Monday morning nostalgia fix
October 15, 2007The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Pittsburgh Nine that year. In fact, in the three games of the 1960 World Series that the Pirates lost, they were positively humilated by the Bronx Bombers. Though the Pirates won Game 1 at Forbes Field, Game 2, also in Oakland, was a disaster, when more than 36,000 fans were stunned into silence as the Yankees hammered the Pirates 16-to-3.
Game 3 in Yankee Stadium, was worse; 70,000 watched as the Battlin’ Buccos, under the management of Danny Murtaugh, lost 10 to 0. The Buccos won games 4 and 5, only to get their clocks cleaned again, 12 to 0, at Forbes Field in Game 6.
In Game 7, on Oct. 13, 1960, the Pirates let their lead slip away in the sixth inning, falling behind the Yanks. A five-run Pirate eighth inning gave them the lead again, but the Yankees scored two in the top of the ninth to tie the game, 9 to 9.
. . .
When Bill Mazeroski’s home run cleared the wall at Forbes Field in the bottom of the ninth inning, pandemonium erupted.
The crowd noise was deafening for almost a minute; the usually-unflappable Thompson was so rattled that he made one of the most famous sportscasting bloopers of all time, giving the final score as “10 to nothing” before correcting himself a few seconds later.
A few minutes later, the broadcast team threw the air to the Pirates clubhouse, where radio listeners finally got to hear The Gunner as he interviewed Maz, Murtaugh and other Pirates.
. . .
This is how it sounded on NBC Radio, 47 years and two days ago. Thompson’s call comes at 0:50, while you’ll hear Prince at about 3:30.
And when you’re done listening, just remember: “We had ’em all-ll-ll-ll-ll-ll the way!”
1960 World Series, Game 7, NBC Radio (author’s collection):
Monday Morning Nostalgia Fix doesn’t mean to be stuck in the Eisenhower Administration lately. It’s just the way things have worked out.
Indulge us one more 1960 memory, please, because this is a biggie. Believe it or not, boys and girls, there was a time when the Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t have 15 consecutive losing seasons as their primary “achievement.” In fact, there were several times when they actually won the World Series … including the memorable time when they defeated The Hated New York Yankees.
And you’re going to hear exactly what it sounded like. Just read on.
. . .
First, anyone who says they listened to Bob Prince call the World Series on KDKA is either suffering from a memory lapse, or is a darned liar. Flagship radio stations were not permitted to originate their own coverage of World Series games until 1984.
As an NBC Radio affiliate in those days, KDKA (1020) was obligated to carry the network’s broadcast team of Jack Quinlan and Chuck Thompson.
Thompson, who did the play by play, called Baltimore Orioles games from 1955 until 1987, with a brief break in the late ’50s while he covered the Washington Senators.
Quinlan, the color commentator, was a Chicago broadcaster who covered the Cubs for WGN radio from 1955 until his tragic death in a car accident before the 1965 season.
. . .
“The Gunner,” however, could be heard on WIIC-TV (11), which carried NBC-TV”s coverage of the World Series.
Major League Baseball’s TV policy for World Series games before 1966 was to pair the top announcer from each team on the telecast — Prince thus represented the Pirates, while another legend of the baseball broadcast booth, Mel “How ‘Bout That?” Allen, represented the Yankees. …
