If you were a baseball fan like I was in the 60's I believe you'll enjoy this clip

[step.eng69]

"To try to understand baseball, is to try to understand America. And just like the country, there is much more to the sport than meets the eye. Sit in the bleachers, sip a beer, and take a bite of a bratwurst hot dog. There is a hush as the pitcher winds up for his first pitch, and as the wooden bat shoots out a resounding Crack!, you are overcome with joy, shouting and cheering with everyone around you. The game is simple, but complex"
.....by Matt Miller 74w ago

If you were a baseball fan like I was in the 60's I believe you'll enjoy this clip. I love the section of the Say Hey Kid in the street playing stick ball with the kids.

 

[nits74]

"To try to understand baseball, is to try to understand America. And just like the country, there is much more to the sport than meets the eye. Sit in the bleachers, sip a beer, and take a bite of a bratwurst hot dog. There is a hush as the pitcher winds up for his first pitch, and as the wooden bat shoots out a resounding Crack!, you are overcome with joy, shouting and cheering with everyone around you. The game is simple, but complex"
.....by Matt Miller 74w ago

If you were a baseball fan like I was in the 60's I believe you'll enjoy this clip. I love the shot of the Say Hay Kid in the street playing stick ball with the kids.

View embedded media

Golden age of baseball, no question!

 

[THEEHMANN]

"To try to understand baseball, is to try to understand America. And just like the country, there is much more to the sport than meets the eye. Sit in the bleachers, sip a beer, and take a bite of a bratwurst hot dog. There is a hush as the pitcher winds up for his first pitch, and as the wooden bat shoots out a resounding Crack!, you are overcome with joy, shouting and cheering with everyone around you. The game is simple, but complex"
.....by Matt Miller 74w ago

If you were a baseball fan like I was in the 60's I believe you'll enjoy this clip. I love the section of the Say Hey Kid in the street playing stick ball with the kids.

View embedded media

This was great. Thanks for posting as it brought back some wonderful memories.

 

[step.eng69]

This was great. Thanks for posting as it brought back some wonderful memories.

I really posted this piece on baseball to determine the number of Old Lions on this board.

If a large percent is present, maybe Tom can create a B/W geriatric Rivals board for us!

 

[fairgambit]

Great song...great clip. I went to my first major league game with my dad in 1956 and I remember every moment. Well.......actually I don't remember much about it at all, other than I downed a lot of hotdogs, popcorn, and cokes. I really got into the game around 58' because my dad bought Pirate season tickets that year and I got to see 30 or 40 games. We held those season tickets into the early 80's so I was fortunate to see the Bucs win 3 World Series. The best years for me were the late 50's and early 60's because I was still very young and lived and died with every Pirate win or loss. Mazeroski was my hero then (later Clemente) and like many others, if I was not at the game I listened to Bob Prince on the radio. It truly was a golden era, especially because there were not a thousand other things to occupy a kid's time. No video games. Limited TV choices. No internet. When it was baseball season you immersed yourself in baseball, playing the game, listening to games, attending games, and, nearly as important, collecting baseball cards. It was a magical time and the memories still linger.

 

[fairgambit]

I really posted this piece on baseball to determine the number of Old Lions on this board.
If a large percent is present, maybe Tom can create a B/W geriatric Rivals board for us!

Certainly there are plenty of old timers, but the great thing about this Board is we can pass our considerable wisdom onto the youngsters.

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

Ahh – Baseball. What a uniquely American game. How nostalgic that video is and makes me long for the simpler days of my youth. days when you put your glove on the handlebars of your Schwinn and headed to the field to play baseball all day. Sometimes stopping to look in the weeds for the only ball left to play with. Sometimes using “ghost” runners and making it an automatic out if you hit to the opposite field when there were not enough players to field a team. How I long for those nostalgic days.
Then there were the times when you actually got to go to a MLB game. In my case, it was the Pirates. How I loved the smell of hot dogs and peanuts in the air. I remember going with the Cub Scouts one day and “Pops” Stargell hit one into the right field upper deck. I was so jealous of that scout from another troop who got the ball. I remember the time I spent so much money "pigging out" at 3 Rivers that I did not have bus fare home and the nice bus driver told me to get on anyway and didn't mention it to my mother. I also remember going to the game one day and being surprised with a miniature wooden bat that they gave us (these were, indeed, simpler times).

I would like to get my hands on one of those old souvenir bats today, take it out to my workshop, gun drill a 1/4 inch hole into the meat portion of it and fill it with lead using grandpa's old lead melter that he used to make fishing sinkers (he was a frugal one). Then, to get real nostalgic, I would like to use that old souvenir bat to knock the teeth out of each and every one of the Old Guard BOT members who are responsible for the current mess PSU is in.

