It was July 8, 1977 at Three Rivers Stadium, and the Phillies had rallied to take a 6-3 lead in the seventh inning. Schmidt yelled to Kison, “Next time, I’m coming out there,” and Kison responded “Why wait.”

Schmidt suffered a dislocated finger as a result of the punches thrown, and he would hit 13 homers the rest of the way after his current 25. The finger continued to bother him, and he hit just .063 in the NLCS.

That exchange is among the plethora of others in all the major sports involving an incident or hits that sparked a showdown and bench-clearing brawls.

The recent hit on Trevor Lawrence was most alarming and scary, probably the worst I have seen. I was there covering the game, and the crowd had a collective gasp upon the impact.

In this week’s version of my Yesterday column – reminiscing about sports and pop culture from the 1960s. 70s, 80s and sometimes before and beyond – I’ll take a look at some of the well publicized hits and brawls on the local scene and across the sports world, as well as some boxers who had some “hits.”

Finally ... What happened on the Eagles’ first Monday Game? Did you have the “K.O. Boxing game?” What famous boxer once battled Gorilla Monsoon? And what duo sang about “The Boxer?”

More Bad Bucco Blood ... One of the fiercest rivals in the late 70s and early 80s was between the Phillies and the Pirates, especially when the Phillies rose to power and the Buccos began to sink.

A late May 1980 game in Pittsburgh involved a classic battle.

In the first inning, Pirates’ pitcher Burt Blyleven buzzed a pitch under Schmidt’s chin, and he threw one tight on Greg Luzinski. Two innings later, Blyleven threw a pitch high and tight on Schmidt, who pointed his finger at him. Benches proceeded to empty.

In the sixth inning with Pittsburgh leading 5-3 with two outs, Phillies reliever Kevin Saucier hit Blyleven in the back, who then grabbed the ball and intended to throw it at Saucier before home plate umpire Doug Harvery grabbed his arm.

Things settled temporarily, but then Phils’ bullpen coach Mike Ryan made a beeline for Pirates’ third baseman Bill Madlock. It was a battle royal that saw Larry Bowa suffer an injured jaw. Keith Moreland incurred a bloody nose, Dallas Green gained some shin gashes.

The Phillies won 7-6, and slipped into first place.

The Assassin ... When you hear the nickname “The Assassin,” you should think about Raiders’ safety Jack Tatum, who was known for his brutal hits.

Tatum still has probably the most recognized hit in NFL history in 1978 when he leveled Patriots‘ wide receiver Darryl Stingley, who ran a pattern across the field.

Stingley laid motionless on the ground and suffered a broken neck that led to him becoming a quadriplegic.

What people may forget was that it was an August preseason game when it occurred.

Tatum later had another notable 1979 hit on Houston running back Earl Campbell into his upper chest at the goal line. Campbell was jarred backward, but managed to keep his balance and fall forward into the end zone.

A year later, Tatum ironically played his final season with Houston.

Football Fisticuffs ... In the Eagles’ inaugural Monday Night Football game was against the Giants at Franklin Field in 1970, and there were some end of the game fisticuffs.

Trailing 23-20, Giants’ quarterback Fran Tarkenton went scrambling down the field on the game’s final play, and then tried to lateral backward. However, the Eagles recovered his fumble to win the game.

After some pushing and shoving from linemen on both teams, benches emptied and the crowd rushed the field.

A huge sidebar to the game was Howard Cosell, who was drunk during the fist half and vomited at halftime. Cosell left the game, and took a taxi back to his Manhattan home. The reported cab fare was $92.

It’s a worthwhile watch on YouTube, and Keith Jackson (not Frank Gifford) was the lead man.

The Chiefs and Raiders always had plenty of bad blood between them.

In a 1970 game, the Raiders’ Ben Davidson speared Chiefs’ quarterback Len Dawson in the back with his helmet. That caused a massive brawl in which there were plenty of skirmishes around the field, and a long halt to the game

Check that one also on YouTube.

Another Classic Game ... In 1960, Parker released the “K.O. Boxing Game,” which featured two 14-inch high boxers that you could control. There were two buttons you could push down to throw a left or a right punch, and you could also maneuver the boxers from side-to-side as well as backward and forward.

It was a “neat” game, and you could move the boxers, unlike “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots.” You can find them on eBay for a few hundred dollars. It would be a good Christmas present.

Hitting Concrete ... The hit legendary Eagle Chuck Bednarik laid on the Giants’ Frank Gifford in a November 1960 game at Yankee Stadium was ranked No. 44 on the NFL 100 Greatest Plays. “Concrete Charlie’s” blow knocked Gifford unconscious, and it also kept him out of the game for 18 months.

Gifford returned for the 1962 season, but he wasn’t the same and retired after the season.

Cartoon Timeout ... Peeling through the channels, I stumbled across the vintage cartoon shows of “How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966),” and “Frosty the Snowman (1969) ” on NBC. Even though I first saw them when I was under 10, I still enjoy watching them when I can for a few minutes.

However, I am almost as old as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Think about a show you watched as a kid and see how far off your age is from its debut.

WWF/WWE Wrestling Wrap ... Every week, I’ll recall a former pro grappler from our past.

In keeping with the hard hitting/boxer theme, do you remember when Gorilla Monsoon was in the ring with Muhammad Ali?

It was June 1, 1976 at the old Philadelphia Arena, and Ali was in town to help promote his upcoming bout against martial arts expert Antonio Anoki in Japan at the end of the month. Ali had defeated Richard Dunn in May.

Monsoon had just tossed Baron Mikel Sicluna out of the ring, and Ali, who was seated at ringside, began taunting Monsoon. Soon, he took off his shirt and entered the ring.

In his style, Ali went into his ‘shuffle,’ throwing jabs at the encroaching Monsoon, before the Gorilla grabbed him and gave him an airplane spin several times. Ali was dazed and left the ring.

It proved to be a great stunt, and Ali had another tie with wrestling. He was the guest referee in the first WrestleMania in 1985.

On the Charts ... As far as songs that dealt with fights, how about Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer,” which was released in 1970. It was a deep song about poverty and loneliness, and a true classic.

You can also throw in “Eve of Destruction,” a war protest song by Barry McGuire (1965); “Precious and Few,” a 1972 song by Climax about a soldier spending his precious moments with his wife (in my top 10); and “Kung Fu Fighting,” by Carl Douglas in 1974.

Memory Lane ... Each week, I’ll look back at a former player, manager, head coach, or media personality from our yesterday.

Do you remember Eagles’ center Guy Morris? He was the Birds’ second round pick in the 1973 draft as a lineman from TCU, and was transitioned to a center, where he had 11 productive seasons.

However, the Eagles waived him in March 1984, and he was picked up by New England, where he stayed through the 1987 season.

Morris then embarked on a college coaching career, making head coaching stops at Kentucky, Baylor, and Texas A&M Commerce. Unfortunately, Morris wasn’t successful overall, with a 37-85 mark.

A Kentucky native, Morris was inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame. He passed away at the age of 71 in 2022.

By the way, who was the No. 1 pick in the 1973 draft? It was John Matuszek by the Houston Oilers.

The Eagles began to build their playoff line by drafting Texas’ Jerry Sisemore in the opening round.

Your thoughts are always welcomed; email them to tnpsorts@tnonline.com.