Fifty six years in duration, usually means exact day/date anniversaries and today marks such an anniversary, for Jim Bunning’s historic perfect game, pitched by the then father of 7, on another Father’s Day, at first year Shea Stadium, in the first game of a doubleheader, vs the New York Mets.
Bunning, who hurled a no hitter while pitching for the Detroit Tigers, at Fenway Park in Boston vs the Red Sox in 1958, hurled the first perfect game by a National League pitcher since John Montgomery Ward did so 84 years earlier. Montgomery hurled for the Providence Grays, pitching the perfect game vs the Buffalo Bisons.
It was the first regular season perfect game in the major leagues since Charles Robertson hurled one for the White Sox vs the Tigers in 1922.
Don Larsen, pitching for the Yankees, of course, turned in a still unmatched perfect game vs the Brooklyn Dodgers in the pivotal 5th game of the 1956 World Series.
Click below to view a fine piece by long time, former Phillies’ director of public relations and also a one time writer, Larry Shenk, about Bunning’s “perfecto.”
I will have additional notes in tomorrow’s post.
Phillies’ Jim Bunning had a perfect Father’s Day in 1964
A great broadcaster, Bob Murphy makes the television call. Another great, Lindsey Nelson was on the radio.
I cite, without editorial, that yesterday I reflected on the passage of 155 years since slavery ended in Texas, the last of the “United” states to enact, that 67 years had passed since Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were killed by the state and the implications of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s landslide victory over Adlai E. Stevenson in the 1956 presidential election, which was the theme of a “Happy Days” episode, shown yesterday on MeTV.
I will editorialize and say that the next presidential election (1960) in this potential unfulfilled, country, yielded hope with the narrow and perhaps “helped along” election, of John F. Kennedy.
Senseless violence, so horrible, since as Mr. Kennedy once said “We are all mortal,” took away much of what the idealism and in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King “the Kennedy’s “moral center,” might have accomplished.
Thus with the passing this past week of Jean Kennedy Smith, the youngest daughter and second youngest of nine children, born to Rose and Joseph P. Kennedy, I lament the fact all of them are gone.
Certainly Jean Kennedy Smith, pictured above, accomplished much as did the Kennedys, it’s just that it could have been so much mo(o)re. (Alas Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, granted relatively long life and the “more chances,” male gender did the most).
She was Ambassador to Ireland, a diplomat and an activist. Most of all, she was part of family and ideal, certainly one of privilege, but tilted for whatever reason to help those less and far less fortunate.
In England, (1939), The Kennedy family: left to right are Eunice, John, Rosemary, Jean, Joseph P. their father, Edward/Ted, Rose their mother, Joseph Jr. Patricia, Robert and Kathleen.
It is a photo by Dorothy Wilding.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, “they” have decided to have shortened, diluted season ending playoffs in both the NBA and NHL.
It is far worse regarding the NBA. There, home advantage and fans, while not the “be all, end all,” is so important.
Please powers that be and I know it is about money and the players will decide, no baseball.
A 60 game season with subsequent playoffs is not a legitimate one. A great game has been hurt so much already, regarding the legitimacy of its champion because of the wild card.
Please do not add to this descent, with a 60 game season!
When as was the case regarding the 1982 American League East race, a long (maybe too long but far better than way or even too short) 162 game season came down to one game, with no bogus “safety net” wild card, baseball becomes transcendent.
Then Robin Yount, pictured above, led the “chain smoking” Bud Selig owned Milwaukee Brewers, to their first title of any kind, with a victory at Baltimore vs the Orioles in a “winner take the division,” 162nd game.
Selig would not have been that nervous, nor would it have meant as much if either there was a wild card which he eventually implemented, nor if it was a shortened season.
I enjoyed watching a nice episode of “Happy Days,” yesterday, on MeTV.
The title of the episode is “Fonzie’s Getting Married” and “we” meet his intended, played by Nellie Bellflower.
What a nice performance, name and future work, Ms. Bellflower has achieved.
She produced the Academy Award nominated, “Neverland” starring Johnny Depp, among many nice achievements in acting, voice over and production.
Her husband Michael Mislove founded “The Ace Trucking Company,” a great comedy sketch group, that appeared on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show, some 35 times.
