We have these perceptions in our mind that do not always tell the truth. One such perception is that of the happy go lucky, big belly of a man, Babe Ruth. All the stories of Babe adventures and outgoing lovable personality, sometimes forget he was an an amazingly athletic man and originally built like an athlete. Here he is in 1914, at the age of 19, fresh out of an orphanage playing for the Boston Red Sox. Not an ounce of fat, fast on his feet and capable of playing almost any position on the ball field. The following quote from Harry Hooper, a former teammate says it well.

I still can’t believe what I saw. This nineteen year-old kid, crude, poorly educated, only lightly brushed by the social veneer we call civilization, gradually transformed into the idol of American youth and the symbol of baseball the world over − a man loved by more people and with an intensity of feeling that perhaps has never been equaled before or since. I saw a man transformed from a human into something pretty close to a god. You probably remember him with that big belly he got later on, but that wasn’t there in 1914. George Herman Ruth was six foot two and weighed 198 pounds, all of it muscle. He had a slim waist, huge biceps, no self- discipline, and not much education − not so different from a lot of other nineteen-year-old would be ball players. Except for two things, he could eat more than anyone else, and he could hit a baseball further.” (The Glory of Their Times)

The good living added pounds over the years, but they didn’t distract from his athleticism. In 1933 , at the age of 38 and his the next to last year of his Yankee career, Babe made a spectacular leaping catch in right field to save a victory for the American League All Stars.

There was no slowing down the popularity of MajorLeague Baseball as it rolled into its second decade. In 1910 William H. Taft became the first President to throw out the first pitch to start the season which sealed the deal that baseball was the National Pastime. Americans’ thirst for the sport was unquenchable. New and expanded steel stadiums were replacing the decrepit wooden stadiums to accommodate the growing attendance. Fans witnessed the success of John McGraw’s NY Giants in the NL and Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s in the AL. Ty Cobb was making news as a player and a problem in the AL, while Pittsburgh’s Honus Wagner set the standard for great hitting in the NL. Not surprisingly competition raised its head in the form of a newly created Federal League, but it was doomed to fail and closed down in two years.

WW I depleted team rosters of key players and affected pennant races but the game played on. New stars began grabbing headlines – Tris Speaker, Walter “The Train” Johnson, Smokey Joe Wood, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Homerun Baker, and the young Red Sox pitcher Babe Ruth, to mention just a few. It was all good until … the 1919 World Series fix by the famous Chicago Black Sox Eight

.

The eight players involved in the gambling scandal were all suspended for life by Commissioner Landis. Of the eight, six of them continued to play either for semi pro teams and in some cases minor leagues. They often hid their identities using various aliases and disguised with beards or wigs. Chuck Gandil, considered one of the leaders in the scandal, made a failed attempt at forming a team of the suspended players to take on the road. A sad note that expressed the broken spirits of the players happened in Greenville, S.C., almost 30 years after the suspension. Shoeless Joe Jackson was working in the liquor store that he owned when Ty Cobb came in. Cobb meandered around the store, supposedly shopping. Jackson showed no sign of recognizing of Cobb. When he came to the counter, neither of them spoke until Ty spoke up and said “Joe, don’t you know me? Joe replied. “Sure, I know you Ty, but I wasn’t sure you wanted to know me. A lot of them don’t.”

Following the scandal, many wondered if the future of the game was in peril, and maybe it would have been, but 1920 brought Babe Ruth and his bat to the NY Yankees, which fueled the continued popularity of the sport.

The Fortune Teller Who Helped Win the Pennant

In previous posts of old time baseball, we have discussed the 1903 mysterious death of Big Ed Delahanty and, in 1906, the hysterics of pitcher Rube Waddell. Add to these is the superstition of New York Giants manager John McGraw that led to creating a roster spot for Charley Faust on his bench for good luck.

John McGraw was a player/manager from the very start of Major League Baseball. He was tough and feisty. His nickname, “Little Napolean” was well earned. One of his coaches, Arlie Lathem, described McGraw as “He eats gunpowder for breakfast and washes it down with warm blood.” He also was, as many ballplayers are, very superstitious. In 1911, he was approached by a young man, Charles Faust, who told him he had been sent by a fortune teller in his hometown of Marion, Kansas to go to New York City and ask McGraw for the chance to play for the Giants, and if granted, they would win the pennant.

