| The automotive world was introduced to
| |
| | rubber ball. The batter stood about 5
|
| economies of scale in 1954 as Nash and
| |
| | feet from the brick wall, and if he did
|
| Hudson (yes, those were makes of cars
| |
| | not swing at the pitch or swung and
|
| exactly 52 years ago) merged to form
| |
| | missed, the ball bounced off the wall and
|
| American Motors. Both Nash and Hudson
| |
| | back out to the pitcher.You learned
|
| models are history now. Heck, American
| |
| | pretty fast how to throw strikes, because
|
| Motors has taken a hike since then
| |
| | if you did not, you were running all over
|
| too.Two other auto
| |
| | the blacktop lot to retrieve the ball
|
| manufacturers—Studebaker and
| |
| | after each pitch.When you connected, the
|
| Packard—also merged their
| |
| | distance of the ball in the air
|
| production in response to economies of
| |
| | determined what kind of hit you had, hit
|
| scale. They are both gone now as well.As
| |
| | it to the chain link fence on the fly and
|
| these four auto manufacturers were headed
| |
| | it was "Good-bye Baseball, Hello
|
| toward oblivion, another entrepreneur was
| |
| | Home Run." The rubber ball you hit
|
| just getting started. Ray Kroc founded
| |
| | never went as far as you thought it
|
| McDonald’s in 1954 and went on to
| |
| | would. You had 3 swings for each out, and
|
| create the fast food restaurant industry
| |
| | 3 outs to an inning. Balls were ignored
|
| as we know it today.The first nonstick
| |
| | to not cause disputes.The sun would get
|
| pan was produced in 1954, leading to
| |
| | hotter as the day wore on. Even at age
|
| Teflon (a trademark for
| |
| | 10, we thought we invented sweat because
|
| polytetrafluoroethylene), and Reagan (who
| |
| | it was so prevalent in the blistering
|
| would become the Teflon President) was
| |
| | sun. No one ever called us to come home,
|
| not even President. It was another guy
| |
| | both our parents worked when it was not
|
| named Ike (Dwight David Eisenhower), who
| |
| | the thing to do. I think it was called
|
| in 1944 was made Supreme Allied Commander
| |
| | survival on the wrong side of the
|
| for the invasion of Europe during World
| |
| | tracks.We never thought about lunch. We
|
| War II.While Ike was busy making war
| |
| | were a couple of 10 year olds, dreaming
|
| plans, I was born in Flint (MI), then
| |
| | about the 9th inning with the scored
|
| headquarters of General Motors and its
| |
| | tied, 2 outs and a 3-2 count on the
|
| vast manufacturing facilities.The New
| |
| | batter. Always we thought of Mickey on
|
| York Yankees, who had won five
| |
| | that fateful pitch.Mickey Mantle of the
|
| consecutive World Series from 1949
| |
| | Yankees did not win the American League
|
| through 1953, were watching the World
| |
| | home title in 1954, but even at 10 we
|
| Series from the sidelines in 1954, as the
| |
| | knew he was a legend was in the making.
|
| National League Champion New York Giants
| |
| | Mantle did win the home run title the
|
| (the other team from the city so nice
| |
| | following year (1955) and added 3 more
|
| they named it twice) swept the American
| |
| | titles in 1956, 1958 and 1960.In 1961,
|
| League Champion Cleveland Indians in 4
| |
| | Roger Maris of the Yankees would break
|
| games.Leo Durocher, the Manager of the
| |
| | Babe’s record with 61 humdingers.
|
| Giants, could not say "Nice guys
| |
| | We were so excited on that day we could
|
| finish last" that year.Interestingly
| |
| | not pee straight.After hours of play we
|
| enough, Cleveland’s Bob Lemon lost
| |
| | headed to the local drugstore. Both Tommy
|
| games 1 and 4 of the Series and Early
| |
| | and I worked or we would not have had
|
| Wynn lost game 2. Both Lemon and Wynn are
| |
| | money. I had a TV Guide route with about
|
| in Baseball’s Hall of Fame.