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Nellie Bellflower, pictured above.
Only three teams in North American major sports league history have ever topped the New York Islanders’ four straight titles from (1980-1983).
The Boston Celtics won eight straight crowns (’59-’66), while the Montreal Canadiens (’56-’60) and New York Yankees (’49-’53) won 5 each.
Two other teams, both “above” franchises, the Yankees (’36-’39) and Canadiens (’76-’79) match the Isles, with 4 straight titles.
Those Islanders are in rare air indeed. They were truly dominant in semi-final and final round play in those 4 seasons, gaining at least three to one series advantages after four games, in all 8 such series, played in those 4 seasons.
Today, another great episode, this one sports related, of “What’s My Line?”
It is September, 1954 and the mystery guests are pitcher Sal Maglie of the New York Giants and Edwin “Duke” Snider of the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Panelists are Dorothy Kilgallen, “young” comedian Jack Carter, Arlene Francis and Bennett Cerf.
John Charles Daly is the show’s host.
It is a most enjoyable episode.
It is Saturday night July 6th, twenty weeks “before,” and the Pittsburgh Pirates are visiting the second year, New York Mets, at the Polo Grounds. It is that historic venue’s last season.
Bob Murphy is behind the microphone telling Ralph Kiner that Mets’ 6th place hitter, Frank Thomas (an impressive 34 home runs the year before), was hit by his dinner bell, causing minor injury.
He finishes the story just as Thomas, with one out and Jesse Gonder on first (a walk in his first Mets’ at bat), hits a drive toward the right field line.
The great Pittsburgh right fielder, Roberto Clemente is after it and makes a great diving catch, his second great play in as many days, vs the Mets.
Murphy, a superb broadcaster, made a great call of the play.
That was a day! Those were the days!
It is “ringing,” but not for dinner.
I noticed some great and familiar people in uncredited roles,
in the great Alfred Hitchcock directed film, “North By Northwest.”
One of course, is Mr. Hitchcock himself, as a man trying to get on a bus.
Robert Shayne, best known as “Inspector Henderson,” on “The Adventures of Superman” is another.
Thanks to the fabulous IMDB, Shayne’s “Superman stats”follow.
He is credited in 90 episodes and appeared in 49, one as “Detective Launay,” in a 1957 episode, called “Peril in Paris.”
Robert Shayne, pictured above.
There is much really personal “stuff” involved, when I recall my cousin Neil, who died 5 years ago.
Today some less personal and brighter thoughts, as he had total recall about the cars that the neighborhood adults owned.
He “piled” my plate with food when I turned for just a bit, making me look like a “glutton,” at a couple of Passover Seders.
He was not into sports and there is still one precious piece of old film somewhere, in which Neil, age say 8, is walking through our little football game. It was as though a spectator came on the field and was walking through the action.
Our fathers “dressed” us on one occasion at “Freedom Land,” with interesting “headgear.” You ought to see Neil’s smile and that I do, somehow, through all the misses and memories.
Neil once had a white Corvette and collected vintage cars.
Here’s one: I cited Neil’s lack of interest in sports, yet somehow for some reason he attended game 6 of the 1977 World Series.
In that game, “fellow vintage car collector,” Reggie Jackson smacked 3 home runs, leading the Yankees to their 21st title and first in 15 years.
I highly recommend “The Plot Thickens,” podcasts on TCM, hosted by Ben Mankiewicz.
In this its first season, the superb director Peter Bogdanovich, is the compelling subject (“I’m Still Peter Bogdanovich”).
His life with its acute “ups and downs” is remarkable and he and Mr. Mankiewicz are very candid, in discussing some incredible events.
Among other things in a remarkable life, the exceptionally talented Bogdanovich wrote about and was friends with another great director, Orson Welles and talked warmly with me, about his admiration of the seminal television show, “The Sopranos,” on which he had a recurring acting role.
Hearing the podcasts (“I’m Still Peter Bogdanovich”) will reveal so much more.
Peter Bogdanovich, pictured above, directed the great film, “The Last Picture Show,” which among other good things, netted Academy Awards for Cloris Leachman and Ben Johnson.
Andy B Sports 