Charles Faust

McGraw’s interest was piqued, and he set up a try out. It was abysmal, no talent whatsoever. But McGraw’s intrigue led him to issue a uniform and have him sit on the bench. The Giants seemed to win almost anytime Charley was on the bench as a good luck mascot, and sure enough, they won the pennant. McGraw was sure it was because of the decision to add Faust to the roster, so he brought him back for another season, and yes, another pennant. So why not again, and sure enough another pennant. Unfortunately, Charley “Victory” was forced to leave New York due to illness, and the pennant-winning streak ended. He had become a fan favorite. The fans cheered when manager McGraw allowed Charley to play in the 9^th inning of two games that were already decided. As a pitcher, he recorded two outs, and as a hitter, he was 0 for 1.

The new century brought exciting growth to Major League Baseball. Baseball folklore stories and scandals were becoming widespread, and players were becoming celebrities. One of the first teams to gain notoriety was the Baltimore Orioles. They were led by a scrawny, feisty third baseman with big ears named John McGraw. McGraw’s reputation as a win-at-no-cost player and later manager lasted for forty years. The Orioles were the first team to perfect the hit-and-run and squeeze play. They were also known for creative, although not ethical, antics on the field. For example, they would hide a baseball in the deep grass of the outfield so that if they could not get to the ball hit, they would pick up the hidden one and throw it into the infield. They were also known to grab the uniforms of runners to slow them down.

The first decade of MLB had its bumps. Players were speaking out against the owners regarding the reserve clause, which restricted their freedom to change teams unless traded or sold by the team owner. The players were becoming more and more agitated with being controlled as it was becoming evident that the owners were pocketing great profits that were not being passed down to the players. Owner of the White Sox, Charles Comiskey, was widely known for his misery ways. In October in 1905 he rewarded his World Series champs a $15,000 bonus – to be divided equally between all players. It was later reported that he subtracted the bonuses from the players’ next year contracts, claiming the bonuses were an advance, not a gift. Owners paid little attention to the players’ grumbling; however, it was the beginning of a long running feud for the next ninety years.

Another problem occurred in 1904 when the owners of the National League feuded with the owners of the American League that resulted in the cancellation of the 1904 World Series.

Next Week: Names to Remember

The Gay Nineties

The popularity of community baseball games set the stage for a group of entrepreneurs, who sensed how this could be a money maker, to organize the National League of Professional Baseball Clubs in 1876. The league consisted of eight teams: Chicago, St. Louis, Hartford, Boston, Louisville, New York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati. The leader of the group was Al Spalding, a Hall of Fame pitcher who won 47 for the Chicago White Stockings’ 52 victories in 1876. Spalding went on to be the creator of Spalding Sports Equipment, a company still in business today. The new owners set out to determine the rules and regulations of the sport and by 1890, teams were playing a 152 game schedule and the game was being played pretty much as it is today. The league was not an overnight success, but by the 1890s it had become quite popular. So popular that the poem Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer was published in 1896 and quickly, “But there is no joy in Mudville - mighty Casey has struck out” was being recited across the USA. Shortly thereafter, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” was being sung at ballparks across the nation.

Two of the two biggest stars of the early start up era were Adrian “Cap” Anson and Michael “King” Kelly, both of the Chicago White Stockings. Both have been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. “Cap” was a feisty second baseman, who played for Chicago and managed for 22 seasons. After he retired, he used his name recognition to become the first MLB player to enter politics and the first ballplayer to gain headlines in a political scandal. He was elected as a Chicago City Clerk, but later lost his bid to become Sheriff due to a financial scandal. Political scandals are as constant as baseball.

Catcher King Kelly was the first media star of the game and is considered as the father of the hook slide. Fans would chant “slide Kelly slide “whenever he was on base. He became the highest-paid player, $5,000 per season. The average salary of pre 1900 star players was $2,000. In 1889, King was sold to the Boston Club for the unheard sum of $10,000 and became known as their” $10,000 Beauty”. He was also the first ballplayer to write his autobiography Play Ball – Stories of the Ball Field.

