Some Baseball Notes

On the last day of the 1963 baseball season, in the last game either the Detroit Tigers or Baltimore Orioles played with then President John F. Kennedy (I will go along with some and say L.H. Oswald killed the President, however, the “Your Honor” ending– SPOILER  ALERT, although it has aired at least twice— let’s just say reeked of reality, the New Orleans mobster, more or less getting away with it) on earth, two superb announcers, George Kell and Ernie Harwell are on the Tigers’ broadcast. Kell, by the way, was also a superb player.

In consecutive years, (Kell in ’62 and Harwell in ’63), each man broadcast with Joe Garagiola, that year’s World Series. Each was on the air as the World Series ended, the Yankees splitting the two, winning in 7 games, (1-0), when Kell intoned “here’s a liner straight to (Bobby) Richardson in ’62 and falling in 4 straight games, Ernie on air, as Sandy (Koufax) got Hector Lopez to ground out shortstop Maury Wills to first baseman, many time Yankees’ champion, Bill “Moose” Skowron, to end ’63 baseball.

Lopez, by the way, snared Vada Pinson’s fly ball to left (Vada a guy/player, never considered for “Hall” honors, despite being better, in my opinion, than a # of whom are there), as the Yankees clinched the 1961 baseball crown.

The 1969 New York Mets, of course, won it all, an unbelievable feat by what truly was a great (not as great as Baltimore, whom they 5’d in the World Series, but that is a function of what is baseball, that is a short series et. al) team.

However, the Mets, who did not win an opening day tilt until their next and ninth season in 1970, (starting with the opening day win in ’70, the Mets compiled a (22-3) mark in 25 such tilts from (’70-’94), lost the ’69 opener to the first year, Montreal Expos.

The Expos’ right fielder that day, was Daniel “Rusty” Staub, a key, if not the key player, on the 82 win-1973 N.L. champion Mets, who were denied by the Oakland A’s second of three straight titles, in a 7 game World Series.

Finally, I note that after pitching a superb game, as his Giants clinched the 1971 N.L. West crown on the season’s final day/night (I stayed up late listening for updates, as I believe in New York, Marv Albert had something to do with the “presentation,”), Juan Marichal’s final regular season record stood at (18-11).

When before that season, the Giants last won a regular season entity, that the 1962 N.L. Pennant, Marichal’s record was also (18-11).

Need I comment how great the ’62 pennant race was and that with the bogus wild card presence, can not happen again?!!