The World Series Back in the Day
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American and
National league, you win the league in the regular season and you made it to
the World Series.
In the
fifties and early sixties, the Yankees almost always were in the World
Series. All the games were played during
the day. The World Series was over by mid-October. There were no games played in late October
nights in below 40-degree weather. It
was baseball in baseball season as it should be.
The problem
for us school age kids was we did not get to see the games during the
week. The games started at 1 PM, school
ended at 2:30. When the bell rang there
was a mad dash to get home and see the final innings on TV (Games took only about 2 - 2 1/2 hours then, not sure why they take 4 hours today).
In my school
there were always one or two kids listening to the game on a transistor radio. An ear piece was run through a long sleeve plugged
into the radio which was in a pocket. Hand
on ear the student listened to the game and relayed scores during class via hand
signals.
We thought
we were so smart getting one over on the teachers. I have
since learned that the teachers knew and allowed what was going on; they wanted to
know the scores as well.
Still, everyone played along and when a hand signal indicated that Mickey Mantle had
hit a three-run homer the entire class exploded into a silent cheer. I guess we missed the teacher's quiet fist
pump into the air.
I am told
some teachers in some schools allowed the game to be shown on a classroom
TV. I was never that lucky.
When I started working, watching the day games was still an issue.
When I started working, watching the day games was still an issue.
I was
working on Wall Street when the Mets won the World Series in 1969. We did bring in a small portable TV to watch
the final game while we worked. When the
Mets won, windows on Wall Street opened and a lot of paper trade records were
lost in a spontaneous “Ticker Tape” parade.
Rumor has it a few adding machines and Rolodexes were also tossed along
with the paper. The Mets were called the
Miracle Mets; no one getting beaned during the celebration was also a miracle.
I remember watching
Thurman Munson winning a division series for the Yankees with a home run. I was in a Wall Street bar after work. The bar and downtown exploded with that hit.
It was
crappy that we could not watch many of the World Series games back when they
were played in the daytime, but finding a way to follow the game while at
school or work somehow made the game more interesting. The comradery of class and work mates all rooting
for the same team was more fun than watching at night with a wife who could care less who wins.
Being able to watch all the games at night is great; yet it is funny how
when you gain something, you also miss what you
lost.
I loved watching the World Series when I was a kid. You could see the games on Saturday and Sunday and maybe Columbus Day if it went that late. When the Red Sox played in 1967, my 6th grade teacher wheeled a little portable TV into the classroom. Of course, our teacher was the principal, so he could do whatever he wanted! Now, games don't get over until after midnight. I wouldn't have seen any entire game even once during my early and then teen years.
ReplyDeleteI get it. A guy from the small town where I was born pitched for the Yankees. It was before I was born, but he is still a legend here.
ReplyDeleteYou had television in the classroom? Goodness, I wish I'd gone to your school.
ReplyDeleteDon't remember games that suffered serious wind chills either. That was funny about the hidden radio in school and relaying the score. In 48 my Mom and I were Indian addicts and while we went to the ball park once, the rest came over the radio. I have faith the Yankees can pull this year out also. The 2003 Marlins went 7 games in the NLDS and I think even beat the Yankees in the WS. The fat lady hasn't sung yet.
ReplyDeleteOh how I hear this!
ReplyDeleteI wish we could go back to that Joe. 2 divisions and no wildcard. Dislike the Wild Card and honestly who wants to watch the world series in snow? It's getting to that of late. How many games did we play back then? It had to be less than 162 which I feel is too long and makes the world series go into late October/Nov. Which if in the NE could be too damn cold. Sadly not in the North East this year but....
PS we had male teachers who would listen and tell us the score and once he brought in the AV Dept TV and we got to watch. But that only happened once in 11th grade.
ReplyDeleteIt was the same over here in the UK too - but it was cricket.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
The only Series I remember were the Cardinals in 1982, and the Cardinals in 1985. Sadly, the heat WASN'T on in '85. I was teaching during those years, and the students were in a frenzy. Me, not so much.
ReplyDeleteI have never really followed sports and hubby and I don't watch or listen to anything concerning sports. Yes things have indeed changed. Some for the better and some not so much.
ReplyDeleteHave a fabulous day, Joe. 😎
For some reason when I was a kid everyone in my family except me was a Cleveland Indians fan. I was in love with the Brooklyn Dodgers so I grew up with a hatred of the Yankees. I think the greatest tragedy of my young life was that horrible Bobby Thomson home run off Ralph Branca that ended "my" Dodgers pennant run in 1951. I was 11, listening on the huge Philco radio in our living room. I cried.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I remember those days of baseball, and I think they were better. It's beyond frustrating to have a team do great during the regular season... like the Braves... and then lose it all in post-season to a wild card team. I also remember the '69 series quite well, too. I brought a little TV to work so I could watch it... only I was rooting for the Orioles. (sigh) We folks in B'more had a slightly different opinion of the Mets. HA
ReplyDeleteJust like if you are used to being at the game, it's not quite so much fun to watch from home.
ReplyDeleteit is definitely privilege to be able to watch game at home specially
ReplyDeletei remember when i was crazy about cricket back in my teens and my mom and sister were sharing my passion it was so hard to wait to reach home from school and then watch remaining part of game
later when i was able to watch it was great pleasure to watch with family at home
my father would love hockey and sadly we would enjoy all alone though i would try to show sometimes that i know about his favorite game either and enjoying :)