Sandy and Juan (not)!

On August 31, 1959 I was lucky enough to go to the Dodger-Giant game in Los Angeles at the Coliseum. The photo below was actually taken on March 29, 2008 when the Dodgers played the Boston Red Sox in front of MLB record 115,000 fans! The game this blog is featuring had 60,194 in attendance ... still a great crowd for a ball game.

These two teams had a fierce rivalry and with the Giants in first place by a scant two games, the Dodgers needed a win. Fortunately, they had their ace, Sandy Koufax, on the mound. For years I was certain the Giants countered with their top gun, Juan Marichal! But after doing some research, it turned out that Jack Sanford was pitching for the boys from the bay that night! It was still a fantastic time to be at the ball game with my dad and grandfather!

As the game progressed it became apparent that we were witnessing history! My grandfather always took a "transistor radio" to the games so we could listen to Vin Scully, the Dodgers announcer. With each inning Vinny was getting more and more excited as Koufax continued to mow down the Giant batters. At the end of eight innings the score was tied 2-2 and he had fifteen strikeouts! In the top of the ninth he struck out the first batter and the fans were screaming. When he stuck out the second batter everyone jumped to their feet to watch Sandy pitch to the third batter. "Strike Three" was called by umpire Tom Gorman as Sandy Koufax struck out the sides for a total of eighteen for the game! Wow!

So, in the bottom of the ninth, with one out Manager Walter Alston gave Koufax the nod to go to the plate. One would have expected a pinch hitter for him since he was just about the worst hitting pitcher in all baseball. Holy cow, Sandy got a base hit and was standing on first base as Jim "Junior" Gilliam stepped into the batters box. He squared up to bunt and laid it down perfectly for a base hit. Now, with two on and one out Wally Moon came to the plate for the Dodgers. He had come over from St. Louis and as a left handed batter developed an "inside out" swing so he could loft fly balls toward the 42' high screen in left field. It was only about 251' down the left field line in the Coliseum so a routine fly ball often times became a home run. Al Worthington now pitching in relief and "bam" Wally hit what Dodger fans called a "moon shot" by sending a high fly into the night and over the screen! Dodgers win 5-2!

I've been to many games in my life but this one sticks out as the best ever! The game itself was great ... being their with my father and grandfather made it even more memorable!

America by Train

In 1955, after being in California for five years, my mother was missing her sisters in Pittsburgh. So she, dad, and I embarked on a journey across the country on a train! After boarding in Los Angeles, I quickly discovered the "dome car" and spent the vast majority of my time up there watching the vast expanses of the west pass before my eyes!

This is similar to the "dome car" in which I travelled.

On the second day of the journey I met a kid about my age. Can't remember his name but we had a great time running up and down the stairs and sitting up in the "dome car" as we moved eastward on the tracks. He was going to North Platte, Nebraska to spend the summer with his grandparents. Upon arrival there we were both sad that our adventure had ended and just said "good-bye" and he jumped off the train on the to the platform and the conductor yelled "all aboard" and away we went!

The next stop I remember was Chicago and the station was so busy! We had to grab our luggage and catch a cab to another station and once there we boarded the Pennsylvania Railroad for the remainder of the trip to Pittsburgh. The new train didn't have a "dome car" but it did have a dining car. At dinner time, we walked down to the dining car and sat down. Our table had a linen table cloth and what I remember as really nice dishes and silverware! Our waiter was dressed in a fancy suit and had a white cloth draped over his arm as he took our order. I elected to have a ham sandwich with french fries. Now this was not a deli sandwich by any means. When he delivered the food, I was amazed to see a thick piece of grilled ham between to slices of white bread! Why, it was like someone had sliced the Christmas ham, grilled it, and made this magnificent sandwich for me! And, it was so very delicious!

This is what I remember most about that first visit home. Next post I'll share significantly more detail about the second trip that mom and I took a scant three years later!