1982 World Series Teams
I have no frame of reference for the 1982 World Series, since it occurred several years before I was born. But a trivial matter such as not yet being alive can’t stop our decade-by-decade look back at the World Series teams from years ending in 2. So here is a Fantasy Astrology-themed look at the victorious St. Louis Cardinals and the American League Champion (yes, you read that right) Milwaukee Brewers.
The 1982 Cardinals lineup quite literally started and ended with Capricorn. Left fielder Lonnie Smith had the most games batting leadoff, although the NL MVP runner-up split his time fairly evenly between the one and two spots in the order. Batting eighth is Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, although his value was mostly defensive in nature: 1982 was year three in a streak of 13 consecutive seasons where Ozzie won a Gold Glove award. Capricorn also provided the World Champs with their number two starter Bob Forsch, younger brother of Ken, a Virgo. And don’t forget another Hall of Famer, closer Bruce Sutter, who in 1982 led the league in saves for the fourth consecutive season. It’s worth mentioning the catcher Darrell Porter was also a Capricorn, but he didn’t make the starting lineup thanks to White Sox backstop Carlton Fisk.
St. Louis also had two Libra starters in their lineup, although Gold Glove first baseman Keith Hernandez and right fielder George Hendrick hit in consecutive spots in the batting order. Actually, Hendrick wouldn’t make the starting nine if we were going by positional eligibility rules: I have him cheated into center field between Dave Winfield and Brian Downing, with another first baseman Al Oliver as the DH. The unquestioned ace of the pitching staff was Joaquin Andujar, a Sagittarius who came over from Houston in a 1981 midseason trade. Like Capricorn, Leo provided two pitchers: dedicated reliever Doug Bair (63 games, all out of the bullpen) and Dave LaPoint, who had an even split between starts and relief appearances, with 21 each. Rounding out the Fantasy Astrology relevant players is Aries second baseman Tom Herr, who flip-flopped with Lonnie Smith in the top two spots of the order.
It's crazy just how many of Milwaukee’s 1982 Fantasy Astrology contributors came in pairs. Leo gave the Brewers leadoff hitting third baseman Paul Molitor and cleanup hitting catcher Ted Simmons. Virgo provided AL MVP shortstop Robin Yount and All-Star closer Rollie Fingers. Sagittarius had sluggers Cecil Cooper and Gorman Thomas at first base and in center field, respectively (although only Cooper won a Silver Slugger award). Aquarius split the offensive and pitching line with Ben Oglivie in left field and innings leader Mike Caldwell in the rotation. And Taurus chimed in with two pitchers of their own: Bob McClure and Moose Haas, who would battle each other for the fifth spot in the Bulls rotation.
What’s crazy is that Scorpio, the top-scoring Fantasy Astrology sign in 1982, didn’t have a single key player represented in the 1982 World Series. Even though I highlighted starting pitcher Pete Vuckovich in Scorpion colors, he didn’t make the Stingers’ starting five: his 1,610 points actually placed SEVENTH among Scorpio starters. Rounding things out, Charlie Moore was Milwaukee’s primary right fielder, but he spent enough time backing up Simmons to qualify as the top Cancer Crabs catcher. And Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton was acquired from Houston on August 30th, but the Aries ace couldn’t help the Brewers take home the first World Series title in franchise history – a milestone the club is still reaching for to this day.