I guess I'm having a mental lapse in conceptualizing this. Of course this solution has come up many times on other posts related to the same thing. So it has nothing to with having left the motor as is while I took the distributor out and screwed with it.. cuz I was spinning it willy nilly on the bench. So even though i have it lined up the way it should, I'm just applying spark to the opposite of the the powerstroke?
