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02-03-2003, 09:41 AM
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#1 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: East of East
Posts: 3,020
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SO49 - 1952 Regular Season Finale
<b><i>Dateline: September, 1952</i></b>
As the 1952 season wound down the stage was being set for a tremendously exciting finish - one for the annals of greatness...a time for myth-making. In the American League, the Detroit Tigers, after years of losing games (not to mention losing star players to the, by now infamous, 'Motown Jinx') had finally come of age. Young and explosive, their lineup featured the "M&M Boys" -- Willie Mays and rookie Eddie Mathews alongside sluggers George Shuba and Roy Sievers. The pitching was even better with aces Art Houtteman and Carlos Pascual leading a corps that also featured strikeout master Frank Smith and the reliable Sandy Consuegra. Andy Hansen was the best closer on the circuit in 1952. With hitting and pitching all coming together, skipper Hal Newhouser's squad had all but run the wire. Now, prepared to close the deal the Tigers were euphoric when Mays (who had been injured) returned to the lineup to start the stretch run. Meanwhile, sitting 7 lengths back were the defending World Champs - and 3 time AL Pennant winners [1949-1951] - the Cleveland Indians. Skipper George Uhle was once more trying to will his proteges into the race. If any team in the league had the horses to catch the Tigers, it was certainly the Tribe. The National League was an altogether different story... Sitting atop the standings were the Philadelphia Phillies. The model of inconsistency, the Phils were also a volatile bunch, their moniker "Fightin' Phils" a reflection of their attitude and their aggressive manager, Ty Cobb. Their lineup read like a miniature 'Murderer's Row' -- Ted Williams, the legendary bat from Boston; Gus Zernial and Del Ennis, the big league's dominant slugging duo. Together, they alone could outscore most other teams. Solid from top to bottom, the Phils relied on ace Whitey Ford and rookie star Mike Fornieles to get it done on the mound. Robin Roberts and Jocko Thompson were contributing, but a bit too rough for Cobb's taste. Just a game back were the 'Cinderellas' of 1952: the Cincinnati Reds. With a veteran pitching corps featuring Ewell Blackwell and Ken Raffensberger and a lineup centered on slugging 1B Ted Kluszewski, the Reds had battled all season to be in position to pull of a pennant upset. Just behind the Reds stood the NL's defending flag winners, the Brooklyn Dodgers. Durocher's Bums featured the slugging talents of Gil Hodges, Duke Snider, and Roy Campanella, the all-everything of Jackie Robinson, and the still reliable - but aging - arms of Preacher Roe, Al Gettel and Rex Barney. Closer Bobby Shantz was back to form as the NL's premier fireman. ...then there were Billy Southworth's Boston Braves. Featuring veteran star Jeff Heath on his last hurrah and a brilliant corps of arms: Bickford, Spahn, Sain, Voiselle and ace Red Barrett. And finally, a long 7 games out of first, were the St.Louis Cardinals featuring the hitting talents of Stan Musial, young stars Gil McDougald and Gus Bell, as well as Ron Northey. Arms Red Munger, Howie Pollett and Murry D. all combined to make the Cards a potent threat. ...and that is how it stacked up heading into the final stretch. Two pennants and seven teams all vying for a chance to play in the 1952 Fall Classic. What no one could imagine is the epic tones the race would take on... <i>coming next...</i>
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History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are." |
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02-03-2003, 10:35 AM
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#2 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: East of East
Posts: 3,020
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The stretch drive began, for all practical purposes, on September 13, 1952.