Next Week: The First World Series

Baseball was not invented; it evolved from the English game of cricket. It was played in America well before the Major Leagues were formed in 1876. The Abraham Lincoln cartoon shows him going to bat against his political opponents. Civil War soldiers played versions of the game at their campsites and wrote home about the fun of the game. One story, that is often told, is a letter sent home by Union soldier, George Putnam: “Suddenly there was a scattering of fire , which three outfielders caught the brunt. The centerfielder was hit and captured, left and right field managed to get back to our lines. The attack was rejected without serious difficulty, but we had lost not only our centerfielder, but the only baseball in Alexandria, Texas.”The soldiers brought their excitement back to their communities, which became the start of community versus community baseball games.

Even now there are a few communities that hold reenactment games. A few years ago I, along with two friends, took a drive to Royston, Georgia, the birthplace of Ty C,obb to watch the annual baseball game between the Ty Cobb Museum and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson Museum from Greenville, S.C. It was not your usual baseball game. The players were dressed in tattered, old-looking baseball uniforms and entered the town in a horse-drawn wagon, and were accompanied by a bugle player to announce the challenge. Following a salute to the flag, they took the field with no gloves. There was one official, called the judge, who was dressed in a black suit with a top hat and he rested comfortably on a rocking chair midway between the second base and centerfield. In days gone by, his primary purpose was to help break up fights, but it has been said he would often fall asleep during the game from drinking too much whiskey from his flask. There was no scoreboard, only a large bell that clanged when a team scored a run. The ball was the same size as today’s baseball, but somewhat softer since no one wore gloves. Playing a combination of England’s cricket and USA baseball, it allowed a fielder to record an out provided they caught the ball before the second bounce. It was all in good fun for fans and players and was followed by an old-time picnic.

Hall of Fame outfielder Sam “Wahoo” Crawford played on a community team before he played for 19 years as an outfielder with Cincinnati and Detroit at the beginning of the 20th century. In an interview in 1966, Sam had this to say about community baseball.

We didn’t have any uniforms or anything, just baseball shoes, maybe, but we had a manager. It wasn’t easy to win those games because every town had its own umpire. We were gone three or four weeks. Lived on bread and beefsteak. We’d sleep anywhere. Sometimes in a tent, lots of time on the ground out in the open. (Glory of Our Times)

Next week: The Start of Major League Baseball

My son and I were in the stands for the season-opening weekend Sunday afternoon game. As we drove to the park, we talked about watching specific players and the possible outcome of the game, but after being seated and watching the first pitch, I started to realize the real reward of being there. It was FUN! 35,000 fans smiling, laughing, patting each other on the back, and making friends with the fans seated nearby. From the young toddlers to the tottering oldsters, all were enjoying the camaraderie of baseball. In a beautiful setting, I enjoyed the silly activities between innings, the giant scoreboad, the hot dogs and giant pretzels. The singing of our National Anthem, God Bless America in the seventh inning stretch, and Take Me Out to the Ballgame gave us chills. The “Kiss camera” was a surprise to the exposed and a riot to the audience. Believe it or not, they still do the wave after all these years. To some, the game was of secondary interest, but to all, it was badly needed just plain fun. There were no protesters, or MAGA hats, or ICE agents patrolling the stadiums. Despite the difficult times in our country, I saw smiles, not frowns, on all the videos shown on the huge scoreboard, and it reminded me how baseball has been such a gift to us in so many ways. Going back in time to soldiers playing baseball in civil war camps, community versus community baseball games in the 19^th century, President Taft throwing out the first pitch to open the season in 1910, the baseball war heroes, the emotional uplift of the first game played following 9/11, and the unity shown at Fenway Park following the Boston Massacre. These are just a few of the times that baseball has comforted us and brought us together. President Roosevelt, a devoted baseball fan, signed a declaration in 1943 that baseball must go on to keep America’s spirit alive and provide entertainment to a war weary tired population. I believe it is as needed now as it was then. So lets move on with baseball. Look beyond the news and look for the moments of bringing us together as a country.

Starting next week, we will bring the nostalgia of 125 years to our National Pastime.

[If you enjoy this essay, I would greatly appreciate a Like or a comment as I am considering an adding occasional personal essays to future Substack posts.]

In the summer of 1990. I experienced an emotional journey to Dyersville, Iowa to visit the farm where the movie Field of Dreams was recently filmed. What follows is a short essay written shortly after my visit. I believe it expresses some of the emotions of being a baseball fan.

In the movie, Shoeless Joe Jackson asks,

“Is this heaven?”

Ray Kinsella answers

“No, this is Iowa.”

