GaryMrMets
07-16-2003, 02:33 PM
http://www.yesnetwork.com/announcers/index.cfm?cont_id=193285&page_type=wide
Pep Talk: A streak worth $14.80
By Phil Pepehttp://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/pepes_small.jpg
Special to YES Network Online
July 16, 2003
Who started baseball's famous streak that's got us all aglow?
He's just a man and not a freak, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
He tied the mark at 44, July the First, you know.
Since then he's hit a good 12 more, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
From coast to coast that's all you hear of Joe the one man show.
He's glorified the horsehide sphere, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
He'll live in baseball's Hall of Fame, he got there blow by blow.
Our kids will tell their kids his name, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
(We dream of Joey with his light brown bat.)
And now they speak in whispers low of how they stopped our Joe.
One night in Cleveland, oh, oh, oh, goodbye streak DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
Words by Alan Courtney
He had passed George Sisler's modern major league record by hitting in his 42nd consecutive game and he had passed Wee Willie Keeler's all-time record by hitting in his 45th straight game, and Joe DiMaggio kept right on going without the added pressure of chasing a record…46 in a row…50….56…every game merely extended his own record.
Now, newspapers that had ignored the streak in the early days not only reported the extension of DiMaggio's streak, the daily question was when would DiMaggio be stopped, and who would be the one to stop him? Eight years earlier, as an 18-year old, he hit in 61 consecutive games for San Francisco in the Pacific Coast League, and some thought he might even extend his current streak through the remainder of the 1941 season.
By July 17, the war had heated up between Germany and Russia on the Russian front, and that night, 62 years go this week, lured by the great DiMaggio and The Streak, 67,468 jammed into Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. It would be the largest crowd in the major leagues that season. The Heinz Company ("57 Varieties") was prepared to enter into a lucrative endorsement contract with DiMaggio if he would extend his streak one more game.
Left-hander Al Smith started for Cleveland against DiMaggio's closest friend, the irrepressible Lefty Gomez. But the hero -- or villain -- of the piece would be Indians third baseman Ken Keltner, acknowledged as the slickest fielding third baseman in the league.
On his first at bat, Joe lashed a bullet down the third base line. Keltner speared it with a backhanded stab and threw DiMaggio out at first.
"I couldn't get out of the box quickly because of the rains the day before," DiMaggio remembered years later, "and Ken's throw just nipped me."
There would have been no throw if Keltner had not been playing so deep.
"Deep?" DiMaggio said. "My God, he was standing in left field."
On his second at bat, DiMaggio was walked and the huge crowd, pulling hard for the home team Indians in their struggle to catch the first-place Yankees, nevertheless booed.
When he came to bat in the seventh, DiMaggio noticed that Keltner, still playing deep, had moved another step closer to the foul line. Joe knew he could easily have bunted for a base hit, but his pride would not permit him to take such a wimpish approach to extend the streak.
"He (Keltner) was daring me to bunt on him," DiMaggio recalled, "but I didn't bunt during the entire streak."
Again, DiMaggio hit a wicked smash to third, just inside the line. Keltner hardly had to move to stab it on a short hop and throw DiMaggio out by a step.
When he came to bat in the eighth, Joe faced a new pitcher, reliever Jim Bagby, a right-hander. The Yankees had scored two runs to take a 4-1 lead and had the bases loaded with one out. On a 2-1 fastball, Joe smashed one hard and deep to short, but right at Lou Boudreau. The ball took a nasty hop as Boudreau was about to field it, but the Indians shortstop recovered quickly, snared the ball at shoulder height and started a short-to-second-to first double play.
The streak was over, ended at 56 straight games. But is it? Sixty-two years later, it still remains on the books, the oldest major record in baseball, having withstood dozens of challenges.
The 56-game hitting streak is special. A streak of this nature requires day-in, day-out consistency under the most grueling pressure and intense scrutiny. Slumps are not permitted. Bad days are not allowed. One misstep and the streak is ended.
When it ended for DiMaggio, he was both relieved and glum.
"Nobody thought he would ever be stopped," said Phil Rizzuto. "We all thought it would just go on. When it ended, the way it ended, it was just a shock. After the game, Joe asked me to stay behind. There were a lot of 'paisans' in Cleveland and they were mad that the streak ended. Keltner had to have a police escort to leave the stadium.
"We waited until the crowd was gone, and Joe and I walked back to the Cleveland Hotel. On the way we passed a bar. Joe turned to go into the bar and I followed him.
"'No, Phil,' he said. "You go back to the hotel. I want to be alone.' So I started walking back to the hotel alone and I heard him call me.
"'Hey, Phil,' he said. 'I forgot my wallet in the clubhouse. Give me all your money.' I took out my money, all I had, and gave it to him. It came to $14.80. He never paid me back. He just forgot about it, that's how upset he was."
Many years later, Rizzuto reminded DiMaggio that he never paid back the loan and Joe reached into his pocket to correct the oversight.
"Are you kidding?" Rizzuto said. "Nothing doing. It's worth the $14.80 just to be able to tell that story."
Acclaimed author and former Yankees beat writer Phil Pepe is a regular contributor to YES Network Online. His latest work is entitled "The Yankees: An Authorized History of the New York Yankees Centennial Edition," due to be released in November.
http://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/dimaggio_inline_071503.jpg
Lou Boudreau, here with DiMaggio, started the double play that ended the Yankee Clipper's record streak.
