When Bobby Douglass decided to bear down on a baseball career
When Justin Fields broke Bobby Douglass' single-season record for most rushing yards by a Bears quarterback, it brought back memories of afternoons watching the Bears on TV or listening to Jack Brickhouse's radio play-by-play - interspersed by an occasional, "That's right, Jack," from broadcast partner Irv Kupcinet.
The Bears were far from impressive on the field in those days - and, considering their current media dominance, it is astonishing to recall that the team had home games blacked out because they didn't sell out.
Fans of the 1970s Bears still have flashbacks of Douglass running in the wrong direction, desperately trying to avoid getting sacked.
Douglass played with the Bears from 1969 until 1975, when, in October, the San Diego Chargers claimed him off waivers. The Chargers then put Douglass' former teammate Virgil Carter on waivers.
By 1979, his football career over, Douglass was still scrambling, this time considering a foray into major league baseball.
White Sox owner Bill Veeck decided to take a chance on the 32-year-old southpaw QB, who asked for a tryout, during which he impressed Sox Vice President Roland Hemond, manager Don Kessinger and pitching coach Ron Schueler with a fastball that reached 95 miles per hour.
Sports pundits opined that Douglass would no longer have to hurl a ball 60 yards. All he would need to do is throw it 60 feet. The question was whether he would be any more accurate hitting a catcher's mitt than he had a receiver's hands.
Veeck said at the time, "If he throws the baseball more accurately than he throws the football, he'll be in great shape."
Veeck reminded reporters that when he was working for the Cubs in 1936, Bears fullback John "Bull" Doehring tried out with the team in Los Angeles during spring training. But although Doehring could throw a football 60 yards behind his back, he couldn't get a baseball within four feet of home plate.
The White Sox announced on July 12, 1979 that they signed Douglass and assigned him to the AAA Iowa Oaks, managed by Tony La Russa.
"We couldn't have gotten Douglass at a better time," La Russa said. "We just released Pablo Torrealba, and I told Roland I'd like another left-hander in the bullpen."
It wasn't Douglass' first contact with baseball. As a teenager in El Dorado, Kansas, he gained the notice of scouts with a 23-2 record in American Legion baseball.
Douglass didn't have to wait long to make his debut. In a July 15 game against Denver in Des Moines, La Russa brought him in to relieve starter Bart Johnson in the seventh inning with the score tied 5-5, a man on second, no one out and future Japanese baseball slugger Randy Bass at the dish.
The crowd of 1,885 patrons greeted Douglass with a standing ovation and cheered enthusiastically after he blew a called strike past Bass, but he walked Bass on a 3-2 pitch.
After retiring the next two hitters, he yielded a walk to load the bases and then gave up a 3-run double.
In three innings of work, he surrendered 5 runs, 3 hits and 8 walks.
After a solid outing against Oklahoma City on July 28, in which he threw 2 innings and only gave up an unearned run, Douglass was placed on the temporary inactive list from Aug. 1 to Aug. 11 so the team could take a look at pitcher Britt Burns. He then left the team on Aug. 16 on business, organizing the development of an apartment project in Normal, Illinois, but returned in the last weekend in August.
Veeck told the press, "I don't think there is any possibility at all," when asked if Douglass had a chance for a September call up.
By that time, Veeck had tabbed La Russa to replace Kessinger as Sox manager, and Douglass and new manager Joe Sparks could never get on the same page.
Douglass was upbeat.
"It's been a good experience. It's been very enjoyable, with the exception of not throwing 15 or 20 more innings. Even the traveling has been enjoyable." He even said he might play winter ball.
In the end, Douglass' pro pitching career amounted to four games, with no decisions, 7 innings pitched, 13 walks, no strikeouts, 6 hits and a 9.00 ERA.
On the positive side, there were no sacks.