This passage generated a mystique that led me to leave a conference I was attending in Iowa City and drive to Dyersville on a Sunday morning in June

By occupation, I teach, consult, and write about entrepreneurs. They are dreamers as I am. As a dreamer, I feel some guilt about dreaming my life away. Field of Dreams helped to allow me to feel it is okay to be a dreamer. So, there I was, driving down Iowa State Road 136, looking for permission to be me.

I had with me a 4”x 7” leaflet about Dyersville that I had picked up at the Iowa welcome center. The front of the black and yellow leaflet noted the Field of Dreams along with one other local attraction – The Farm Toy Store Museum. The back showed a map to Dyersville and the two attractions and Chamber of Commerce. The field was 3.3 miles outside of town on East Dyersville Road. I was surprised as I entered the town; there was not a billboard announcing the home of the Field of Dreams. There was nothing to draw attention to its location until I saw one small homemade wooden sign attached to a tree telling me to turn. I passed through the town and started the 3.3 mile drive, and was surprised that after six miles I was still not at my destination. I realized I must have passed it and had to turn around. Sure enough, three miles back, there was another small homemade sign on a tree that I had passed by. I turned down a farm road and saw the white farmhouse ahead on the left.

The field itself looked the same as a little league field back home. It was empty. Kevin Costner was not there, nor were the 1919 Chicago White (Black) Sox and the other ghosts of long ago star players. The white farmhouse sat slightly above the field, and there was a small set of wooden bleachers. The field was not lined, and the backstop was simply a mesh wire ten-foot fence. There were a couple of aluminum bats leaning against the backstop. It looked all ready for a bunch of kids to come down the hill for a pick up game. If it were not for the movie, it would be nothing out of the ordinary. But – as I walked around the diamond, past the bleachers, and up the front porch of the house, I became aware that it was special. There were only a few people visiting, and they were doing the same thing – walking quietly, appreciating a special feeling. There was a certain sacredness to the place. There was no admission charge, just a tin box for donations along with a guest tablet. Looking through the tablet, I was amazed at the distance people had traveled to see this plain looking field. They had come from almost every state, and some had written messages:

“I came the distance.”

‘Keep the dream alive.”

“Thank you for the dream.”

“It was worth every mile.”

I spoke to the farmer and his wife. They have been enjoying the experience. They spoke of the nice people who had come. I realized that it was hardly a place that would be of interest to excitement seeking tourists. Dyersville is out of the way of any major destination. Anyone who comes has been touched by the movie. All of them shared a common sentiment. The farmer says they will keep the field as it is, indefinitely.

I took my pictures and finished my visit. I started to drive out and stopped at the top of the driveway for a last look and a picture of the setting below me. That’s when it all came together. I stood leaning against my car for the better part of an hour. The quiet and peacefulness were overwhelming. I heard every bird. I listened to the cows moo from the neighboring farm. I heard and felt the morning breeze as I had never in my life. I ashamedly let my entrepreneurial mind consider the commercial opportunity of such a setting. I could envision a bed and breakfast inn, a museum, old timer baseball games with large crowds at $8.50 a person. I was embarrassed because I was truly at a place in time that no one should ruin – the quiet, the farm, surrounded by green grass and corn fields, the sounds of peace. I drove away in the morning sunshine across the rolling plains with the song “The Living Years” playing on my car tape player and tears in my eyes.

Driving home, after the conference at the University of Iowa, I tried to keep the glow I had been feeling. The terrain changed from the plains of Iowa and Illinois to the rolling country of Kentucky, into the mountains of Tennessee, and finally, I reached metropolitan Atlanta. The glow started to diminish as the traffic increased. I tried to keep it, but my mind started to wander to the problems of reality. Job problems, bills, and difficult relationships crept into my thinking. I knew I could not avoid them. I couldn’t help wishing that I could live a life with the peacefulness and quiet that I have experienced. I also know that where I have been is not without problems. The people of Iowa have the same problems, and sometimes they wish they could escape to the South with its warmer temperatures, and so-called gentility and gracefulness. As I got closer to my home, I was reminded of the description of baseball by the late commissioner of baseball, Bart Giamatti, as symbolizing man’s eternal quest to go home again. First base is the start of life’s journey, second base is the halfway marker, third base is nearing the goal, and finally arriving home to the joy of his family of teammates. The beauty of baseball is that it is a constant that doesn’t change. Like baseball, home is constant. It is the stabilizing force in my life that doesn’t change.