Pep Talk: A streak worth $14.80
By Phil Pepehttp://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/pepes_small.jpg
Special to YES Network Online
July 16, 2003
Who started baseball's famous streak that's got us all aglow?
He's just a man and not a freak, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
He tied the mark at 44, July the First, you know.
Since then he's hit a good 12 more, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
From coast to coast that's all you hear of Joe the one man show.
He's glorified the horsehide sphere, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
He'll live in baseball's Hall of Fame, he got there blow by blow.
Our kids will tell their kids his name, Joltin' Joe DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
(We dream of Joey with his light brown bat.)
And now they speak in whispers low of how they stopped our Joe.
One night in Cleveland, oh, oh, oh, goodbye streak DiMaggio.
Joe, Joe DiMaggio, we want you on our side.
Words by Alan Courtney
He had passed George Sisler's modern major league record by hitting in his 42nd consecutive game and he had passed Wee Willie Keeler's all-time record by hitting in his 45th straight game, and Joe DiMaggio kept right on going without the added pressure of chasing a record…46 in a row…50….56…every game merely extended his own record.
Now, newspapers that had ignored the streak in the early days not only reported the extension of DiMaggio's streak, the daily question was when would DiMaggio be stopped, and who would be the one to stop him? Eight years earlier, as an 18-year old, he hit in 61 consecutive games for San Francisco in the Pacific Coast League, and some thought he might even extend his current streak through the remainder of the 1941 season.
By July 17, the war had heated up between Germany and Russia on the Russian front, and that night, 62 years go this week, lured by the great DiMaggio and The Streak, 67,468 jammed into Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. It would be the largest crowd in the major leagues that season. The Heinz Company ("57 Varieties") was prepared to enter into a lucrative endorsement contract with DiMaggio if he would extend his streak one more game.
Left-hander Al Smith started for Cleveland against DiMaggio's closest friend, the irrepressible Lefty Gomez. But the hero -- or villain -- of the piece would be Indians third baseman Ken Keltner, acknowledged as the slickest fielding third baseman in the league.
On his first at bat, Joe lashed a bullet down the third base line. Keltner speared it with a backhanded stab and threw DiMaggio out at first.
"I couldn't get out of the box quickly because of the rains the day before," DiMaggio remembered years later, "and Ken's throw just nipped me."
There would have been no throw if Keltner had not been playing so deep.
"Deep?" DiMaggio said. "My God, he was standing in left field."
On his second at bat, DiMaggio was walked and the huge crowd, pulling hard for the home team Indians in their struggle to catch the first-place Yankees, nevertheless booed.
When he came to bat in the seventh, DiMaggio noticed that Keltner, still playing deep, had moved another step closer to the foul line. Joe knew he could easily have bunted for a base hit, but his pride would not permit him to take such a wimpish approach to extend the streak.
"He (Keltner) was daring me to bunt on him," DiMaggio recalled, "but I didn't bunt during the entire streak."
Again, DiMaggio hit a wicked smash to third, just inside the line. Keltner hardly had to move to stab it on a short hop and throw DiMaggio out by a step.
When he came to bat in the eighth, Joe faced a new pitcher, reliever Jim Bagby, a right-hander. The Yankees had scored two runs to take a 4-1 lead and had the bases loaded with one out. On a 2-1 fastball, Joe smashed one hard and deep to short, but right at Lou Boudreau. The ball took a nasty hop as Boudreau was about to field it, but the Indians shortstop recovered quickly, snared the ball at shoulder height and started a short-to-second-to first double play.
The streak was over, ended at 56 straight games. But is it? Sixty-two years later, it still remains on the books, the oldest major record in baseball, having withstood dozens of challenges.
The 56-game hitting streak is special. A streak of this nature requires day-in, day-out consistency under the most grueling pressure and intense scrutiny. Slumps are not permitted. Bad days are not allowed. One misstep and the streak is ended.
When it ended for DiMaggio, he was both relieved and glum.
"Nobody thought he would ever be stopped," said Phil Rizzuto. "We all thought it would just go on. When it ended, the way it ended, it was just a shock. After the game, Joe asked me to stay behind. There were a lot of 'paisans' in Cleveland and they were mad that the streak ended. Keltner had to have a police escort to leave the stadium.
"We waited until the crowd was gone, and Joe and I walked back to the Cleveland Hotel. On the way we passed a bar. Joe turned to go into the bar and I followed him.
"'No, Phil,' he said. "You go back to the hotel. I want to be alone.' So I started walking back to the hotel alone and I heard him call me.
"'Hey, Phil,' he said. 'I forgot my wallet in the clubhouse. Give me all your money.' I took out my money, all I had, and gave it to him. It came to $14.80. He never paid me back. He just forgot about it, that's how upset he was."
Many years later, Rizzuto reminded DiMaggio that he never paid back the loan and Joe reached into his pocket to correct the oversight.
"Are you kidding?" Rizzuto said. "Nothing doing. It's worth the $14.80 just to be able to tell that story."
Acclaimed author and former Yankees beat writer Phil Pepe is a regular contributor to YES Network Online. His latest work is entitled "The Yankees: An Authorized History of the New York Yankees Centennial Edition," due to be released in November.
http://www.yesnetwork.com/photos/dimaggio_inline_071503.jpg
Lou Boudreau, here with DiMaggio, started the double play that ended the Yankee Clipper's record streak.