There are two World Series rematches this weekend. Some notes follow.
One is Atlanta (Braves) at Cleveland (Guardians nee Indians). The other matches the Yankees in St. Louis vs the Cardinals.
In ’95 Atlanta won the city’s first pro crown (one more was added in 2021, this season despite 7 wins in their last 8 tilts including at “Cleve,” last night, the Braves are a woeful 14 games under .500) defeating the then Indians, in 6 games.
The Cardinals of St. Louis are (3-2) in W.S. play vs the Yankees. The vaunted Yankees went an incredible (15-1) in World Series play from 1927-1953.
Only the ’42 Cards who 5’d them, got a win. The Yankees reversed that in ’43 as they had the 1926 loss in 1928.
I recall Bob Gibson, Lou Brock and yes, Tim McCarver, as big factors in the Cards’ 7 game triumph in 1964, giving them a (3-2) World Series edge vs the Yankees. Only St. Louis among the 8 original N.L. teams has that edge in World Series play.
Carl Warwick, pictured above set a record, reaching base in his first 4 at bats, all as a pinch batter, (3 hits one walk) in the ’64 World Series for the Cards.
Down the road, which almost certainly will include an appearance, even an at this point, top ranking in the baseball tournament, who knows the luck or lack thereof, the thus far so impressive, 2025 Milwaukee Brewers will have.
A 12th straight win on August’s such day, evokes a 13 game “Mil” win skein (reached in comeback fashion 2 nights later), to open the 1987 season, one in which the Brewers were nowhere near, however, included the great Paul Molitor’s 39 game hit streak as a highlight.
Surely three of the remaining 6 teams that have never won a World Series, the Brewers (Milwaukee’s Braves won one title, that in 1957), the Seattle Mariners (the Brewers began as the Seattle Pilots, playing one season in “Sea,” that in ’69 before becoming the A.L. now N.L. Brewers of Milwaukee and fellow ’69 expansion team San Diego (Padres, awakening today one game up on the top heavy favorite, so disappointing but current World champions, the Dodgers who host the “great weather/no titles save the AFL ’63 Chargers, now again in L.A. –San Diego for a “big” series) have legitimate title chances this season.
Rgarding L.A. at S.D. up next, is it big? See Brewers “big”wig Bud Selig allowed the wild card, he also denied Pete, thus the series with wild card as the safety net AIN’T that big I can not get too enamored with the Brewers, but hail their tremendous “thus far,” which remember is a “thus far.”
Let’s just say Mr. Selig’s chain smoking that day, would not have been as intense, if there was a wild card presence!
Vital To “The Machine”
I remember being outraged as to how long it took for Tony Perez, the great baseball player, to be elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Now that he has been enshrined for a while, I reflect on this summer’s day about his greatness as a clutch hitter.
Of course “Doggy” as he was known, was part of a great Cincinnati Reds’ team. Ask the players on that team and they will testify that Perez was indispensable.
When Cincinnati did lose Perez to free agency, their fortunes turned for the worse.
It was a “pick your poison” situation for Yankees’ manager Billy Martin in game 2 of the 1976 World Series, an eventual Reds’ sweep.
This was the lone competitive game of that World Series and with Ken Griffey at second base, and two outs of a (3-3) game in the bottom of the ninth inning, Martin could have Jim “Catfish” Hunter face either Perez or the great Joe Morgan.
He chose to face Perez, who singled home Griffey, with the winning run, surely a highlight in Perez’ great career.
Includes My Review Of “Heart of a Tiger”
T.R. Cobb “Hits” Home
Today, another iconic show, “I’ve got a Secret” and a segment of that show, with the legendary, baseball great Ty Cobb, that aired in September 1955.
Gary Moore is the show’s host while the panelists on this show were Henry Morgan, Bill Cullen, Kitty Carlisle and Jayne Meadows.
Cobb is most personable, in sharp contrast to his image.
I have included my review of Ty’s grandson’s Herschel’s book, “Heart of a Tiger,” depicting a loving grandfather.
Enjoy the segment.
Book Review: Heart of a Tiger on June 30, 2013
Ty Cobb on the TV show “I’ve got a Secret.” Sep. 28, 1955 – YouTube
The immortal Ty Cobb, pictured above.
Some bit of trivia and much entertainment was derived, watching some early morning programming on MeTV.
A superb “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” “Man With a Problem” aired originally in 1958, starred Gary Merrill, Marc Richman and the beautiful Elizabeth Montgomery.
The episode was directed by Robert Stevens and (of course) Ms. Montgomery went on to star in a famed television show, “Bewitched,” roughly a decade later playing Mrs. Samantha Stephens, a witch married to a mortal.
Next Mannix with another beautiful woman, Joanna Pettet (some kissing with Mike Connors’ “Joe Mannix,” a relative rarity for the impressive private detective) and as a reach, an “enforcer” named Krebs (ode to Steve Kanaly on the seminal television show, “Dallas” —can it be that upcoming November will mark 45 years since the beyond famed, “Who Shot J.R.” episode aired) with another big Texas city, Houston a part of the plot.
Gary Merrill, Bette Davis’ romantic interest in “All About Eve,” and also her “real life” husband when the movie premiered in 1950 and Elizabeth Montgomery are pictured above, in the “Hitch” Presents–“Man With A Problem.”