I need to bottle up this glow and carry it with me. It will allow me to get closer to me. It will help me make the best of reality. I can cope better. I will keep dreaming and feel good about it. I will keep reaching. After all, that’s what it’s all about. You reach for the brass ring, you miss it, but next time you might get it. You do your best with what you have and try to make it better. That’s real, and that’s okay. I have been to my Field of Dreams, and yes, for one day it was heaven.

Jim Halloran

Update

35 years later, The Field of Dreams has expanded. It is open to tourists; however, it has lost much of the feel generated by the movie since my visit. They have added additional fields, including the one used for playing an annual major league game. There is a gift shop, concessions, and even a bar and restaurant in the original barn. There is not a set fee to visit, only a suggested $20 donation. Nice improvements for the tourists, but a far cry from what I experienced. Yes, a sign of the times, but not unexpected. Change surrounds us as it has for every generation; however, reaching and dreaming does not change and never should.

Best Wishes For a Joyful Holiday Season !

P.S. Spring training is only 75 days away.

Jim @ baseballandamerica.com

As the World Series winds down, it is time to close the book on the 2025 season. As always, it was fun finding baseball stories to post each week and I greatly appreciate your support. So, I’ll take a break until spring training and return for my my fifth year. Next year I will be writing a whole new approach and theme, which I believe you will enjoy. I will keep you posted with occasional teasers regarding the new theme during the winter months.

Meanwhile enjoy football, but while watching keep in mind some of the dangers of the game that George Carlin pointed out.

by George Carlin

Only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you’d ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform, you’d know the reason for this custom.

Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park!
Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium.

Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life.
Football begins in the fall, when everything’s dying.

In football you wear a helmet.
In baseball you wear a cap.

Football is concerned with downs - what down is it?
Baseball is concerned with ups - who’s up?

In football you receive a penalty.
In baseball you make an error.

In football the specialist comes in to kick.
In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody.

Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.
Baseball has the sacrifice.

Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog...
In baseball, if it rains, we don’t go out to play.

Baseball has the seventh inning stretch.
Football has the two minute warning.

Baseball has no time limit: we don’t know when it’s gonna end - might have extra innings.
Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we’ve got to go to sudden death.

In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy’s defensive line.

In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I’ll be safe at home!

_________________________________

With that I bid adieu until March. The great Vin Scully said in signing off at the end of a season, “ There will be a new day, and eventually a new year and when the upcoming winter gives way to spring, ah, rest assured, once again, it will be time for Dodger baseball.”

Jason Heyward

How do you choose, there have been 122 World Series, but the story of the Game 7, Cubs/Indians, should be close to the top of everybody’s list. It took 108 years but finally, Cub fans celebrated. A classic World Series saw the Indians go up 3 games to 1 before the Cubs seized opportunities in games 5 and 6 to force a seventh game that goes down as one of the great finishes. In Game 7,it was almost midnight and Cub fans across the country were glued to their TVs. In the bottom of the 8th with just four more outs to go to win, the Cubs held a 6-3 lead. Many were prematurely celebrating the end of the 108 year drought.But, disaster struck and the Indians came from behind to tie the score 6-6. The score remained tied at the end of the 9th when a thunderstorm struck causing a delay of game and a despondent and shocked Cubs team headed to the locker room.. The silence in the locker room was broken when right fielder Jason Heyward called the team together for a players only meeting that immediately lifted the atmosphere in the room. Writer Tom Verducci described the talk in his book, The Cubs Way:

“I know some things may have happened you don’t like. We’re the best team in baseball for a reason, Heyward said. ‘Now we’re going to show it. We play like the score is nothing-nothing. We’ve got to stay positive and fight for your brothers. Stick together and we’re going to win this game” The darkness in the room immediately lifted. Others started speaking up with shouts of confidence and encouragement..

Surprisingly, the delay only lasted seventeen minutes and the players took the field. In the top of the 10th, catcher Miguel Montero and Ben Zobrist had key hits to drive in two, Cubs led 8-6. . The Indians answered in the bottom of the inning with one run, but relief pitcher Mike Montgomery came in with a runner on first, two outs, and forced Michael Martinez to hit a ground ball out to end the series.

