Fifties' Summers - A SO49 Tour...

The Professor · 12-19-2003, 10:22 PM

The bus tickets are purchased, flights chartered, the notebooks are fresh, there is new film in the Kodak Duaflex II and this avid baseball fan is off on a winter-long trip across America. My goal? To collect some notes on each of the Major League baseball teams and maybe make some memories along the way. At the very least I can share in the memories of the fans and the players, after all - they've 'lived' it.*

San Francisco, California

October 19, 1957

This is a gold rush town in the hills by the Golden Gate. Steam brewed beer, sourdough bread, steep hills and trolleys are all a part of the cultural fabric of San Francisco. Baseball is here, too, and it has been here for a while.

This is, after all, Lefty O'Doul's town, longtime home of the Pacific Coast League Seals. Joe DiMaggio played here. That's right! The famed 'Yankee Clipper' called Frisco home. There is, indeed, a rich baseball history here, and it is that history that the hometown big leaguers - the San Francisco Red Sox - are building on.

"Sox-Mania" is still a phenomenon here just three years after the illustrious baseball club settled in after its exodus from Boston - a continent away. Even the reality of a humbling Championship Series loss a few weeks ago can't dampen the spirits of the locals. They are confident that the legendary Ty Cobb, 71-year-old manager of the Red Sox, will have his troops back next season.

There isn't a pub in the city that doesn't have a picture of one of the Sox outfielders above the bar. Pick one: Post, 'Wallopin' Wally' something like a comic book hero, the fleet-footed, smooth fielding Richie Ashburn, or the Ruthean Frank Thomas. Indeed, Thomas is the toast of the Bay area after clouting 54 homeruns in the last campaign, the most in the American League since 1938 when two hammers named Foxx and Greenberg hit 50 and 58 respectively.

Sox voice Curt Gowdy, eternal cowboy, is schilling Hamms beer over radio and television, and is joined by Sox pitcher Mel Parnell in a few spots.

"Hamms...refreshing as the land of sky blue waters."

Not that the graceful Parnell needs much refreshment. The gentleman left-hander has been a star in both Boston and here in Frisco, and notched a second straight 20-win season in 1957. He was awarded the American League Cy Young Award going 25-6 in 1956 -- few pitchers deserved it more. Parnell was the best pitcher on some very bad Boston squads, and has been a model of consistency late in his career.

The same cannot be said for Parnell's staff mate Curt Simmons who has endured some criticism from the more vocal fans, especially in the wake of his poor ALCS peformances. Simmons is one of many young Sox arms of whom great things are expected alongside the likes of Johnny Podres, Bob Trowbridge, and Tom Acker.

A quick ride down to 16th and Bryant, location of intimate, classic, Seals Stadium takes you by several sandlots and groups of young boys, some a Frank Thomas or a Wally Post. Some are Jim Finigans, and others, maybe, are Cass Michaels. Most, however, are hoping to be like Sox 1B Ted Kluszewski, whose enormous biceps simply don't fit into his jersey.

Klu is a unique fit on the Sox - and not just for his thunderous bat. As the primary threat on so many near-miss Cincinnati Reds teams, Kluszewski is a player who has come close but is still seeking the realization of his championship dreams. The Red Sox are a team with ghosts to exorcise: a lingering curse that may have followed them across the country and a reputation for second-place finishes that has frequently nipped at manager Cobb's heels.

Age is against the ol' Georgia Peach; some say the game is passing him by and that retirement can't be far away. His Red Sox squad is rich in hitters -- sluggers, runners and slappers -- and rich in pitching. The Frisco fans are loyal and many in number. Yet, there are many who insist that the Red Sox cannot match up with more powerul Eastern Division squads - especially the juggernaut Tigers squad that dominated them in the ALCS - or even considerably weaker National League squads (a belief stemming from the shocking sweep of the record-setting 1954 Red Sox team in the World Series that year).

The fog is rolling in off the bay and I've got to catch a bus down the coast to Los Angeles, but as I'm leaving town, I'm struck by the many ways that San Francisco has embraced the Red Sox. Post, Thomas, Klu, Parnell and even Simmons. They truly are this town's team, and they will be win or lose. I think a few more Frank Thomas rockets out of tiny Seals Stadium, a few more gems from Parnell's arm, and the winning won't be so hard for this team.

San Francisco, city by the bay, land of sky blue waters and Red Sox baseball.

rogmax11 · 12-22-2003, 12:05 PM

This was big fun! Keep 'em coming, Prof.

Frank7350 · 12-23-2003, 11:45 AM

A great read Nathan! This is the stuff that makes SO49 terrific!

rogmax11 · 12-23-2003, 12:40 PM

Although I would really like to hear the backstory on the Sox move to SF. Giants to Minneapolis? Braves stay in Boston?

