series.
Unlike with the 1962-63 strike that immediately killed the New York Mirror (a tabloid), and led by 1966 to the deaths of the Herald Tribune, the Journal-American, and the World-Telegram & Sun (all broadsheets), all 3 major New York dailies survived the strike. The broadsheet Times was as strong as ever. The tabloids, the Daily News and the Post, would each have their problems over the next few years, and each almost went out of business at least once, but have survived.
I've often said that the Times is the face that New York City prefers to show to the rest of the world, the Daily News is the face the City prefers to show to itself, and the Post is a face that only a mother could love.
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August 10, 1978 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-0 at Yankee Stadium. Ron Guidry pitched a 3-hit shutout, with only a double by Robin Yount, and singles by Yount and Dick Davis. He advanced to 16-2 on the season. He would finish 25-3 -- 27-3 counting the postseason. Reggie Jackson did not play. Chris Chambliss went 3-for-4 with a walk and 4 RBIs.
* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 6-5 at Fenway Park in Boston. Andre Thornton had singled home the go-ahead run in the top of the 13th inning. But then, just after he giveth, Thornton taketh away: His error on a Butch Hobson grounder to start the bottom of the 13th led to another error on the same play, allowing Hobson to come all the way around to score. George Scott doubled, Gary Hancock pinch-ran for him, and Rick Burleson singled Hancock home.
On July 20, the Red Sox had led the Yankees by 14 games. After this game, their lead was 7 1/2. The Yankees would tie them on September 10, and they would finish in a tie for the American League Eastern Division title. The Yankees would win a Playoff, then the Pennant, and finally the World Series.
* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 3-1 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Mike Schmidt went 1-for-3 with an RBI. The Pirates' only run came on a home run by Dave Parker. Willie Stargell went 1-for-4.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-2 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Ken Singleton hit a home run, and Eddie Murray went 1-for-4.
* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Chicago White Sox, 7-3 at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.
* The San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds, 15-3 at San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Gene Tenace went 3-for-5 with a home run and 5 RBIs. Dave Winfield went 1-for-3 with 2 walks. Pete Rose went 2-for-4. Johnny Bench only appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 12-2 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
* And the California Angels beat the Oakland Athletics, 16-5 at the Oakland Coliseum. Lyman Bostock went 3-for-4 with a walk and 5 RBIs. Having finished 2nd in the American League batting race to this then-teammate, Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins, he was looking like a superstar in the making. Just 45 days later, he was dead.
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