That would make me feel real nostalgic about some other good ole days in my life (my time at PSU). But I digress....

 

[LemonEars]

Thanks for posting. Great memories. We don't seem to have bigger than life baseball players anymore. Players like Ruth, Williams, Mays, Aaron, Mantle, Joe D, Musial, etc. Not sure why.

 

[FHSPSU67]

So many great memories from the '50's and early '60's. I was fortunate to see quite a few games at Forbes Field since my dad was a fan and would pack up the whole family, usually for double-headers . My favorite Pirate was Frank Thomas. Thanks for posting this!

 

[step.eng69]

Great song...great clip. I went to my first major league game with my dad in 1956 and I remember every moment. Well.......actually I don't remember much about it at all, other than I downed a lot of hotdogs, popcorn, and cokes. I really got into the game around 58' because my dad bought Pirate season tickets that year and I got to see 30 or 40 games. We held those season tickets into the early 80's so I was fortunate to see the Bucs win 3 World Series. The best years for me were the late 50's and early 60's because I was still very young and lived and died with every Pirate win or loss. Mazeroski was my hero then (later Clemente) and like many others, if I was not at the game I listened to Bob Prince on the radio. It truly was a golden era, especially because there were not a thousand other things to occupy a kid's time. No video games. Limited TV choices. No internet. When it was baseball season you immersed yourself in baseball, playing the game, listening to games, attending games, and, nearly as important, collecting baseball cards. It was a magical time and the memories still linger.

Ahh – Baseball. What a uniquely American game. How nostalgic that video is and makes me long for the simpler days of my youth. days when you put your glove on the handlebars of your Schwinn and headed to the field to play baseball all day. Sometimes stopping to look in the weeds for the only ball left to play with. Sometimes using “ghost” runners and making it an automatic out if you hit to the opposite field when there were not enough players to field a team. How I long for those nostalgic days.
Then there were the times when you actually got to go to a MLB game. In my case, it was the Pirates. How I loved the smell of hot dogs and peanuts in the air. I remember going with the Cub Scouts one day and “Pops” Stargell hit one into the right field upper deck. I was so jealous of that scout from another troop who got the ball. I remember the time I spent so much money "pigging out" at 3 Rivers that I did not have bus fare home and the nice bus driver told me to get on anyway and didn't mention it to my mother. I also remember going to the game one day and being surprised with a miniature wooden bat that they gave us (these were, indeed, simpler times).

I would like to get my hands on one of those old souvenir bats today, take it out to my workshop, gun drill a 1/4 inch hole into the meat portion of it and fill it with lead using grandpa's old lead melter that he used to make fishing sinkers (he was a frugal one). Then, to get real nostalgic, I would like to use that old souvenir bat to knock the teeth out of each and every one of the Old Guard BOT members who are responsible for the current mess PSU is in.

That would make me feel real nostalgic about some other good ole days in my life (my time at PSU). But I digress....

You both sound like my father telling me about the Pirates. While I played high school baseball my father never missed an opportunity to tell me about the removed wall section from Forbes field & about Mazeroski. My dad was a gigantic fan of both the Pirates & Steelers, those were his only teams at the major level.

Three River Stadium was mentioned in the dialogue..in the 70’ when I worked at Michael Baker Jr., in the structural/bridge department as a young intern (not the Monica Lewinski type), I had the opportunity to do some cleanup work on the Three Rivers Stadium, under Earl Lim the project engineer. I was in on the design & I saw the stadium raised several years ago. Ironic!

The flipping for baseball cards, cork ball, fast ball, rosters we made depicting calling out the batter as we took the stick. Thank you gentlemen for the nostalgic memories.

Very true words spoken By Lemon Ears:..

“Thanks for posting. Great memories. We don't seem to have bigger than life baseball players anymore. Players like Ruth, Williams, Mays, Aaron, Mantle, Joe D, Musial, etc. Not sure why.

Ziggy, I was so impress with the pic of you, I changed mine to mimic yours. You are a handsome devil.

 

[PSU73]

"To try to understand baseball, is to try to understand America. And just like the country, there is much more to the sport than meets the eye. Sit in the bleachers, sip a beer, and take a bite of a bratwurst hot dog. There is a hush as the pitcher winds up for his first pitch, and as the wooden bat shoots out a resounding Crack!, you are overcome with joy, shouting and cheering with everyone around you. The game is simple, but complex"
.....by Matt Miller 74w ago

If you were a baseball fan like I was in the 60's I believe you'll enjoy this clip. I love the section of the Say Hey Kid in the street playing stick ball with the kids.