Some eyes were attuned to the race for the worst record between the Boston Red Sox, who earlier in the year had begun a massive fire-sale, and the Chicago Cubs. It, too, was a race that would come down to the final day. The Chicago White Sox, who had to be perfect (and needed the Tigers to be perfectly imperfect) were eliminated on the first day, not because they lost but because because the Tigers had won. Meanwhile, the Indians dropped a heart-breaker to the Yankees, dropping them 8-games-back and near the borders of elimination. By the dawn of Sept. 16, the Tigers held their 7 game margin in the AL. The Phillies held a 2 game edge over the Dodgers, while the Reds, Braves and Cardinals were 3,5,and 7 games back respectively. The Cardinals, however, were starting a hot streak that seemed to have them aimed towards contention. ...then the 'Motown Jinx' struck. Later that day (9/16) the Tigers crushed the Yankees 11-0 but lost Willie Mays who was hurt making a fantastic outfield grab. Reports from Detroit indicated that Mays would likely be unavailable for the World Series were the Tigers to clinch the flag. The Indians stayed alive, now hoping that the loss of Mays would open the door for them. Over the course of the next few days, Hal Newhouser managed to keep the Tigers on course while the Indians never got closer than 6 lengths back. While Uhle was contemplating a switch to a 3-man rotation (on the advice of team President Herb DeSpain), ace Bob Lemon was felled by arm woes. For all practical purposes, the Indians were down for the count... On the Senior Circuit the Cardinals went into Philadelphia and knocked the Fightin's around, helping their own cause while opening the throne room to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers, however, were crushed when star 2B Jackie Robinson's season ended sliding hard into second in a game against the Phillies a day earlier. Nevertheless, dawn of Sept.19 saw the Phils and Bums knotted atop the league while the Reds, Braves and Cards were 1,3 and 5 back. Fevers were running high now... ...and when both the Dodgers and Phils lost that afternoon, Ewell Blackwell twirled a shutout over the Braves at Crosley Field to move the Reds into a 3-way-tie for the NL's top spot. The race for the last pick was seemingly assured as the Red Sox ran cold while the Cubs suddenly played top-flight ball, upsetting stronger teams with surprising ease. Just as Red Sox ownership celebrated, however, their team cruised into Washington D.C. and started winning again. The Cubs, on the other hand, welcomed the Phillies into Chicago where they proved just the right tonic for the struggling contenders...they started losing again. Start of Sept. 23 saw the Tigers all but assured the pennant, now just running through academics to prepare for one of 5 opponents they might face from the NL. In that league the Phils had moved back ahead (thanks to the Cubs) while both the Dodgers and Reds sat a game back. Braves and Cards were 4 and 5 back, starting to feel desperate. That day the Dodgers lost to their favorite rivals in New York while the Reds' Ken Raffensberger pitched his second shutout gem of the week to pace his mates. On the Michigan shores, the Phils and Cubs were into extra-innings. Andy Pafko's 28th circuit blast of the year won the game for the Cubs and put the flag back into contention. Sept. 27: The Phils and Reds are knotted at the top. Brooklyn 1 back. The Cardinals have pushed themselves to within 4 games, all they need is one last hot streak. The Braves sinking fast, dropped to 5 back. HIGHLIGHT MOMENT: Reds are in Philly for a key matchup. Game goes into extra innings thanks to huge HR's by Ted Williams and Del Ennis. In the 13th inning, with Miller on to pitch for the Reds, former Giant Roy Hartsfield came to the plate and launched a walk-off game winning homer. On the strength of that, the Phils were back in control... The next night, the Reds were in an extra-inning affair AGAIN. This time in Brooklyn where Cincinnati's Virgil Stallcup came off the bench in the 10th to double in the winning run. When the Phillies lost to the Pirates over at Forbes Field, the race was knotted yet again. ...meanwhile, with 3 games to go, the Cubs and Red Sox sat with identical records. On Oct. 1 the Phils were shocked at Braves Field, dropping a 6-3 disaster to Johnny Antonelli. The Reds, behind Blackwell, staved off the Cubs 3-2 to move a game ahead. Things were now frantic...who would take the flag, Reds or Phillies?!? On Oct.2 the Reds went into St.Louis and dropped a critical squeaker, 4-3. The Phillies had an opening... ...which was slammed on them by the Braves' Red Barrett in a 7-3 loss. The Reds lead still held and the stage was set for an enormous pair of games on October 3. Needing to win, the Phillies now in St.Louis....they would also need a Reds loss to force a one-game playoff for the NL Pennant. The Reds, needing only to win, were in Manhattan for a game against the veteran New York Giants. ...after two epic weeks, the climactic finish was about to be written.
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History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are." |
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02-03-2003, 11:01 AM
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#3 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: East of East
Posts: 3,020
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...the "Banks Stakes" were settled on October 3 as well, when the Red Sox dropped their finale to the Browns while the Cubs won theirs. By virtue of that, the Sox were assured of the top pick...
