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My Baseball Hero

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  • My Baseball Hero

    http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/..._the_ages.html

  • #2
    Callison was one of my favorites too! The piece you posted really brings back memories!

    I was going to Temple during the early-mid 60's. Connie Mack was just a short subway ride or medium walk from Temple. We probably caught 50 plus games a year. $1.50 for unreserved seats.

    I used to go early to catch BP but mainly to watch Callison throw to 3rd and Home from RF. What an arm! Seemed like every throw was on the money...'one bounce on the head'.

    1964! It still hurts!

    Like everyone else in town, we were in a state of euphoria. The Pennant was ours! I think we went to every home game (losses 1 thru 7) during the Sept collapse. The last home loss was to the Braves. Mauch, who had totally lost his fucking mind, started Bunning for the 2nd time in 4 days against Milwaukee and he got absolutely crushed. (Mauch was starting Bunning, Short and Mahhaffey and that was pretty much it! IMO. Mauch choked...not the team)

    Anyway, I think the final was like 15-8. Callison hit 3 out and they still lost. They were still 1 game up I think and leaving to play St Louis for 3 games. But we knew it was over and were a mix of drunk, pissed off with some tears mixed in.

    We stopped at a bar we often drank at after games...a local working man's bar. A couple of older guys at the bar (at least as drunk as us) were loudly insisting it wasn't over...the Phils would rebound against St Louis and still bring home the pennant. We were not up for any rosy optimism. Opinions were exchanged. Things grew louder and louder. I don't know who swung first, but soon an all out brawl was under way. Cops came and broke things up. No arrests as I recall. I think slack was cut because of the circumstances. We were all grieving!

    God, I had some great times growing up!

    To Johhny C.!

    A very touching cut from the piece you posted:

    "He did not start one game against the Cardinals.(Callison had the flu during the collapse) And then Mauch sent him up to pinch-hit and he singled. Got to first base and the batboy shuffled out there with a windbreaker. It was against the rules, and Mauch knew the rules better than anyone in the league. Callison's hands shivered. St. Louis first baseman Bill White reached over and buttoned that windbreaker for him, one of the more memorable moments of sportsmanship I've ever seen."

    As much as I hated the Cards (and still do) I always loved Bill White for that. One of the really good guys!

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    • #3
      As a kid growing up in Philly I had two sports heroes: Tommy McDonald & Johnny Callison. Both guys were small in stature but played hard & gave everything they had, always fun to root for. I saw many a game at Connie Mack Stadium (although my folks still called it Shibe Park) and would like to sit on the 1st base side just to watch Johnny in right field, whether he was throwing somebody out or crushing a HR over the right field wall.
      I wore my #6 Phils jersey with pride. When we moved from Olney to Elkins Park I heard he was selling cars in Glenside during the offseason, just to make ends meet. These overpriced bums of today have no idea how fortunate they are compared to the days when Callison played.
      It's a shame, both guys, Callison & McDonald flew under the radar because they preferred the stealth approach. Man I miss that approach but the guy I see that is similar to Callison in that regard is Utley.
      Johnny C was a great sports figure to look up to.
      Just give me ONE before I go!

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      • #4
        Very nice. A name I know and respect, but a little before my time. So good to learn more about him.
        www.disciplerocks.com

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        • #5
          He and Richie Ashburn. It's hard to forget those two! Things were so different back then. Heck, Bobby Shantz lived right down the street from us. What a nice guy he was too! He always had time for everybody.
          "Hey Giants, who's your Daddy?"

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          • #6
            Still have fond memories of '64. Great movie sad ending. I hitched home from PSU for that Saturday game against the Braves to try to break the spell. I left for PSU on the day they beat the Dodgers for the 6 1/2 game lead. Didn't work., the spell continued. Rico Carty won it with a triple off Schantz, if I remember. It was a spell. I'll say this, Allen and Callison were fabulous during that stretch. Mauch may have panicked but he had a thin rotation. Was afraid to use rookies against those tough clubs (Wise and Jenkins) Bennett and Culp were hurt. They padded their lead against the Colt 45's, Mets, Cubs and Dodgers then had to face their toughest rivals for the final 10 games. I remember being worried because of that. But i'm a worry wort. St.Lou, Cinci and Milwaukee were tough clubs and did well against the Phils all year. Ruiz stole home and then it just snowballed. Teaches you not to take things for granted. Went to more games that year than any other year. It was special at C-mack and in the city as they had been mediocre to bad since 1950.

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