View embedded media

Golden age of baseball, no question!

The best years for me were the late 50's and early 60's because I was still very young and lived and died with every Pirate win or loss. Mazeroski was my hero then (later Clemente) and like many others, if I was not at the game I listened to Bob Prince on the radio. It truly was a golden era, especially because there were not a thousand other things to occupy a kid's time. No video games. Limited TV choices. No internet. When it was baseball season you immersed yourself in baseball, playing the game, listening to games, attending games, and, nearly as important, collecting baseball cards. It was a magical time and the memories still linger.

How nostalgic that video is and makes me long for the simpler days of my youth. days when you put your glove on the handlebars of your Schwinn and headed to the field to play baseball all day. Sometimes stopping to look in the weeds for the only ball left to play with. Sometimes using “ghost” runners and making it an automatic out if you hit to the opposite field when there were not enough players to field a team. How I long for those nostalgic days.

It is interesting to read how many experienced a similar youth and feeling for the time around the Pgh area. I too feel this represented the golden era of MLB (for me). I don't even watch or follow MLB anymore, but I do watch the LLWS each year. BB, somewhat close to how it was lives on in those little leaguers for me. I remember knowing all the stats for the Pirate players and studying the stats of the Top players from the papers. So many at school could recite them, and challenge someone who spoke incorrectly. We should have studied our subjects as hard.
On the weekend, I'd put my glove on the handle bar of my bicycle and drive to the 3 ball fields in our Boro looking to get into any pick-up game I could. Only sun down could stop a game.
Yep. No video games, 4 channels on TV, and a wad of gum in every pack of BB cards.

 

[step.eng69]

It is interesting to read how many experienced a similar youth and feeling for the time around the Pgh area. I too feel this represented the golden era of MLB (for me). I don't even watch or follow MLB anymore, but I do watch the LLWS each year. BB, somewhat close to how it was lives on in those little leaguers for me. I remember knowing all the stats for the Pirate players and studying the stats of the Top players from the papers. So many at school could recite them, and challenge someone who spoke incorrectly. We should have studied our subjects as hard.
On the weekend, I'd put my glove on the handle bar of my bicycle and drive to the 3 ball fields in our Boro looking to get into any pick-up game I could. Only sun down could stop a game.
Yep. No video games, 4 channels on TV, and a wad of gum in every pack of BB cards.

I can ditto your comments about 'The Boys of Summer'

Hey PSU 73 the first pic: We're so excited let's pick someone and do the trampoline thing.

Hey PSU 73 the last pic: I believe that's The Say Hey Kid-Willie Mays doing his reverse basket catch. If I remember correctly, another time Willy ran about a third distance up that wall to make the
catch.

 

[OhioLion]

Not from the 60's, but in the 70's I burnt many transistor radio 9 volt batteries as I would listen to Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey do the Detroit Tiger games while I was supposed to be sleeping. Then, wake up in the morning to a dead battery.
I like the post by 73, no video games - we would actually go outside to play the pick up games, and only 4 channels to catch an occasional Saturday afternoon ball game.

 

[kgilbert78]

My first game was at Connie Mack. Koufax was pitching.... I was 7 or 8.

 

[fairgambit]

My first game was at Connie Mack. Koufax was pitching.... I was 7 or 8.

Two Willie Stargell quotes about Koufax. He said hitting against Koufax was "like drinking coffee with a fork" and when asked of his greatest thrill in baseball, Stargell said "When Sandy Koufax retired."

 

[PSU73]

Hey PSU 73 the last pic: I believe that's The Say Hey Kid-Willy Ways doing his reverse basket catch. If I remember correctly, another time Willy ran about a third distance up that wall to make the
catch.

That is Willie and as my notes have it, that is "the catch" from Gm 1 of the World Series against Cleveland, at the Polo Grounds September 29, 1954. Vic Wertz was the batter.

 

[LemonEars]

My first game was at Connie Mack. Koufax was pitching.... I was 7 or 8.

I too was lucky enough to see Koufax in person. It was in 1966. He was pitching against the Mets at Shea Stadium. He was absolutely amazing. No current pitcher compares to him. He fastball seemed to rise as it streaked to the plate at over 100 mph. His curve was what we used to call a drop. It would approach the plate about shoulder high and would end up getting scooped off the ground by the catcher. He was essentially impossible to hit until late innings when he tired. I read his autobiography. Great read. I didn't realize that he was also a great basketball player and was a top high school recruit in the early 1960s. He might well have played in the NBA if he didn't choose baseball.