The Curse of the Billy Goat of 1945 was finally squashed. In 1945, the Cubs were on the verge of the championship when the owner of the Billy Goat Tavern was upset due to not being permitted to watch Game 4 of the World Series with his pet goat, Murphy. As he left the stadium he shouted “Them Cubs ain’t gonna win anymore.” Of course the Cubs lost the World Series.

For Red Sox fans this is an easy choice. For the fifth consecutive season, the wild card Red Sox finished second to the division-winner Yankees in 2004. After sweeping the Anaheim Angels in 3 games in the ALDS, and advancing to the ALCS, they had to face the dreaded Yankees. In winning the first three games of the seven game series, New York fans were getting a kick out of the seeming endless punishment the Sox were receiving. But something mystically happened. The Sox took the next three and in the final game 7, fan favorite Big Papi hit a 2 run HR in the first inning that started a 10-3 bombardment of the Yanks. Bosox starter Derek Lowe limited the Yanks to 1 run in six innings and the bullpen held on to start the celebration. I bet the Babe was watching from heaven ? Coming from 3 back to win the ALCS had never happened. Whatever it was, it carried into the Series sweeping the Cardinals in four games to make it a record eight consecutive playoff victories and the underdog Red Sox won their first World Championship since 1920.

Maybe, it was just meant to be. The Bosox lineup boasted Manny Ramirez who led the league in HRs, 43, while batting .308 with 130 RBIs. David “Big Papi” Ortiz was right behind him, .306, 41 HRs, 139 RBIs. Along with a starting pitching duo of Curt Shilling, 21 wins, most in AL, and Pedro Martinez, 16 wins, they had the pieces to beat the best. Neil Diamond’s song “Sweet Caroline” never sounded sweeter or as loud.

The NLCS in 1992 was as exciting as the season was dull. Having lost out in the previous two NLCS, the Pirates were taking their third straight shot at the World Series. It went the distance before they blew it in the bottom of the 9^th Game 7. Leading the Braves 2-0 going into the bottom of the ninth the tension was insurmountable. Terry Pendleton led off with double, followed by an error by second baseman Chico Lind. First baseman Sid Bream drew a walk loading the bases - 0 outs. A sacrifice fly ball scored Pendleton, out #1. Catcher Damon Berryhill walked reloading the bases, followed by a pop fly out - 2 down. With a thin bench, Braves manager, Bobby Cox, sent up unknown Francisco Cabrera to pinch hit for his pitcher. The late season call up had a total of 11 at bats in the season, but with a 2 ball, 2 strike pitch, he hit a hard single to left fielder Barry Bonds. The runner on second, who represented the winning run was slow-footed 1B Sid Bream. Bream had endured 5 surgeries on his knees and was surprised that manager Bobby Cox had not replaced him for a runner. At the sound of the bat, he took off. Left fielder Barry Bonds made a clean catch and threw home. Sid running like a train slid into home plate to barely beat Bond’s throw. The City of Atlanta celebrated and Cabrera became a momentary hero and legend.

Cabrera joined the list of players with a moment of fame. Many interviews and TV appearances followed and he was awarded the ESPY Award for Play of the Year. His major league career as a utility player however, lasted only one more season. He followed that with five seasons in Japan hoping to get recalled. Currently he does some scouting work and enjoys returning to Atlanta for old timers games and being recognized for the hit of his lifetime.

Russ Hodges, NY Giants announcer

With the season concluded, it only seems right to repeat the story of the most exciting conclusion of them all - 1951.The 2025 season was filled with some dramatic and exciting finishes, but none that compare to, arguably, the most exciting pennant race finish of them all. Two New York City neighborhood teams, Brooklyn versus Coogan’s Bluff, faced off in a three game playoff for the pennant. The story of how they got there makes your head spin. On August 12, the Dodgers were feeling very secure with a 13 ½ games over the Giants. But on that date, the Giants under manager Leo Durocher launched a 16 game winning streak which led to winning 39 of their final 47 games and draw even with the Dodgers and force a 3 game playoff. After splitting the first two games , the excitement at the Polo Grounds was immeasurable. It came down to the bottom of the ninth, one out, runners on second and third and the Dodgers up 4-2. Outfielder Bobby Thomson strolled to the plate. Dodger manager, Charlie Dresssen, made a critical decision to pitch to Thomson with an empty base, rather than walking him and face the rookie Willie Mays. He called the bullpen and in came mister dependability, Ralph Branca, to replace Don Newcombe, who had pitched a tremendous game to this point. Not a bad decision considering the circumstance, except for the fact that Thomson had hit a game winning home run in the first playoff game off Branca. With a one ball, no strike count Thomson lashed the ball over the left field fence for the game winner. There was no one more excited that day at the Polo Grounds than Giants announcer Russ Hodges whose dynamic call of “ the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant! ” is still replayed to baseball audiences every year. That spectacular home run and the call is commonly referred to as ” The Shot Heard Around the World.” It was the first nationally televised sporting event.