<b>DATELINE: OCTOBER 3, 1952</b> <b><i>Philadelphia @ St.Louis:</i></b> The Phillies sent rookie Mike Fornieles to the mound at Sportsmans Park to face the Cardinals' Red Munger. Williams and Zernial HRs in the 1st inning put the Phils up 3-2. However, Zernial, was not content to let it remain that close. His second clout, in the 3rd inning, and a Hartsfield bomb in the 4th pushed the Phils lead to 6-3. Cobb's boys continued to put runs across right to the end, doing their part with an 8-3 victory. Now, all eyes turned to the Polo Grounds where the fate of the Phils would be decided. <b><i>Cincinnati @ New York:</i></b> Reds skipper John Neun sends rookie Joe Black to the mound to face Giants ace Dave Koslo. With a ticket to the ball in the offing, 'Cinderella' needed only this win... Star Giants' shortstop Danny O'Connell greeted Black in the 1st inning with his 28th circuit clout of the year, giving the Giants a 1-0 lead. The Reds, however, would strike back in the 3rd inning with key hits by Sam Jethroe and rookie Jackie Jensen put them ahead 3-1. Unfortunately, in the bottom half, O'Connell would strike again, lashing another long homer. He was followed by Don Mueller and Bill Nicholson - both of whom hit balls out of the park. Giants were back on top, 4-3. Another Mueller HR an inning later pushed the lead to 5-3. Jethroe and Jensen were back at work over the next few innings, pushing the determined Reds back into a 5-5 tie midway through 8 innings. But, it was Sid Gordon in the bottom half, lashing a double to start a 2-run spurt to put the Giants up 7-5 into the 9th. In Philadelphia, fans tuning into the call by Russ Hodges and Ernie Harwell were ecstatic.... In the top of the 9th, Bobby Adams started the Reds rally with a single. Frankie Frisch, the Giants manager, brought in Walt Masterson who promptly lost all sense of the strike zone. He walked Grady Hatton, Ted Kluszewski and then Baumholtz to put a run across with no outs. 7-6 Giants. Tommy Glaviano was the next up, hit a double-play ball, but beat the throw to first. Hatton scored from third to knot the score, 7-7. With men on the corners Smokey Burgess was up, and he too hit a double-play ball, a screamer to first base. Unfortunately, a great slide by Glaviano knocked SS O'Connell off balance, making the twin killing impossible. Kluszewski lumbered home to put the Reds on top, 8-7...the NL flag was in their grasp. Cinderella looked like she was gonna' dance for sure... The Reds couldn't put any more runs across, but had their lead. Lively was on the mound to nail the game down. O'Connell was up first and Lively induced an easy groundout. Don Mueller, having already hit 2 blasts on the day, fought off several pitches before lacing a single over 2B. Bill Nicholson was up next, but Lively painted the corner, striking him out. The Reds were poised on the dugout steps, ready to rush the field... 2 out, 1 man on, and Giants 3B Sid Gordon coming to the plate... At the mic, Hodges commented: "The season of the Philadelphia Phillies now, officially, rides on the Louisville slugger of Sid Gordon..." How sad that when dreams are broken, myths are made. The names Gordon and Lively will forever be embedded in the popular mythology of Cincinnati lore. One team, surprising contenders, wrapping their hands around the pennant. Another, playing for nothing more than pride... The call: <i>"Crowd chattering here under Coogan's Bluff as Lively sets, comes to... NMC1979: ...here is the pitch. NMC1979: Gordon swings...there is a shot... NMC1979: ...that's headed...that ball is HEADED FOR THE BLEACHERS!!! NMC1979: ...the Giants are going to win this game. UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!"</i> A shattering moment, denying the Reds the flag - though it was oh-so-close. The epic finish, now officially legendary, was still not completely written. A one-game playoff was scheduled at Shibe Park to decide the flag: who would own it, the Phillies or the Reds? (Obviouly, I'm no Russ Hodges, but...it was fun to call the action live last night. Watching the PbP of the Lively-Gordon matchup, I nearly knocked my computer over. It still amazes me how easy it is to become immersed in this game and to envision these epic moments. It was an awesome moment...one of many reasons why this game is so great!) <i>Coming next: The 1952 NL Playoff Game...the grand finale</i>
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History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are." Last edited by The Professor; 03-31-2006 at 05:05 PM. |
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02-03-2003, 09:13 PM
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#4 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: East of East
Posts: 3,020
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<b>DATELINE: OCTOBER 4, 1952</b>
