Egg in Your Beer

Baseball is a tricky business.

Lew Burdette is, according to one exuberant announcer, "Mr. Wisconsin;" and a few radio reports after the game bothered to mention the name of the losing Yankee pitcher, Don Larsen.

Yet, these are, as Burdette himself said, "the breaks." Had not Kubek made a high throw, Larsen might have escaped injury; and Burdette would have been far less of a hero if Bill Skowron's bases-loaded drive had not gone within reach of Eddie Mathews.

It is amazing, however, that a national idol can be created on a week's baseball performance, or that a man such as Don Newcombe can be vilified on the strength of seven games.

In 1954, a hillbilly named Rhodes became a huge celebrity by hitting some pinch home runs. People hung on this hero's word, to see what secret he had discovered. There was no secret. "When, uh, Leo says 'Go up and hit,' I hit," he mumbled.

Alexander Saves Series

In the 1926 Series, a Yankee hit a ball into the left-field bleachers. It was foul by one foot. A home run would have won the Series, but Grover Cleveland Alexander went on to strike out Tony Lazzeri and become "the courageous old man" who fought off a hangover to save the Series for the Cardinals.

But it was time the breaks went against that myth, Casey Stengel. In a White Sox game this year, Casey left in a .100 hitter, pitcher Bob Grim, to hit with a tie score and two out in the ninth because he had no pinchhitters left. Grim hit the first home run of his career, swinging blindly.

As the pitcher tore around the bases, Stengel became worried. "I thought he was gonna leave second base to run out there and see if it was true," he commented.

Stengel Win with N.L. Men

Stengel has had phenomenal Series success over the year with such National League castoffs as Johnny Sain, Johnny Mize, Johnny Hopp, and Enos Slaughter. This time his wizardry was insufficient, however, and the Yankees might be thinking of Freddie Lindstrom, an old Giant player.

Walter Johnson, perhaps the greatest pitcher of all time, had a lifetime ambition to win a World Series game. The Senators, his club, were a perennial second-division team. In the twilight of his career, however, the Senators won a pennant and met the Giants in the 1924 Series.

Johnson Wins

Johnson started the first game, but lost a heartbreaker. He started the fourth, and lost that one, too. Called in as a relief pitcher in the final game, Johnson went into the late innings with the score tied and two out. A Senator hit a grounder to Lindstrom, the Giant third baseman. Just as he was about to grab it, however, it hit a pebble and bounced over his head, while the winning runs scored.

Lindstrom was philosophical in the dressing room. "I guess the Good Lord just couldn't stand to see Walter Johnson lose again," he said.