An added feature to this story is that the two opponents at the end, Ralph Branca and Bobby Thomson, became good friends and took to the road as speakers, after their playing days, retelling the historical game. Their performance included singing, as a duet, a song written about the event.

Hideo Nomo, Los Angeles Dodgers

MLB players started traveling to Japan in the 1920s to play the very competitive Japanese professional teams. All Stars, including Babe Ruth and Negro League star Satchel Page, would supplement their low wages at the time by barnstorming during the off season in Japan playing their professional teams. Japanese fans and players fell in love with American baseball. After WW II, many American ball players signed lucrative contracts to play in the Japanese leagues. However, it wasn’t until 1964 that a Japanese player appeared in a Major League game. His name was Masonari Murakami, a 19 year old exchange student, who pitched for the Giants for 1 ½ season until his country ordered him home. He played in 45 games posting a very impressive 5-1 record with a 3.43 ERA. Thirty years later, 1995, the LA Dodgers purchased the contract of Hideo Nomo from the Kintetsu Buffaloes. The 26 year old Nomo’s career started bumpy with no decisions in his first six starts, but he turned it around and went 9-2 to finish the season 13-6 with a league leading 236 strikeouts, and was named the NL Rookie of the Year. He became a fan favorite in LA and a rock star type legend in his homeland, He was chosen to pitch in the 1995 All Star Game which was broadcast in Japan at 9 a.m. to one of the largest Japanese TV audiences on record. Hideo went onto a 12 year career winning 123 games, primarily with the Dodgers. Nomo opened the door for other Japanese and Asian country ball players to establish successful careers in the USA. Now, thirty years later, 72 more Japanese players have played in MLB.

Of course the biggest star yet, pitcher/batter and two time MVP Shohei Ohtani arrived in 2018 with the LA Angels and in 2024, signed a 10 year contract with the Dodgers for $700 million. Fans gasped at $700 million, but hindsight has shown it was an international marketing marvel. Ohtani’s retail merchandise outsells by a large margin any other ballplayer in both the USA and Japan. He has set new television viewership records in Japan. On October 28, 2024, 16.9 million Japanese televisions were tuned into the Dodger/ Mets World Series game at 9 a.m. featuring Ohtani as a hitter and his teammate Yoshinoba Yamamoto as the starting pitcher.

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Johnny Vander Meer Cincinnati Reds

On June 11,23 year old Johnny Vander Meer of the Reds made the headlines by throwing a no hitter against the Boston Bees. Four days later, the unknown left hander duplicated this feat by throwing another no hitter against the Brooklyn Dodgers. No one has since thrown consecutive no hitters. Johnny had achieved immortality in baseball archives. However, Johnny would join a host of players to enjoy a moment in the sun before fading into history.

Johnny did not have a bad career, but it would never achieve the status he enjoyed in 1938. He earned being selected for the 1938 All Star Game in which he threw 3 scoreless innings. For the season he posted 15 wins and was named as The Sporting News Magazine’s MVP. Control problems and injuries resulted in disappointing 1939 and 1940 seasons, which included a brief demotion to the minor leagues. But, Johnny would bounce back in 1941 with 16 wins, and 1942 with 18, and led the NL in strikeouts both seasons. The War caused Johnny to miss two years while in the Navy and, although he returned to the major leagues for six seasons, he never regained the effectiveness of his younger days. He finished his major league career with119 wins, 121 losses. He was consistently bothered by control problems. Even in his dual no hitters he walked 11 batters. He threw hard and if he did not walk you, there was a good chance he would strike you out. He led the NL in strikeouts for three consecutive seasons 1941-43. He finished his playing career in 1955 after returning to the minors for 5 seasons. After retirement, he joined the Reds organization as a minor league manager and was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame in 1958.