 

[step.eng69]

proper

That is Willie and as my notes have it, that is "the catch" from Gm 1 of the World Series against Cleveland, at the Polo Grounds September 29, 1954. Vic Wertz was the batter.

thank you PSU73 for the proper spelling Willie!. Now I'm determined to find the stadium wall he ran up to make a catch.

This is one of the funniest books I have read. I read this book so long ago, can't tell you the decade. Luciano is hilarious in his retelling of many encounters with Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, and many others. This book brighten up your day with his wit and humor.

 

[nagromth]

Now that I am a resident here in Vero, many Dodger memories. I wish they were still here. Sandy Koufax lives here and can be seen from time to time.

 

[Thorndike2012]

I remember my very first Pirates game. I was eight years in 1967 and the SF Giants were in town. The entire Little League from my home town (Roaring Spring, Pa.) went to the game at old Forbes Field. We sat on the wooden bleacher bench seats in right center field. Jesus Alou, Kenny Henderson, and the great Willie Mays in the outfield right in front of me. Willie McCovey at first base, Hal Lanier, etc. Gaylord Perry was the pitcher for the Giants that day.

Of course the biggest thrill of the day was seeing my boyhood all time hero, Roberto Clemente, up close. Mostly we listened to the Bucs on the radio in those days. I would have my baseball cards...I kept them separated by teams...and would place them on the floor in position during the games while listening to Bob Prince, The Gunner. My dad would be reading the paper, mother doing dishes or reading a book. We would wait for the TV Guide to come out each week to see if the Pirates would make the game of the week.

Nice thread...

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

You both sound like my father telling me about the Pirates. While I played high school baseball my father never missed an opportunity to tell me about the removed wall section from Forbes field & about Mazeroski. My dad was a gigantic fan of both the Pirates & Steelers, those were his only teams at the major level.

Three River Stadium was mentioned in the dialogue..in the 70’ when I worked at Michael Baker Jr., in the structural/bridge department as a young intern (not the Monica Lewinski type), I had the opportunity to do some cleanup work on the Three Rivers Stadium, under Earl Lim the project engineer. I was in on the design & I saw the stadium raised several years ago. Ironic!

The flipping for baseball cards, cork ball, fast ball, rosters we made depicting calling out the batter as we took the stick. Thank you gentlemen for the nostalgic memories.

Very true words spoken By Lemon Ears:..

“Thanks for posting. Great memories. We don't seem to have bigger than life baseball players anymore. Players like Ruth, Williams, Mays, Aaron, Mantle, Joe D, Musial, etc. Not sure why.

Ziggy, I was so impress with the pic of you, I changed mine to mimic yours. You are a handsome devil.

Thanks for the kind words. That pic was taken right before I gave my only daughter away in marriage. It is amazing what a good night's sleep and a spa treatment with a cucumber facial can do to to your look!

Thanks, also, for clarifying that your internship at Michael Baker Jr. wasnt of the Lewinsky variety!

 

[Nittany Ziggy]

Not from the 60's, but in the 70's I burnt many transistor radio 9 volt batteries as I would listen to Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey do the Detroit Tiger games while I was supposed to be sleeping. Then, wake up in the morning to a dead battery.
I like the post by 73, no video games - we would actually go outside to play the pick up games, and only 4 channels to catch an occasional Saturday afternoon ball game.

I listened to Tigers games in the 70's because (like the Pirates), they had a 50,000 watt blow torch broadcasting their night time signal across multiple states back in the day. Given that the Tigers were in the West, their away games were often on late at night. I loved Ernie Harwell, he had a soothing voice.

In 1999, I am in the Motor City on business and decide to take in a game at Tiger Stadium since they were tearing it down. This was one of the last games at Tiger Stadium so tickets were hard to come by. I was stunned that the best "single" ticket was between 3rd base and the outfield. Turns out that it was, indeed, "Ernie Harwell" night and he arrived in the stadium in a pink Cadillac and drove right past me. What a great night!

I also could not believe how far away from the plate the right field facade was where Reggie took "Doc" Ellis yard in the All Star Game. Of course, Doc was only on mushrooms that night! ​

 

[BobPSU92]

The clips in Fogerty's video are before my time, but I was a huge baseball fan as a kid in the '70s and '80s and know all about them. Great stuff. Sadly, I lost interest in baseball, and pro sports in general, in the late '90s. Too many egos, too commercial, too much garbage.