70's sporting events

By the end of 1976, there were 25,000 Betamax recorders in the U.S. I'm surprised that no recording has surfaced of the great Raiders-Patriots playoff game from that year. Other sporting events from that early home video era, which I would love to discover, are a 1977 Monday Night Baseball game with Mark Fidrych dominating the Yankees, like he did the year before in a game which does exist. ABC didn't save every game and the 1977 one was one they didn't. I also remember another great Monday Night game, not sure of the year, between the Reds and Cardinals, with Al Hrabosky coming in with the bases loaded, no one out and the heart of the Reds order coming up and he retired them all. Another one ABC wiped.

Home recording started even earlier, going back to 1965, with CV, EIAJ and UMatic machines, not to mention Cartrivision. I would have thought more rarities would have surfaced but I guess the people who were rich enough to own those things aren't around in the trading mainstream. I also shudder to think of how many one of a kind recordings were tossed out by heirs who hadn't a clue as to what they had.

 

We all got very lucky when they found game 7 of the 1960 world series in the Bing Crosby wine cellar. NBC was the worst culprit of not saving sporting events. the 1973 AFC Championship was saved due to CBS recording the NBC feed for (apparently) highlights for their NFC broadcasts. Tapes were so expensive prior to the 80's that saving a home recorded sports event was kind of rare. I feel very lucky with what has come out!

 

Orr was famous for those swan dives (the Flyers' Rick Macleish was another) , and always pitched a fit when he didn't get the call.