The World Series is over. O-V-E-R. The Red Sox proved triumphant 6-1 and killed two birds with one stone in the process. The first stone that this Series win has killed was erasing every possible curse of the Bambino that could possibly still linger on. The Sox finally won a World Series in 2004 breaking the curse after 86 years (since their last win in 1918.) They won again in 2007. But that wasnt enough for the blowhards. I mean the diehards. They complained that the 2004 and 2007 wins we nice but they were both on the road. So, the curse was still breathing for them. However faint, there was still a pulse to the hex. Gosh, you would thing that the Bambino had the bloodline of a Magyar (Hungarian Gypsy for you heathens out there) and a real incantation had taken place at the time of the Babes sale, followed shortly thereafter with the stealing of Bostons children for the purposes of slave labor in fortune telling shops and bakeries. Thus, this 2013 Fall Classic Win fully eradicated all residual effects of the Great And Powerful Oz, er Babe, Hex because it took place at the Home Office of the Sawx just like the 1918 title. The second stone killed by this 2013 win was forever dissolving Bostons version of the Valentines Massacre. The Bobby Valentine Era (granted it was a very short one year Era) left a very bad taste in Bostonians mouths. (And make no mistake, they have very big mouths.) This 2013 World Series win has served as the Listerine for Bostonians acquired Valentine Bad Breathe. It is now clean and fresh again. Todays baseball history is now served, Ala Carte. 1. On October 31, 1957, Yogi Berra, New York Yankee catcher and Philosopher, stated that all of the fine money from the Copacabana incident has been returned to the players involved. May 16, 1957 was Yankee 2B Billy Martins 29th birthday. Some of Martins team-mates decided to take him out to celebrate his birthday. Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford, Hank Bauer, Moose Skowron, Johnny Kucks and their wives took Billy to the Copacabana to see entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. Two Bowling Teams, obviously drunk, began to heckle Sammy Davis with racial insults. The Yankees told the Bowlers to sit down and ease up (they were big fans of Davis.) The insults continued and the Yanks pleas to end them went unheeded. Suddenly there was a melee. One of the Bowlers, a Bronx Deli owner suffered a concussion and a broken jaw. None of the Yankees got hurt. (It would be learned many years later, that Hank Bauer, the tough ex-Marine, probably didnt need much help convincing the Bowlers that they were in the wrong, especially the Bronx Deli owner.) Criminal charges were leveled against all concerned. The Yankees were sued by the Deli owner for his injuries. All of the Yankees were fined $1,000 except Johnny Kucks who was only fined $500. The next day the Yankees had a ball game to play at Yankee Stadium. Casey Stengel dropped Hank Bauer to eighth in the batting order but left Mickey in his #3 spot. After the game, Casey was asked by reporters why he dropped Bauer but not Mantle in the batting order. Casey famously said, Im mad at him too, for being late (meaning Mantle.) But Im not mad enough to take a chance on losing a ball game and possibly the pennant. Of course, the Yankees won the pennant and beat the Milwaukee Braves 4 games to 3 in the World Series. Almost one month later, om June 15, 1957, Yankees GM George Weiss, who did not like Billy Martin and thought he was a bad influence on Mickey Mantle, traded Billy Martin to the Kansas City As along with pitcher Ralph Terry and two minor leaguers (Bob Martyn and Woodie Held) in exchange for OF Jim Pisoni, OF Harry Suitcase Simpson and a relief pitcher who wore glasses with coke bottle lenses Ryne Duran. 2. On October 31, 1967, winning 23 of 24 votes Dick Williams is named UPI A.L. Manager of the Year. The 38 year old skipper guided the Boston Red Sox to an unlikely pennant emerging on top of a four team horse race on the last day of the season. Dick Williams played 13 years of nondescript outfield for five Major League teams starting with the Brooklyn Dodgers. He played in one World Series, getting two at bats with one hit in the 1953 Series for the Dodgers. Williams was a player, coach, manager and front office executive who won three A.L. Pennants, one N.L. Pennant, won two World Series, won pennants in both Leagues, took three franchises to the World Series and was inducted into the Hall Of Fame in 2008. Dick Williams batted only .159 for the 1964 Red Sox. The Sox released him at the end of the season. Williams thought his career was over. First, he was suprised when he got an invitation to spring training with the Houston Astros for 1965 from Paul Richards. Richards, for some reason, had always liked Williams and looked out for him. But, on October 14, 1964, the Red Sox called Williams and iffered him a job as player/coach with their triple A affiliate the Seattle Rainers of the Pacific Coast League under Manager Edo Vanni, a Seattle native. Williams thought he could start a new career in coaching and took the job over the Astros spring training offer. Only a few days later, the Red Sox were forced to shuffle franchises. The Sox dropped the Seattle Rainers as their Triple A team and in their place named the Toronto Maple Leafs (not the hockey team) of the International League as their top farm club. But, Edo Vanni did not want to leave Seattle. Vanni resigned from the Red Sox organization and stayed with the Rainers now an Independent Team. The Red Sox hired Williams to manage their new Toronto Triple A team, his first managing job. Dick Williams developed a no nonsense managing style (similar to what he learned from the Brooklyn Dodger teams of the early 1950s that he played on.) Williams won two consecutive championships in Toronto. The Boston Red Sox had eight consecutive losing seasons and falling attendance prior to the 1967 season. Williams two consecutive winning years in Toronto together with Bostons losing ways led to Bosox Owner Tom Yawkey giving Williams a one year contract to Dick Williams to manage the Red Sox for 1967. Williams was the surprise winner, the Red Sox were the surprise winners. The Red Sox lost the 1967 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three. Williams would go on to win two World Series with the Oakland As (1972 and 1973) and take the Tony Gwynn led Sand Diego Padres to the 1984 World Series where they would fall to the Yankees four games to one. 3. On October 31, 1979, Baltimore Orioles southpaw Mike Flanagan (23-9, 3.08) wins the Cy Young Award easily outdistancing N. Y. Yankees portsider Tommy John (21-9, 2.97) winning 26 of the 27 first place votes cast by the writers. In the long run, Tommy John had a medical procedure named after him, so I think John was the real winner. 4. On October 31, 2010, for the first time in history two former Presidents attend the same World Series game. Both George H.W. Bush (father) and George W. Bush (son) are both at Rangers Ballpark for Game 4 of the Fall Classic. Prior to the game against the S.F. Giants, the elder Bush, who had played 1B for Yale, stands next to his son, who was the former controlling owner of the Texas Rangers ball team, as he throws out the ceremonial first pitch to Nolan Ryan. 5. On October 31, 2011, the N.Y. Mets announce on their Twitter page that the team is planning to move the left and right-field fences at Citi Field closer to home plate by as much as 12 feet and to also lower the home-run line to eight feet. The Amazins, who have hit the fewest home runs at home of any major league team since moving into their new ballpark in 2009, will see the number of round-trippers dramatically increase when the new dimensions result in 21 additional homers for the team and 24 more for opponents. Wait a minute here. The new fences result in visiting players hitting more homers than the home town team. Maybe it is not the distance of the fences. Maybe it is the ability of the home town players. Maybe the sad sack Mets need to get better players, and while theyre at it, maybe they could get better Owners at the same time. Im just saying.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 16:10:33 +0000