forget about it, but, don't forget
every so often charlotte asks me for a little help with one of her projects from work. she is a librarian in an elementary school in austin. i suppose that since i am such a voracious blowhard, i think i'll know just what to do to make things right. even though i am unqualified and have no experience, i am sure i'll be right. sounds like 43, doesn't it? maybe i should run for president. she asked me for some help last night. doing so got me to thinking. imagine that.
charlotte wanted to create a power point to use in teaching her classes about the book "the shot heard 'round the world" by phil bildner. it's a story i know well as it is based on the most famous homerun in the history of baseball. although i never saw him play, willie mays is -perhaps- my favorite ball player ever. he had as much, if not more, talent as anyone who ever played. he always presented himself with dignity, and really seemed to love baseball. he was a winner. from reading stories of his life and career, i came to learn of this storied homerun and game.
on aug 11 1951, the giants trailed the dodgers by thirteen 1/2 games for the national league pennant. at the end of the regular season, the yankees had won the american league, and the giants and dodgers were tied in the nl. all three teams were then located in new york city, so the excitement was palpable. the two nl teams would play a three game playoff for the pennant. after the first two games, they were still tied; so it came to the 157th game before the decision could finally be made. october 3, 1951: going into the bottom of the 9th inning at the polo grounds, the dodgers were leading 4-2 when monte irvine came to the plate with two on and no outs. he didn't get a hit; so with one out, bobby thomson stepped into the box. with the count 0-1, ralph branca threw a strike that thomson tatooed over the left field wall. that was it. with one swing, the giants had completed a crushing season-long comeback of the hated dodgers and sent them back to vero beach to await the spring. the radio call of russ hodges' constant repetition of "the giants win the pennant! the giants win the pennant!" is one of the most famous sporting broadcasts ever recorded. this homerun is consistently voted the most famous homerun ever hit and is always referred to as the "shot heard round the world." my hero willie was in the on deck circle desperately hoping he wouldn't have to come to the plate. bobby saved his bacon.
there have been a couple of documentaries produced sharing the name "when it was a game." the documentaries present video, stories and music from the baseball of days gone by. i love them. those guys seem to really be having alot of fun. for better or worse, the "good old days" are always remembered with unwavering adulation and reverence. not just in baseball, but nearly all subjects. i guess the reason we do so is that we generally choose to remember the best of times when we reminisce. who wants to remember mccarthyism when we can remember buddy holly and elvis? the events of today are fresh in our minds, and our minds are full of worry and stress. we often hear the worst side of most issues, and the "news" we intake is really just the most shocking tragedies of the day passed off as a commentary on the status quo. being so encumbered, a wistful view of the past seems only natural.
my favorite movies are generally those made over 40 years ago. i don't think i can tell you much about one single tv show currently on network tv. i'm actually quite proud of that...bully for me. you'll find music in my collection originally recorded in the 30's, but i won't recognize much of anything on popular radio. sinatra is my favorite and, obviously, no one recording today can begin to sniff his talent or dedication. although i buy newly published books all the time, they are almost always focused on events of the distant past. without doubt, current pop culture holds no allure for me. i'm actually watching "high society" while writing this.
i'm not sure what to think of all this. surely i wouldn't have wanted to live through the depression, the wars ,or the pre-air conditioning era. my asthma medications alone make me so appreciative of the times in which i live. modern-day antibiotics literally saved my wife's life 3 years ago. we live in a most magnificent time of the world's history; so, i guess i'm saying i like looking at my cake and eating it ,too. this is the good fortune in which i am enveloped : holding the current world culture in contempt while enjoying the fruits of its labor. what a wonderful country.
charlotte wanted to create a power point to use in teaching her classes about the book "the shot heard 'round the world" by phil bildner. it's a story i know well as it is based on the most famous homerun in the history of baseball. although i never saw him play, willie mays is -perhaps- my favorite ball player ever. he had as much, if not more, talent as anyone who ever played. he always presented himself with dignity, and really seemed to love baseball. he was a winner. from reading stories of his life and career, i came to learn of this storied homerun and game.
on aug 11 1951, the giants trailed the dodgers by thirteen 1/2 games for the national league pennant. at the end of the regular season, the yankees had won the american league, and the giants and dodgers were tied in the nl. all three teams were then located in new york city, so the excitement was palpable. the two nl teams would play a three game playoff for the pennant. after the first two games, they were still tied; so it came to the 157th game before the decision could finally be made. october 3, 1951: going into the bottom of the 9th inning at the polo grounds, the dodgers were leading 4-2 when monte irvine came to the plate with two on and no outs. he didn't get a hit; so with one out, bobby thomson stepped into the box. with the count 0-1, ralph branca threw a strike that thomson tatooed over the left field wall. that was it. with one swing, the giants had completed a crushing season-long comeback of the hated dodgers and sent them back to vero beach to await the spring. the radio call of russ hodges' constant repetition of "the giants win the pennant! the giants win the pennant!" is one of the most famous sporting broadcasts ever recorded. this homerun is consistently voted the most famous homerun ever hit and is always referred to as the "shot heard round the world." my hero willie was in the on deck circle desperately hoping he wouldn't have to come to the plate. bobby saved his bacon.
there have been a couple of documentaries produced sharing the name "when it was a game." the documentaries present video, stories and music from the baseball of days gone by. i love them. those guys seem to really be having alot of fun. for better or worse, the "good old days" are always remembered with unwavering adulation and reverence. not just in baseball, but nearly all subjects. i guess the reason we do so is that we generally choose to remember the best of times when we reminisce. who wants to remember mccarthyism when we can remember buddy holly and elvis? the events of today are fresh in our minds, and our minds are full of worry and stress. we often hear the worst side of most issues, and the "news" we intake is really just the most shocking tragedies of the day passed off as a commentary on the status quo. being so encumbered, a wistful view of the past seems only natural.
my favorite movies are generally those made over 40 years ago. i don't think i can tell you much about one single tv show currently on network tv. i'm actually quite proud of that...bully for me. you'll find music in my collection originally recorded in the 30's, but i won't recognize much of anything on popular radio. sinatra is my favorite and, obviously, no one recording today can begin to sniff his talent or dedication. although i buy newly published books all the time, they are almost always focused on events of the distant past. without doubt, current pop culture holds no allure for me. i'm actually watching "high society" while writing this.
i'm not sure what to think of all this. surely i wouldn't have wanted to live through the depression, the wars ,or the pre-air conditioning era. my asthma medications alone make me so appreciative of the times in which i live. modern-day antibiotics literally saved my wife's life 3 years ago. we live in a most magnificent time of the world's history; so, i guess i'm saying i like looking at my cake and eating it ,too. this is the good fortune in which i am enveloped : holding the current world culture in contempt while enjoying the fruits of its labor. what a wonderful country.
posted by cm at 10/03/2005
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