The Babe, Sox, Jackie, Wish I Was There
By Lew Freedman
A couple of days ago I was on a long, long drive and kept flipping the radio dial. I am not even sure what state I heard this in (I think it was Indiana), but some bantering voices were talking about where they would go to do what if a portal in time opened briefly and they could check out something someplace.
They mostly talked about how they could make money out of the opportunity.
I immediately thought to apply it to baseball.
If I could go back in time and be present for selected great moments in the sport’s history, where would I want to land? The more miles I drove and the more I thought about it, I came up with a list of the top 10 baseball places I wish I was when it happened.
This is where I thought I would go if I had access to the time machine:
1) Don Larsen pitching a perfect game for the New York Yankees in Game Five of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers. We’re talking about a one-of-a-kind event.
2) A good view of Babe Ruth’s so-called called shot home run in the Yankees’ 1932 World Series game against the Chicago Cubs. How could you not want to see for yourself what really happened? Also, I would like to interview The Babe and Charlie Root about their take on what occurred.
3) Watching the Boston Red Sox win the 1918 World Series.
4) Watching the Boston Red Sox win the 2004 World Series. (I look at No. 3 and No. 4 as an entry and after growing up in Boston as a Red Sox fan this package is a must.)
5) Being in the stands when Jackie Robinson made his Major League debut in 1947, breaking baseball’s color line. A major historical development in American society.
6) Watching Harvey Haddix pitch his 12 innings of perfect baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Milwaukee Braves at County Stadium in 1959, only to lose the game in the 13th inning.
7) Hank Aaron hitting his 715th home run for the Braves in 1974 to break Babe Ruth’s career record total.
8) Bill Mazeroski’s seventh-game, walk-off home run to beat the New York Yankees in the 1960 World Series, probably the most dramatic home run ever hit if you don’t live in New York.
9) Watching Braves southpaw Warren Spahn go head-to-head with the Giants’ righty Juan Marichal in a 16-inning, 1-0 pitcher’s duel triumph for Juan in July of 1963.
10) Seeing Satchel Paige in his prime throwing against Josh Gibson, or in one of the barnstorming games where he called upon his outfield to sit down as he struck out the side.
If my two Red Sox series count as one, then I would throw in this: Cy Young pitching for the Red Sox in 1907 with Ty Cobb hitting for the Tigers. Young was 40, but still won 21 games that year. Cobb was 20, but still batted .350 that season.
There are so many had-to-be-there moments that it was difficult enough to narrow the choices down to these 10 and that still left out seeing Willie Mays make his spectacular catch against the Indians in the 1954 World Series, Big Ed Walsh winning his 40th game, and many more guys doing many more astounding things.
What would you choose if someone lent you a time machine for a trip back in baseball time?
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