Classic Baseball Radio

An expansion team in its second year was never expected to be sitting in third place, just 3 and a half games behind the New York Yankees. Yet that’s where the Los Angeles Angels find themselves at the start of September in 1962. Can Bill Rigney’s audacious young team of rookies and misfits grab the pennant, or could Ralph Houk squeeze out another American League win from these Bronx Bombers in their twilight years? The Yankees are missing Mickey Mantle and White Ford, leaving the defensive backbone to Bobby Richardson and Clete Boyer, while Tom Tresh would have to set up a fading Roger Maris and Elston Howard. In his sophomore year, Jim Fregosi is at the heart of the Angels line-up. His name would become practically synonymous with the Angels over the following twenty-five years. A six-time All-Star, the team’s first superstar, retiring wth a franchise-leading 70 triples, and a beloved manager who won the Angels’ first pennant in 1979 (and another for the Phillies in 1992). For now, he’s working with catcher Buck Rodgers to try and hold the Yankees at bay. Ewan Spence and the Classic Baseball Radio team bring you this recreated radio broadcast from September 6, 1962. This should not be considered a complete or fully accurate historical record. Nevertheless, this is our story of the game. We thank Retrosheet, Sports Reference, Sports Logos Net, Tom R Audio, Radio Echoes, and Crafting The Call. ** Links ** You can find the boxscore here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYA/NYA196209060.shtml Listen to Brian Ibbot’s Coverville podcast. https://www.coverville.com/ Dean Chance's path from an Ohio dairy farm to his Cy Young Award. https://baseballhall.org/discover/cardcorner-1970-topps-dean-chance MLB’s Obituary for Jim Fregosi. https://www.mlb.com/news/six-time-all-star-and-former-manager-jim-fregosi-dies-at-age-71/c-67757650 Mickey Mantle and Tom Tresh http://www.mickeymantleclassic.com/tresh.htm Broadway Podcast Network: Break a Bat – Featuring An Interview With Bobby Richardson (2020) https://broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/break-a-bat-where-baseball-meets-broadway/65-now-batting-bobby-richardson/122 Sports Illustrated: The Marvelous, Delirious Angels Of 1962 Link: https://vault.si.com/vault/1962/07/09/the-marvelous-delirious-angels Los Angeles Times: The 1962 Angels' Improbable Pennant Race. https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2020-04-20/1962-angels-expansion-team-al-pennant-race The 1962 Angels, Fifty Years Later https://www.halosheaven.com/2012/6/15/3087093/the-1962-angels-fifty-years-later The New York Times’ obituary for Clete Boyer https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/sports/baseball/05boyer.html Pinstripe Alley: Ralph Terry’s 1962 Campaign and October Triumph https://www.pinstripealley.com/2020/4/18/21223405/yankees-history-1962-ralph-terry-world-series-game-seven The Yankees Win Game 7 in 1962 Behind Ralph Terry https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/yankees-win-game-7-1962-world-series

Welcome to Classic Baseball Radio’s Clubhouse, where we step away from the broadcast booth of yesteryear to talk about baseball history. Consider these bonus episodes as the pre-recorded explainers, profiles, and moments ‘back in the studio’ you normally see and hear on modern sports broadcasts. Joining us in the Clubhouse is Jay Wigley, author of the recently released ‘How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History.’ Jay first discovered Retrosheet in 1996 and wondered how such a thing was even possible. Now he knows. His earliest baseball memory is of the scoreboard animations at the Astrodome in the summer of 1972. Jay visits the Classic Baseball Radio Clubhouse to talk with Ewan Spence about how he fell in love with baseball, how Dave Smith started Retrosheet, the passion behind the site, and why he decided to document how it started in his new book, and more… LINKS Jay’s book, ‘How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History’ https://www.retrosheet-book.com/ Retrosheet https://www.retrosheet.org/ Looking back at César Cedeño https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/cedeno.html Classic Baseball Radio, Houston Astros at San Diego Padres, June 19, 1973https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLE7E5_r2GQ The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bill_James_Historical_Baseball_Abstract Playing The Baseball Roster Card Game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9mDmItTURM Allan Roth profile at SABR https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/allan-roth/ One Site’s Mission To Unearth Baseball History https://www.mlb.com/news/the-history-of-retrosheet FEATURING 0:00 Introduction. 4:54 Players not yet lost to history. 11:06 The intimidating history of baseball. 12:23 Introducing Retrosheet. 16:16 The first data provided to Retrosheet. 20:00 Why is this history important to Jay? 28:45 Deciding to write “How Retrosheet Saved Baseball History” 39:25 The first draft. 47:04 The reaction to the book. 50:50 Sharing your interests with others. 54:56 Ewan’s final thoughts. ABOUT THE PODCAST If you’d like to get in touch with us, visit www.classicbaseballradio.com. Follow us online at BlueSky https://bsky.app/profile/classicbaseball.bsky.social or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/classicbaseballradio

