It’s not everyday when an elite athlete discovers that his Performance Enhancing Drug of choice is going to be LSD. Uh huh, that old athletic-enhancer standby Lysergic acid diethylamide. But Dock Ellis, former MLB pitcher, made that discovery on June 12, 1970. I say discovered, for, from the sound of things, it seems Ellis didn’t know he was going to be pitching on the day he was still flying the friendly skies on a couple tabs (plus a few Bennies -- hey, it was the 70s). But Ellis definitely did pitch that day. He hit some batters, walked eight of them, and just happened to pitch a no hitter. Folks, there’s plenty of things to be famous for in this world of ours, but it’s the rare dude indeed who gets to say “pitched a No-No on LSD.” This feat has inspired a few songs. Todd Snider, a born chronicler of such an event if there ever was one, recently told the tale with “America’s Favorite Pastime.”
Todd Snider - America’s Favorite Pastime [buy]
But Ellis’ moment in the LSD Sun also inspired this wicked video by one James Blagden, with Ellis providing the voiceover and uttering the eternal lines "the next day...which I thought was the next day." Hat-tip to Odie for turning me on to this one.
That's Rufus serving-up the funk:
Rufus Thomas - (Do The) Push and Pull [buy]
And as if that’s not enough for one career, Ellis could also make the claim to be probably the only MLB pitcher who actually tried to hit every batter he faced one day at the ballpark (beaning Pete Rose & Joe Morgan in the process), just to prove a point to a teammate. Hey, it was the 70s.
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