TAKING A TRIP TO THE COUNTRY OF DOCK ELLIS

Well, June 12 came and went, and other than an agate filler notation in
"This Date in Baseball, the 33rd anniversary of Dock Ellis' unique no-hitter
went unnoticed.

And that's a shame.

The facts of Ellis' no-hitter are as follows:

It was one of 13 victories for Ellis in 1970, and one of 138 victories in a
12-year career that included 71 complete games, 14 shutouts and two World
Series appearances.

Ellis was a right-hander for the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching the first game
of a twi-night doubleheader at San Diego against the Padres.

His first pitch landed 5 feet in front of home plate.

The Pirates won, 2-0, on two solo homers by Willie Stargell.

Ellis walked eight and hit two batters, making it one of the sloppiest,
least-dominating no-hitters.

The legend of Ellis' no-hitter is as follows:

On the morning of the game, he was in Los Angeles, thinking it was a day
off; his team was in San Diego.

He didn't know he was pitching that day until his female companion saw his
name among the probable starters in that day's newspaper.

He pitched the no-hitter under the influence of lysergic acid diethyiamide,
the hallucinogen commonly known as LSD.

The game was one of 345 in which Ellis pitched in the big leagues, none of
which he did sober, although the no-hitter was the only one he pitched while
"tripping."

At least that's what he claimed, 10 years after his retirement, in his
autobiography, "Dock Ellis in the Country of Baseball."

Although Ellis' revelation of his trip-induced no-hitter gained him an
enduring, oddly warm and humorous cult status among trivia aficionados, his
book, published in 1989 when he was clean and sober and working as a drug
counselor, hardly made a mainstream ripple.

Contrast that with David Wells' autobiography, published earlier this year,
in which the claim that he was suffering from a severe hangover when he
pitched a perfect game for the New York Yankees against the Minnesota Twins
on May 17, 1998, made the portly southpaw -- if not cuddly and amusing -- a
celebrity.

Maybe that's because we live in trashier, tabloid-driven times.

Maybe it's because Wells is white and Ellis is black.

Maybe it's because Wells' moment of glory came in the House That Ruth Built,
and Ellis' came as a Pirate in the House That Ray Kroc Would Later Rent,
although Ellis also pitched for the Yankees.

Or maybe it's because it's politically incorrect to celebrate the drug
culture of the late '60s and early '70s; but the consumption (or
overconsumption) of alcohol, promoted by the cozier-than-ever relationship
between beer companies' sponsorship and Major League Baseball, is true-blue,
red-blooded, all-American entertainment.

Ellis' moment of glory also speaks to something few baseball fans want to
admit: No-hitters are overrated, as evidenced by the fact that most need a
ton of luck rather than singular achievement, and the vast majority are
accomplished by mediocre or even less-than-mediocre pitchers.

Sure, there are 14 no-hitters among Hall of Famers Bob Feller (3), Sandy
Koufax (4) and Nolan Ryan (7), and several all-time greats have thrown
no-hitters (although most haven't), but a list of no-hitters, including
perfect games, will also reveal the less-than-renowned names of Clyde
Wright, Milt Pappas, Dick Bosman, Ed Halicki, John Montefusco, Mike Witt,
Don Larsen, Mike Warren, Len Barker ... believe me, the list of no-name
no-hit pitchers goes on and on.

All that aside, Ellis still deserves special mention.

You don't have to condone drug use to marvel at Ellis' accomplishment. After
all, it's not like he used something designed to enhance athletic
performance. LSD's guru, the late Timothy Leary, told people to tune in,
turn on and drop out, but it's unlikely he recommended the throwing of
fastballs and curves.