An interesting side note found Johnny, in 1947, witnessing his Cincinnati teammate, Ewell Blackwell, throwing a no hitter against the Boston (previously the Bees) Braves followed by coming within one batter in his next start against the Dodgers of duplicating Johnny’s record. 85 years later no one has matched the performance of “Mister No Double Hit’” performance.

Rick Monday: An All American Ballplayer

It was April 25, 1976 and America was celebrating its Bicentenial. The Vietnam War was finally over, but the country was still far from tranquil. At Dodger Stadium Rick Monday was covering centerfield for the Chicago Cubs. In the bottom of the fourth inning two protestors ran into left center field carrying an American flag along with a can of lighter fluid. Dodger announcer, Vin Scully, exclaimed “ It looks like he’s going to burn the flag.” As they spread the flag out on the field and lit a match, Monday dashed over and grabbed the flag from them. Carrying the flag he ran into the infield as the crowd cheered him on. The two protestors, a father and his eleven year old son, were escorted from the field by police. When Monday came up to bat in the top of the fifth he was greeted with a standing ovation and a flashing sign on the scoreboard that read “ RICK MONDAY-YOU MADE A GREAT PLAY.”

The flag was presented to Rick on May 4 1976 “Rick Monday Day” at Wrigley Field. He still has the flag despite offers reportedly of a million dollars for it. “ If you’re going to burn the flag, don’t do it around me. I have been to too many veteran’s hospitals and seen too many broken bodies of guys who tried to protect it.” Monday served with the Marine Corps Reserve for a six year commitment while playing Major League Baseball. He received a congratulatory phone call from President Gerald Ford after the game, and was later invited to the White House.

The Los Angeles Police Department identified one of the protesters as 37-year-old William Errol Thomas Jr. Investigators confirmed that Thomas, who was born in Old Town, Maine and raised in Eldon, Missouri, confirmed that he drove from his home in Eldon to Los Angeles alongside his 11-year-old son days before the burning. His son, the other protester, was never identified because of his age. Thomas explained to the court that his motive was related to his wife's involuntary imprisonment at a Missouri mental health facility and attempted to take revenge. Thomas pleaded guilty to a single trespassing charge, and was sentenced to three days in jail and a $60 fine.

Monday was a two-time All-Star. He played 19 seasons for the Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1966–71), Chicago Cubs (1972–76), and Los Angeles Dodgers (1977–84). with whom he won a World Series championship in 1981.

I always enjoy the baseball stories that inspire. One such story is the Mike Piazza ride to success. Mike was an unknown high school baseball player from Norristown, Pa in 1988. His dream, as shared for all young ballplayers, was to be drafted in the annual Major League draft. It was quite a surprise to all, when Mike’s name was chosen by the LA Dodgers in the 62nd and final round, pick # 1390. The only person in the room who knew of him was Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda. Tommy was fulfilling a favor asked of him by his longtime friend, Mike’s father Vince. Vince and Tommy grew up together in Norristown and Tommy was the godfather of Vince’s daughter. Vince had asked Tommy if there was anyway he could help Mike get drafted and so it happened, although no one took note of a last pick. Mike got his chance in the low minor leagues and was nothing special in his first two years. All that changed in 1991 and 1992, and he got called up to the big leagues at the end of the 92 season. In 1993, he was selected Rookie of the Year and proceeded to a Hall of Fame career with a lifetime batting average of .308, with 427 homeruns and 1,335 RBIs. He was selected to 12 All Star Games. Many consider Mike to be the best hitting catcher in the history of the game. He was a fan favorite in both LA as a Dodger, and in New York as a Met. Mike had many moments in the sun, but one that sticks out occurred twenty days following the tragedy of 9/11.

Twenty days following 9/11, baseball returned to New York City. A very reserved sellout crowd and national TV audience witnessed a patriotic and emotional salute to the first responders and victims of the tragedy, that allowed the nation to cry together and then experience the relief of the call of “Play Ball”. The subdued crowd watched the New York Mets take on the first place Atlanta Braves. However, when Mike Piazza blasted a two run homer in the eighth inning to give the Mets a 3-2 lead, the crowd exploded chanting USA, USA as Piazza rounded the bases After the game Piazza said, “It was almost like a blur to me, it was almost like a dream, sort of surreal. I’m just so happy I gave the people something to cheer.” The Mets announcer was moved by the crowd’s reaction and emotionally cited “America is back.”