“I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going." With those words from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, organised baseball continued during World War II, offering those working on the home front an affordable, low-cost recreation that boosted morale. It would not be easy; Major League Baseball had to contend with strict travel rationing, deadened balata-core baseballs, and depleted rosters, as players would not be exempt from the Draft. Yet tonight’s game at Crosley Field would draw a 20,000 crowd to watch the Cincinnati Reds battle to grab second place in the National League while the visiting Boston Braves fought to reach the Reds, Dodgers, and Pirates as they chased down the St Louis Cardinals at the top of the league. Lineups for tonight’s game include Hall of Fame managers Bill McKechnie and Casey Stengel, the strikeout pitcher Johnny Vander Meer, and the defensive master Eddie Miller; don’t overlook this era’s less remembered players. Baseball during World War Two was carried on the backs of everyday regulars and replacement players who kept the sport alive when the country needed it most. Throughout nine innings, you’ll meet some of those players. Portly knuckleballer Jim Tobin started at first base just two days after pitching a complete-game victory. Alongside Tobin stood ironman catcher Ray Mueller, Duke Rose Bowl football hero Eric Tipton in left field, and sinkerballer Manny Salvo battling through his final summer in the Majors. Ewan Spence and the Classic Baseball Radio team bring you this recreated radio broadcast from July 29, 1943. This should not be considered a complete or fully accurate historical record. Nevertheless, this is our story of the game. We thank Retrosheet, Sports Reference, Sports Logos Net, Tom R Audio, Radio Echoes, and Crafting The Call. ** Links ** You can find the boxscore here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN194307290.shtm President Roosevelt’s Green-Light letter: "I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going." https://baseballhall.org/discover/inside-pitch/roosevelt-sends-green-light-letter How the Boston Braves navigated the challenges of baseball in wartime. https://sabr.org/journal/article/the-boston-braves-in-wartime/ The short and almost forgotten Balata Ball era https://www.nbcsports.com/mlb/news/today-in-baseball-history-balata-ball-threatens-a-new-dead-ball-era How Jim Tobin’s knuckleball saw him pitch 156 games https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jim-tobin/ Jim Tobin’s 1944 no-hitter, which also saw him hit the winning home run. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/april-27-1944-old-ironsides-jim-tobin-tosses-no-hitter-and-wallops-home-run-for-boston-braves/ The misfit pitchers who played games in the field. https://blogs.fangraphs.com/michael-lorenzen-gets-his-turn-and-other-two-way-tales/ Eddie Miller’s fiery reputation with Casey Stengel that led to the Miller/Joost trade. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/eddie-miller-2/ From Rose Bowl success to the baseball diamond, the career of Eric Tipton https://footballfoundation.org/honors/hall-of-fame/eric-tipton/1477 Johnny Vander Meer’s consecutive no-hitters in 1938. https://www.mlb.com/news/johnny-vander-meer-threw-consecutive-no-hitters