<b><i>Cincinnati @ Philadelphia</i></b> <b><i>NL Playoff at Shibe Park</i></b> ...and so the 1952 National League Pennant came down to a single game. With both Ford and Fornieles tired, Cobb turned the ball over to Jocko Thompson. The Reds countered with Ken Raffensberger, hoping the red-hot hurler could carry them one more time. The Reds drew first blood when a Jackie Jensen double drove in a run in the 2nd Inning. Another run in the 3rd put Raffensberger up 2-0. With the Reds rolling, up 3-0, in the 4th inning, Harry Walker, playing 1B in place of injured Dee Fondy, drove in a pair of runs to move the Phillies to within a single score: 3-2. In the 5th inning, Del Ennis got onto the highlight reel with a huge 2-run homer, pushing the Phils up 4-3. Thompson held that lead into the 8th Inning when the Reds managed to bleed a single run across, knotting the score at 4-4. Unfortunately, the Reds were unable to move any runs across in their half of the 9th inning. In the bottom half veteran pitcher Howie Fox came on to keep the Phils off the board - Lively, the goat from New York, was also available. The first batter he would face was Roy Hartsfield. <b>FLASHBACK (9/27/52)</b>: Quote:
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History isn't really about the past - settling old scores. It's about defining the present and who we are." |
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02-03-2003, 09:25 PM
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#5 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 272
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This was one great stretch drive, highlighted by the utter collapse of the Red Sox to ensure Ernie Banks. I would publicly like to thank my players for some of the most inept baseball ever to make it possible.
More importantly, I should say that Nathan runs a great league and a great live sim. |
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02-03-2003, 09:26 PM
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#6 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: OTBL Forums
Posts: 3,532
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Good stuff.
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Back to work, but not drawing a paycheck. TonyJ et. al.'s alias “I confused it with the chicken’s neck,” Mocanu, who was admitted to the emergency hospital in Galati, was quoted as saying. “I cut it ... and the dog rushed and ate it.” |
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02-03-2003, 10:01 PM
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#7 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,873
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Another great write-up....and Go Tigers
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Cliff Markle HOB1 greatest pitcher 360-160, 9 Welch Awards, 11 WS titles |
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02-04-2003, 01:37 AM
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#8 |
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Minors (Triple A)
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 234
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It was even better live! Great write up Nathan, it was about as close as you get without sitting in the stands yourself!
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SO49 Minnesota Giants 1955, 1959, 1969 Champs MCBL Chicago White Sox 1954 amd 1956 Champs MLBC Philadelphia Phillies 1959, 1960 and 1974 Champs |
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02-04-2003, 04:57 AM
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#9 |
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Major Leagues
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Evansville, IN
Posts: 456
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Good write up Nathan, but if you want my opinion, I think the whole thing stunk to high-heaven.
Sincerely, Cincinnati Reds Owner
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OOTP since March 2002 |
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02-04-2003, 04:48 PM
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#10 |
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All Star Reserve
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Indiana
Posts: 980
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As always, great job Nathan! With the write up and even more so with the league!
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02-05-2003, 08:50 AM
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#12 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Hector, NY
Posts: 6,130
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Nathan great write-up. I was happy to be a part of that crazy night
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Check out: You Pick Tourney Version 2.0 Standings Thread You Pick The Teams Tourney: Main Thread The Colossal 20th Century Tourney:Main Thread Chicago White Sox(Original Owner:2001-) Baseball Maelstrom -2001,2011,2013 World Series Champions -2002,2010 Maelstrom Tourney Champs Arizona Diamondbacks(2003-) NAHHBL Indianapolis Racers(Expansion Team:1993-)ABC |
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02-05-2003, 11:09 PM
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#13 |
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Minors (Rookie Ball)
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: NJ
Posts: 23
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That was great Nathan, I was finally hoping to catch the WS online tonight, but I'm out of town on business (training)and just got in.
Congratulations to the Phillies and the Tigers for a great Series! The Cubs can't get out of their own way, Mantle's got to break thru next yr.
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SO49 - Chicago Cubs LBA - Baltica Phoenix PWBL - Detroit Tigers FLB - Evansville Knights |
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