The 1960s – Vietnam, drugs, sex, rock n roll, hippies, and the New York Mets were all featured stories. These were the days of Mays at his peak. McCovey, Clemente, the Big Red Machine, Koufax, Drysdale, Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson and Tom Seaver stood out in the NL. Mantle, Jim Palmer, Harmon Killebrew, Frank Robinson, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson and Mark McGwire in the AL. The 1960s started with Mazeroski’s home run to win the Series, followed the next year by the M&M Boys chasing Ruth. The excitement continued - Denny McClain won 31, Yastrzemski and Robinson won triple crowns, the Big Red Machine was coming together, the Impossible Dream season pennant race of 1967, and the Lovable Mets of 1962 and the Amazin Mets of 1969. The Orioles rose and the Yanks tumbled. The Giants, Cardinals and Dodgers shared the spotlight in the NL. The Seattle Pilots went bankrupt and Curt Flood challenged the reserve clause. Musial, Williams and Mantle retired. Change was in the air with team relocations and labor negotiations. The stories kept coming.
During the decade, Baseball and America listened to Bob Dylan singing “The Times They are a Changin. These included the bad times - JFK, RFK and MLK, Jr were assassinated, the Cuban missile crisis, the 1968 Democratic convention. But, there were some positive times as well - MLK gave his I had a dream speech, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, and The Beatles came to America.
Baseball and the USA kept moving on.
Next Week: America and Baseball