| |
| | 200 customers. Youngsters today would
|
| Cleveland’s Bobby Avila also won
| |
| | have no idea that TV Guide, long before
|
| the American League batting title in 1954
| |
| | it relied on grocery stores and direct
|
| with a .341 average (now that is what you
| |
| | mail for sales, had routes just like
|
| call a trivia question), and Larry Doby
| |
| | paper routes. We delivered once a week
|
| (who broke the color barrier in the
| |
| | and collected monthly.We lived for two
|
| American League) won the home run title
| |
| | things at that drugstore, baseball cards
|
| with 32 dingers.For the Cleveland
| |
| | and cherry Cokes. I purposely down-cased
|
| Indians, it became what some would call a
| |
| | the "c" in cherry because back
|
| bad year. Imagine getting to the promised
| |
| | then you could not buy Cherry Coke off
|
| land and coming up short with two
| |
| | the shelf at your local supermarket like
|
| eventual Hall of Fame pitchers, a batting
| |
| | you can today.You got Coke and the
|
| champion and an eventual Hall of Fame
| |
| | fountain person would squirt in cherry
|
| home run champion.I remember the 1954
| |
| | concentrate and stir it up, pour in ice
|
| Series as the one at the Polo Grounds
| |
| | and bam, once that hit your throat after
|
| when Willie Mays made "The
| |
| | 5 hours in the hot sun, it was like
|
| Catch," a dramatic over-the-shoulder
| |
| | visiting another world.We would sock down
|
| catch off a line drive by Vic Wertz to
| |
| | 4 or 5 of them while buying baseball
|
| deep center field which could otherwise
| |
| | cards, and with each pack of cards we
|
| have given the Cleveland Indians a game
| |
| | opened, the bubble gum would go into our
|
| one victory (remember, the Giants swept
| |
| | mouth, every last slice of it. We were
|
| the Series that year, winning four
| |
| | looking for that elusive Mickey Mantle
|
| straight games).A lot more happened in
| |
| | card, and when we got more than one, we
|
| 1954, but here you get the tidbits I
| |
| | had an awesome bargaining chip for
|
| learned later in life, much later. I
| |
| | trades.Always, we tried to build up
|
| celebrated my 62nd birthday June 27.In
| |
| | enough chewing gum so we could push it
|
| 1954 I was 10 years old and just about my
| |
| | out in our cheek, like Nellie Fox, the
|
| whole world was baseball. We played
| |
| | sure-handed second baseman for the
|
| during the school year but there was
| |
| | Chicago White Sox with the biggest chaw
|
| never enough time. Summer was a dream
| |
| | of tobacco in his cheek you ever saw.Fox
|
| come true, no school and lots of hot,
| |
| | was another Hall of Famer, and probably
|
| sunny days. After rolling out of bed,
| |
| | would have been even without the chaw of
|
| eating the requisite breakfast and
| |
| | tobacco. He was a 12-time American League
|
| meeting my buddy Tommy, we walked two
| |
| | All-Star who never struck out more than
|
| blocks to St. Michael’s, the
| |
| | 18 times a season in 15 full seasons, and
|
| private school in our lower middle class
| |
| | was the American League Most Valuable
|
| neighborhood.We could not afford to go
| |
| | Player in 1959.We loved Nellie because he
|
| there, but we wore out the brick wall on
| |
| | was a little guy like us that made it
|
| the side of the school all summer.The
| |
| | big. Fox had 200+ hits in 1954 and a .319
|
| Catholics who built St. Mike’s
| |
| | batting average (his best year in the
|
| meant for it to stand for a long time. At
| |
| | majors). Man, we thought Nellie was
|
| that point in time, Christianity had been
| |
| | something.We then walked home, exhausted,
|
| around for 19.5 centuries, and they built
| |
| | happy, poor kids who never knew any
|
| it like they meant for it to be there for
| |
| | better. It would be a number of years
|
| another 19.5 centuries.No one ever ran us
| |
| | before we got our first car, and cruised
|
| off the property. We were very lucky, too
| |
| | the A&W Root Beer stand on Friday
|
| small or too insignificant to be noticed.
| |
| | nights after the high school football
|
| Maybe they thought we were their
| |
| | game. But without any cars or car repair
|
| students.Back then Tommy and I played
| |
| | bills, 1954 was a great summer.Copyright
|
| several games a day. We were there by 10
| |
| | © 2006 Ed BagleyEd Bagley is the
|
| and did not quit until after 3. Man, it
| |
| | author of Ed Bagley's Blog, which he
|
| was hot most days. Having a game with
| |
| | publishes daily with fresh, original
|
| only two players was simple. The home
| |
| | writing intended to delight, inform,
|
| team pitcher took the mound, an
| |
| | educate and motivate readers. Visit Ed at
|
| appropriate distance away, and fired in a
| |
| | . . .
|