Burt Mustin Recalling The First Modern World Series On The Tonight Show 71 Years Later In 1974
“The Tessie Song”
Today, I recall Antenna TV showed a John Carson Tonight Show from Friday night October 18, 1974, the day after the Oakland Athletics clinched their third straight World Series title “5’ing” the Dodgers, who were eliminated in W.S. play on Oct 17th twice (in ’74 and ’78) and Oct 18th once (1977), in losing 3 of their 4 st. W.S. losses, from ’66-’78.
Mr. Carson talked of the plane his parents were on the night before, being diverted because of fog, but the highlight to me, was the then 90 year old actor, Burt Mustin, talking about the very first World Series in 1903.
In that first W.S. Boston defeated Pittsburgh 5 games to 3 and Mr. Mustin recalled the “Tessie song” or just “Tessie” being sung by the Boston fans, even in his hometown of Pittsburgh.
By the way, Bill Dinneen (over a year later, I checked and Dinneen is the correct spelling with Dineen cited as an alternate one) (3) and “True” Young better known as Cy Young, yes that Cy Young, combined for all 5 Boston pitching victories. Deacon Phillippe, a distant ancestor of actor Ryan Phillippe, notched all 3 Pittsburgh victories.
Burt Mustin on the right (you would have thought “Archie Bunker”) with the great Carroll O’Connor, on the seminal show, “All In The Family,” pictured above.
There were essentially “repeat results” in the two World Series rematches contested this past weekend.
The defending champion L.A. Dodgers won 2 of 3 games vs the Tampa Bay Rays, essentially what they did in 6′ ing the Rays (4-2) (two 2-1’s if you will) in the 2020 World Series.
In the other redux, also matching a 2024 World Series participant (the Yankees) and a Florida team (the now .500 percentage Marlins), the Marlins a la the 2003 World Series won 3 straight (then down (2-1) to win the title), a first “reg” sweep vs the Yankees.
Josh Beckett, pictured below, led the Marlins to the 2003 title, pitching a brilliant shutout in the (2-0) series clincher in #6, evoking memories of John Podres, doing same in #7/’55 W.S. as Brooklyn finally won what was their lone title.
Pirates Past
Look for “Buc Belters”
Let’s say 5 years back, in Inwood, New York and a nice day was made better, when I saw there is a street (Matty Alou Way, located at Isham and Seaman), at least partially named for the fine baseball player, Matty Alou.
He won the 1966 National League batting title, playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a .342 batting average and played on pennant winners with the western “Bay Area” teams, the (S.F.) Giants and (Oakland) A’s ten years apart in 1962 and 1972 respectively.
Matty started all 12 (1972) A’s post-season tilts in right field, as they won the requisite 7 games and the title. The ’62 Giants were denied the title, losing to the Yankees incredible 20th crown in 40 seasons, in game 7 of that year’s World Series.
Mateo Alou, pictured above as a Pittsburgh Pirates’ player, a team he played for in ’66 when he hit .342 and won the big leagues batting crown.
The great Frank Robinson, who hit .316 won the A.L. Triple Crown and led the Baltimore Orioles to the title.
Again, it was Alou who led the “bigs” in batting average.
Forget a (17-16) loss at Colorado to the now (30-80) Rockies and even the (47-64) Pirates’ “going nowhere” record and recall. The card above (where is mine?) is so (lack of a better word) cool!
1960 World Series Game 7 Notes
Pirates 10 Yankees 9
The epic, not so arguably greatest baseball game ever when one considers importance and excitement, game 7 of the 1960 World Series was won by the Pittsburgh Pirates by a (10-9) score vs the New York Yankees.
In a period from (1923-1962), the Yankees won an incredible 20/half of the forty contested World Series. In periods from (1927-1962) and (1936-1962) they won more than half, (19 of 36 and 16 of 27) the World Series played.
Meanwhile the Pirates, who had rallied from a (7-4) deficit to lead (9-7) going to the ninth inning, as they had in a Thursday home 7th game at Forbes Field, 2 days shy of 35 years earlier, won the game and their first title since that one in 1925 by a (10-9) score.
In 1925 they held on to win (9-7).
Bill Mazeroski hit into a double play to end the 7th inning and after Pittsburgh sent 8 men to the plate, scoring 5 runs, capped by the always ought to be mentioned, but so often is not, Hal Smith 3RHR, “Maz” was the first batter in the bottom of the 9th.
Two Pirates batters, the aforementioned Smith and then Don Hoak (as was the case with Dick Groat of the ’60 Pirates, Hoak was on two teams that 7’d the mighty Yankees in World Series play. Groat, as noted by the classy Bobby Richardson, on a show replaying this classic game, later played on the ’64 Cardinals while Hoak was a defensive replacement and either first or second to embrace John Podres, after his brilliant game 7 pitching finally brought a title to the Brooklyn Dodgers), to end the 8th, flying out to Yogi Berra in left before Mazeroski was a third straight Pirates’ player to hit a ball toward Yogi in left and the second to clear the wall a long way out in Forbes Field.
The first episode of “What’s My Line” in 1961 was extraordinary.
The great Lucille Ball (movies, iconic in her television show “I Love Lucy,” and then so glad to be on Broadway in “Wildcat”) was the mystery guest.
Panelists were Arlene Francis, then rising and eventual great comedian Shelley Berman, Bennett Cerf and movies and television star, Faye Emerson (Mr. Cerf announced Dorothy Kilgallen had a shoulder injury thus Faye Emerson, who “only had a broken leg?” was substituting.
John Charles Daly, an iconic one, is the show’s host.
Enjoy!
That is the beautiful Faye Emerson, pictured above, while appearing in the 1961 first of the season, “What’s My Line” television show.
