May 15, 2001

12:11 PM

Doc Ellis Says He Pitched 1970 No-Hitter Under The Influence of LSDFrom the article: "It was the highpoint in the baseball career of one of the finer pitchers of his time, and arguably, one of the greatest achievements in the history of sports." Damn right! I wonder if there are any other drug-induced accomplishments in modern history that have been kept a secret.
posted by Karl (19 comments total)

When the Funny Times printed this (11/00, p. 16) the report included the sentence: "Every time he threw the fastball it left a cometlike trail to the plate, so he zeroed in on the catcher's glove."
posted by LeLiLo at 12:22 PM on May 15, 2001

A biography of Doc Ellis, along with a more detailed report of his no-hitter, is available from the Cosmic Baseball Association.
posted by waxpancake at 12:29 PM on May 15, 2001

FYI. The band MonoPuff has a song called "What Bothers the Spaceman" about Ellis and former Red Sox pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee.
posted by jpoulos at 12:30 PM on May 15, 2001

I remember a comic on the old Comedy Tonight show doing a routine about this guy. A couple of great lines:

"It's really easy to pitch a no-hitter when your glove is telling you what pitch to throw next"

"I knew I could throw a strike if I could just get the ball past that giant purple lizard."

From my own acid experiences, I am surprised he didn't just get interested in something else and wander off the field.
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:31 PM on May 15, 2001

Also the SF Seals (Matador) had a cd-ep called Baseball Trilogy. A cover of Joltin' Joe, The Ballad of Denny McLain, and Dock Ellis. The song is amazing, very psychedelic.
posted by Razzle Bathbone at 12:35 PM on May 15, 2001

Not for nothing, but I'd be willing to believe Bill Buckner was smoking something that fateful day in 1986. But, you know, just for my sanity.
posted by MarkAnd at 12:46 PM on May 15, 2001

Sports on acid = fun, as long as you dont hurt yourself. I recommend basketball.
posted by Hackworth at 1:01 PM on May 15, 2001

But wait, I thought all drug users were losers? How could someone on drugs accomplish anything? Hmmm..
posted by Doug at 1:13 PM on May 15, 2001

Does it mean that all those steroids happily used by professional athletes are, like, useless? No way...
posted by matteo at 1:13 PM on May 15, 2001

I played goalie in a rec league floor hockey game on LSD once. It was Halloween, and I wasn't going to wait until after the game was over at 10:00 to drop, or I'd be buzzing into the morning.

Every time the puck came near me, I would scream to the defense, "GET IT OUT, GET IT OUT...GET IT OUT!"

We won 4-1. I had Led Zeppelin "Kashmir" in my head all game.
posted by msacheson at 1:46 PM on May 15, 2001 [1 favorite]

Back in debate, drugs were a constant companion. There is a story of a prominent team that was debating on mushrooms. During one of the speeches, the speaker turned to his partner and asked what to do about the little men that were crawling over his flow (flow=debate notes). His partner helpfully advised him to sweep off the men with his hand. He did so, and continued to speak. This team won the round.

Oh, and drugs? We should ban them! And baseball, if you can play at the same time.
posted by norm at 1:56 PM on May 15, 2001

wasn't diego maradona's entire career done on coke?
posted by elsar at 1:57 PM on May 15, 2001

Insert Dubya Joke Here.
posted by DiplomaticImmunity at 2:07 PM on May 15, 2001

Isn't it the Mets which have their winter training facility in Port St. Lucie in the Sky With Diamonds?
posted by ParisParamus at 2:11 PM on May 15, 2001

I also love that the next MeFi post is about mind control
posted by elsar at 2:45 PM on May 15, 2001

Ruben Bolling on Dock Ellis and more. My favorite bit bears quoting here:

"The N.Y. Mets' name is derived from the word 'metropolitan.'

"The N.Y. Yankees' name is short for 'Yankees suck'."
posted by rodii at 3:45 PM on May 15, 2001

Wow. This just proves 3 things.

1) Drugs aren't that bad.
2) Baseball is pathetic.
3) The San Diego Padres suck.
posted by GrooveJedi at 6:50 PM on May 15, 2001

GrooveJedi: how do you accept the second and third unless you deny the first?
posted by techgnollogic at 7:40 PM on May 15, 2001

I think any of the three are sufficient.

I also think (3) goes without saying. (But don't listen to me--I'm a *Tigers* fan, for Christ's sake.)
posted by rodii at 8:49 PM on May 15, 2001