The Chicago White Sox are up two games to one as they visit the Philadelphia Athletics for the last time, yet the final game in the series is played in the shadow of death. The previous night, the White Sox’ Cass Michaels was beaned by a high fastball from the Athletics’ Marion Fricano. Rushed to the emergency room with a fractured skull, the two-time All Star’s career was over. Only the crude plastic insert Michaels had added to his cap prevented an instantaneous fatal blow. The White Sox would mandate protective batting helmets for all players starting in 1955, accelerating a league-wide push that would improve safety standards. The game itself captures the differing fortunes of the two clubs. The building blocks of the “go-go” era are quietly being put in place. Manager Paul Richards is forging the identity of the South Siders: elite pitching, tight defence, and aggressive running on the basepaths. Young pitchers, such as opening pitcher Jack Harshman and Hall of Famers Nellie Fox and Minnie Miñoso, would go on to a pennant-winning run in 1959. The Athletics are ready to leave Philadelphia. Facing financial strain and dwindling attendance, the charter franchise helmed for decades by Connie Mack will be sold off at the end of the season, moving to Kansas City for 1955. The seeds of the new club are on the field - notably Jim Finigan and Vic Power - but less than 2,000 fans are there to watch the final game in the series, the season, and the league records of the White Sox and Connie Mack’s Athletics. Ewan Spence and the Classic Baseball Radio team bring you this recreated radio broadcast from August 28, 1954. This should not be considered a complete or fully accurate historical record. Nevertheless, this is our story of the game. We thank Retrosheet, Sports Reference, Sports Logos Net, Tom R Audio, and Crafting The Call. ** Links ** You can find the boxscore here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHA/PHA195408280.shtml Departure Without Dignity: The Athletics Leave Philadelphia https://sabr.org/journal/article/departure-without-dignity-the-athletics-leave-philadelphia/ The history of Connie Mack Stadium (formerly Shibe Park) and how it set the tone for Stadium design when it opened in 1909. https://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/ballparks/shibe-park/ Profiling the career of Philadelphia southpaw Alex Kellner, detailing his 20-win 1949 rookie campaign and his 1954 season.https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/alex-kellner/ A retrospective celebrating Minnie Miñoso's decades- long relationship with Chicago fans and his role in the 1950s "Go-Go" White Sox. https://www.mlb.com/news/minnie-minoso-was-mr-white-sox Details the career of second baseman Nellie Fox, the core of the White Sox’s infield and the 1959 American League MVP. https://baseballhall.org/hall-of-famers/fox-nellie How Jack Harshman moved from a power-heavy first baseman in the Minors to a starting pitcher in the Majors.https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jack-harshman/ The Top Ten catchers not in the Hall of Fame, including Sherm Lollar. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/162558-the-top-10-eligible-catchers-not-in-the-hall-of-fame Cass Michaels biography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Michaels History of the Baseball Helmet https://www.timelesspatents.com/blogs/patent-stories/history-of-the-baseball-helmets-patent Cass Michaels’ Newspaper Report, Gettysburg Times https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2202&dat=19540828&id=ESkmAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E_4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=4581,1371382&hl=en

The police are lined up around Griffith Stadium to keep the peace as the Washington Senators are visited by the New York Yankees. There’s little love between the two teams or their fans; the last meeting in July ended with the Yankees’ catcher Bill Dickey punching Carl Reynolds onto the injured list with a broken jaw. Dickey Today’s game will be Reynolds first game back, and following a 30-game suspension, Bill Dickey is catching once more. The 1932 Yankees are somewhat romanticised as a mythical and unstoppable force of nature; not every team can win 107 games and sweep the opposition in the World Series. Nor can most teams boast of nine future Hall of Fame players in the same roster, or go the entire season without being shut out. Except today. Washington pitcher Tommy Thomas is carrying a long-standing locked elbow and bone bruises in an arm lacking stamina, but he’s ready to take the Yankees out. And take them out he does, shutting down both Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth in a combined 0-8 game. The opposing pitcher, Red Ruffing, is on course to top the American League for strikeouts. The powerhouse right-hander is going to post one of the most statistically rare and dominant individual performances of the live-ball era, cementing the legend of the 1932 Yankees' march to the pennant. One of them is going to be on the wrong side of the boxscore… Ewan Spence and the Classic Baseball Radio team bring you this recreated radio broadcast from August 13, 1932. This should not be considered a complete or fully accurate historical record. Nevertheless, this is our story of the game. We thank Retrosheet, Sports Reference, Sports Logos Net, Tom R Audio, and Crafting The Call. ** Links ** You can find the boxscore here: https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WS1/WS1193208130.shtml The team that was never shut out, a look at the New York Yankees in 1932. https://www.baseballhistorycomesalive.com/1932-new-york-yankees/ The unique career of Red Ruffing. https://tht.fangraphs.com/the-unique-career-of-red-ruffing/ Red Ruffing’s route to Cooperstown. https://www.cooperstowncred.com/hall-of-famer-red-ruffing-world-series-star/ Biography of Washingont Nationals pitcher Tommy Thomas. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/tommy-thomas/ The story of the Home Plate Punch on July 4th following a collision between Bill Dickey and Carl Reynolds, the resulting 30-game suspension, and the physical fallout. https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-4-1932-yankees-catcher-bill-dickey-punches-carl-reynolds-draws-30-game-suspension/ “He Called It,” Scott Pitoniak looks at the evidence of Babe Ruth's immortal at bat in Game Three of the 1932 World Series. https://baseballhall.org/discover-more/stories/baseball-history/ruth-called-it Columbia Magazine's deep dive into Lou Gehrig’s early life in Yorkville, his parents' German immigrant background, and his rise to collegiate fame https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/lou-gehrig-columbia-legend-and-american-hero The stars of the New York Yankees Murderers Row. https://bronxpinstripes.com/yankees/eras/murderers-row The Senators' Griffith Park, nestled into its urban environment, including details about the famous wildcat bleachers. https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/baseball-americana/about-this-exhibition/at-the-ballpark/the-ballpark-community/baseball-on-the-map/