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