The World Series Back in the Day

The World Series Back in the Day

 Do you remember back in the day when Major League Baseball was two eight team leagues, no divisions, no wild card game or division titles?

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.

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.   

Prescription Renewal

Prescription Renewal

My doctor has been telling me to take a statin drug to lower my cholesterol.  I have been balking at this because my cholesterol was only borderline high and I’ve known people with complaints like muscle pain from this drug.

My doctor recently convinced me that my count was not borderline, but was in fact very high.  I gave in and have been taking the drug at the lowest dose.

I have not since checked my cholesterol level, but have noticed that my blood pressure has dropped from borderline high to just about right.  I haven’t experienced muscle issues and my golf score has come down about 6 strokes (the stuff is supposed to prevent strokes so…)

Yesterday I went to my local pharmacy to get a refill.  I was told they needed to check with my doctor, but while they were doing so electronically, I should make a follow up to my doctor.

I called on a semi-holiday and got an answering machine, so I waited one more day.  Today I called and got the machine but did not have the pharmacy phone number handy which they needed.  I called later with all information handy and got the office, not the machine.

“Doctor’s office, please hold.” Pretty sure it was Lily Tomlin on the phone.

Damn, this time I was hoping for the machine.

After five minutes of hearing an occasional ‘boop’ I heard Lily answer,

“Doctor’s office please continue to hold.”

I was glad this was not an emergency.

Finally, I got the office.

“Doctor’s office, thank you for waiting.”

“Yes, I need a prescription refill.”

“Name?”

“Hagy.”

“What is the prescription?”

“That cholesterol reducing stuff.”

“Resterophambolisticularistofan?”

“Is that cholesterol reducing stuff?”

“Yes.”

“Then yes.”

“Did the pharmacy put in a request?”

“They said they would electronically, but that I should also call.”

With distain, “They shouldn’t do that!!”

Perturbed, “I just do what I’m told, should I go back and tell them they shouldn’t do that?”

“I’ll check.”

Five minutes later.

“My Hagy?”

“Yes”

With distain “You need to call the pharmacy because we approved that electronically yesterday!”

Apologetically “I did say they were putting in the request, I am just following up, thank you.”

With disdain “Well check with them, we did everything already, I don’t know why you are calling!”

Feeling like I did something wrong (and with a touch of F-you sarcasm) “I guess I am just a jerk! Thanks, I will check with them.”

Sheesh! Some things that should be easy. 

I’ll bet my blood pressure is through the roof now.

I LOVE MY YANKEES, But OMG

I LOVE MY YANKEES, But OMG

My Yankees are fighting to make it to the World Series.  They are playing the Houston Astros, a damn good team.  Now I love my Yankees, but, Holy Cow (as the beloved Phil Rizzuto would say) they cannot stay healthy.

I understand athletes getting hurt.  Baseball is not a contact sport, but there are balls flying around from pitchers or off bats at up to 115 MPH.  People do get hurt.  There are walls to be run into at full speed, people do get hurt.  There are collisions between players racing for a fly ball, or barreling in to home plate, people do get hurt.

My Yankees have had almost everyone of their star players hurt for a month or more this year. 

How have they been hurt?

One was hurt diving to third base to avoid a pickoff throw…out for the season.  One was hurt sliding into second base on a steal attempt…out for a month.  Several were hurt running to first base trying to beat out a ground ball hit...out for two weeks.  One was hurt throwing the ball to second base from center field…Out for 6 weeks.  One player missed a month because he hurt his arm swinging the bat…on a base hit!

Running, sliding, throwing, and swinging a bat…these are all basic baseball skills and my Yankees keep getting hurt doing these basic skills.

Mickey Mantle spent an hour before every game tapping up his legs which were hurt from a childhood disease and an accident tripping on a sprinkler in the outfield.  The Mick played hurt…(and sometimes drunk but that’s another story.)

I do not remember Yogi Berra who played catcher, the toughest position in the game, ever being hurt.  I don’t think Whitey Ford ever missed a start, 15 years, and he was never hurt.

Why did those old ball players always play, never got hurt, and today’s Yankees get hurt throwing, running and swinging a bat?  Pretty sure those old Yankees also threw, ran and swung bats.

Might be because those old ball players didn’t make as much money as they do today.  Many had other jobs in the off-season.  When they make or have the potential to make 30 million dollars a year, players today might be a bit more protective of their careers.  Playing in pain or playing through an injury could ruin a career and cost more money than most people can wrap their heads around.

I get it!

Still.

Throwing, running, sliding and swinging a bat should not cause an injury.  If you can’t run, throw, slide or swing a bat without getting hurt maybe you are in the wrong game.

Yankees are down to the Astros 2-1...damn Houston is good!