In 1977, a single sentence buried in an issue of Rolling Stone incited The Eagles to challenge the magazine’s writers and editors to a game of softball to settle a score. Sounds outlandish, but it really happened. When Glenn Frey read this issue and clocked the line written by Charles M. Young, he fired off a strongly worded challenge that led to a historic game of softball.
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Journalist Young was reviewing Joe Walsh’s new solo album So What for Rolling Stone in September of 1977. In that review, he wrote, “The rest of the Eagles, on their first vacation in three years, seem more interested in finding a softball team they can beat – having lost in recent weeks to teams fielded by Andrew Gold, Jimmy Buffett, employees of several San Francisco radio stations and their own road crew.”
Frey’s response was then published in the magazine. “What you have failed to mention is that The Eagles won two out of three games against Jimmy Buffett,” he wrote. “Anytime you pencil-pushing desk jockeys want to put on your spikes, we’ll kick your ass, too.”
Rolling Stone Magazine Goes Head to Head With The Eagles in a Game of Softball
According to a retrospective from Rolling Stone, the California-based Eagles often found themselves at odds with the East Coast rock scene. While Rolling Stone was formed in San Francisco, its offices moved to New York City in 1977. The magazine became entrenched in the East Coast scene, which often criticized The Eagles.
For the band, this was an opportunity to settle an often-held grudge. The game was held in May of 1978 at Dedeaux Field at the University of Southern California. According to reports, the loser had to pay $5,000 to UNICEF.
The Rolling Stone team was named the Gonzos—after the magazine’s penchant for publishing Hunter S. Thompson’s work—and consisted of writers like Charles M. Young, Cameron Crowe, and Ben Fong-Torres. Editor and co-founder Jann S. Wenner sent his team to California to square up against The Eagles.
The band, meanwhile, had filled the stands with fans and famous friends. These included Chevy Chase, Joni Mitchell, and even California Governor Jerry Brown.
“I felt like I was walking into the Roman Colosseum,” Young once recalled, “and was about to be eaten by lions.”
“Someone Might Get Hurt”
According to reports, Eagles showed up to the game wearing metal cleats, which are usually only used for professional baseball and softball. Wenner expressed concern, claiming that someone could get hurt. Eagles manager Irving Azoff replied with flippancy, which quickly turned petty.
“How exciting,” Azoff said in response to Wenner’s concern. “Do your writers ever think about that?”
The Eagles beat the Gonzos 15-8, but the humiliation didn’t stop there. In the next issue of Rolling Stone, the band published a response.
“In the end, it was the errors that cost RS the game,” wrote Don Henley and Glenn Frey. “Their first error was to call The Eagles sissies in Random Notes.”
Allegedly, Eagles made up with Rolling Stone later. Charles M. Young wrote the definitive biography for the band, and Frey admitted that while their opinions may have differed, he was impressed when Young said after the game, “Hey, you guys aren’t really sissies.”
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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