12-19-2003, 10:22 PM	#1
The Professor Hall Of Famer Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: East of East Posts: 3,020	Fifties' Summers - A SO49 Tour... The bus tickets are purchased, flights chartered, the notebooks are fresh, there is new film in the Kodak Duaflex II and this avid baseball fan is off on a winter-long trip across America. My goal? To collect some notes on each of the Major League baseball teams and maybe make some memories along the way. At the very least I can share in the memories of the fans and the players, after all - they've 'lived' it.* San Francisco, California October 19, 1957 This is a gold rush town in the hills by the Golden Gate. Steam brewed beer, sourdough bread, steep hills and trolleys are all a part of the cultural fabric of San Francisco. Baseball is here, too, and it has been here for a while. This is, after all, Lefty O'Doul's town, longtime home of the Pacific Coast League Seals. Joe DiMaggio played here. That's right! The famed 'Yankee Clipper' called Frisco home. There is, indeed, a rich baseball history here, and it is that history that the hometown big leaguers - the San Francisco Red Sox - are building on. "Sox-Mania" is still a phenomenon here just three years after the illustrious baseball club settled in after its exodus from Boston - a continent away. Even the reality of a humbling Championship Series loss a few weeks ago can't dampen the spirits of the locals. They are confident that the legendary Ty Cobb, 71-year-old manager of the Red Sox, will have his troops back next season. There isn't a pub in the city that doesn't have a picture of one of the Sox outfielders above the bar. Pick one: Post, 'Wallopin' Wally' something like a comic book hero, the fleet-footed, smooth fielding Richie Ashburn, or the Ruthean Frank Thomas. Indeed, Thomas is the toast of the Bay area after clouting 54 homeruns in the last campaign, the most in the American League since 1938 when two hammers named Foxx and Greenberg hit 50 and 58 respectively. Sox voice Curt Gowdy, eternal cowboy, is schilling Hamms beer over radio and television, and is joined by Sox pitcher Mel Parnell in a few spots. "Hamms...refreshing as the land of sky blue waters." Not that the graceful Parnell needs much refreshment. The gentleman left-hander has been a star in both Boston and here in Frisco, and notched a second straight 20-win season in 1957. He was awarded the American League Cy Young Award going 25-6 in 1956 -- few pitchers deserved it more. Parnell was the best pitcher on some very bad Boston squads, and has been a model of consistency late in his career. The same cannot be said for Parnell's staff mate Curt Simmons who has endured some criticism from the more vocal fans, especially in the wake of his poor ALCS peformances. Simmons is one of many young Sox arms of whom great things are expected alongside the likes of Johnny Podres, Bob Trowbridge, and Tom Acker. A quick ride down to 16th and Bryant, location of intimate, classic, Seals Stadium takes you by several sandlots and groups of young boys, some a Frank Thomas or a Wally Post. Some are Jim Finigans, and others, maybe, are Cass Michaels. Most, however, are hoping to be like Sox 1B Ted Kluszewski, whose enormous biceps simply don't fit into his jersey. Klu is a unique fit on the Sox - and not just for his thunderous bat. As the primary threat on so many near-miss Cincinnati Reds teams, Kluszewski is a player who has come close but is still seeking the realization of his championship dreams. The Red Sox are a team with ghosts to exorcise: a lingering curse that may have followed them across the country and a reputation for second-place finishes that has frequently nipped at manager Cobb's heels. Age is against the ol' Georgia Peach; some say the game is passing him by and that retirement can't be far away. His Red Sox squad is rich in hitters -- sluggers, runners and slappers -- and rich in pitching. The Frisco fans are loyal and many in number. Yet, there are many who insist that the Red Sox cannot match up with more powerul Eastern Division squads - especially the juggernaut Tigers squad that dominated them in the ALCS - or even considerably weaker National League squads (a belief stemming from the shocking sweep of the record-setting 1954 Red Sox team in the World Series that year). The fog is rolling in off the bay and I've got to catch a bus down the coast to Los Angeles, but as I'm leaving town, I'm struck by the many ways that San Francisco has embraced the Red Sox. Post, Thomas, Klu, Parnell and even Simmons. They truly are this town's team, and they will be win or lose. I think a few more Frank Thomas rockets out of tiny Seals Stadium, a few more gems from Parnell's arm, and the winning won't be so hard for this team. San Francisco, city by the bay, land of sky blue waters and Red Sox baseball. __________________ 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; 12-19-2003 at 10:27 PM.

12-22-2003, 12:05 PM	#2
rogmax11 All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,320	This was big fun! Keep 'em coming, Prof.

12-23-2003, 11:45 AM	#3
Frank7350 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Jersey Posts: 132	A great read Nathan! This is the stuff that makes SO49 terrific!

12-23-2003, 12:40 PM	#4
rogmax11 All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2002 Posts: 1,320	Although I would really like to hear the backstory on the Sox move to SF. Giants to Minneapolis? Braves stay in Boston?