My dad was a long-suffering NY Giant fan. This was one of his favorite baseball stories.
Giants playing the Dodgers in 1954, the year the Giants won the World Series. Giant pitcher that day, Sal Maglie, was known as "The Barber" because he often pitched inside, "shaving" opposing batters. Well, Jackie Robinson didn't like his shave, so he decided to get some vengeance against Maglie. Robinson bunts down the first base line, hoping to get Maglie when he covered first. Maglie, figuring out the plan, doesn't cover 1st. Whitey Lockman, the 1st baseman fields the ball and throws to Giant second baseman Davy Jacobs covering. Robinson obliterates Jacobs so badly that he suffers a back injury that basically ends his career.
There were no rules, no instant replay. Players settled their own problems. A pitcher throws at you, you run him over at first base. And if your second baseman gets blown up by an opposing runner, well that's not the end of it.
A few innings later, Giant shortstop Al Dark hits a double down the line. This is the Polo Grounds where the foul poles were 260 and 280 feet. This was barely a double. Certainly not a triple. But Dark didn't stop at second and headed for third where, you guessed it, Robinson was playing. Red Barber, the famous Dodger announcer yells, "He's not going for third, he's going for Robinson!" The ball beats Dark by so much, Robinson looks bored waiting. But Dark wasn't looking for a triple. He was looking for payback. He hits Robinson, Robinson goes one way, his glove goes another, and the ball goes another. Safe.
End of problem. No ejections, no instant replay, no controversy. In later years, when Dark is accused of racially-insensitive remarks, Robinson defends him, saying that Dark was always a gentleman on and off the field.
61 years later the Dodgers are in a similar place with another team that has an orange NY on its cap. It'll be interesting to see if history repeats itself.
Giants playing the Dodgers in 1954, the year the Giants won the World Series. Giant pitcher that day, Sal Maglie, was known as "The Barber" because he often pitched inside, "shaving" opposing batters. Well, Jackie Robinson didn't like his shave, so he decided to get some vengeance against Maglie. Robinson bunts down the first base line, hoping to get Maglie when he covered first. Maglie, figuring out the plan, doesn't cover 1st. Whitey Lockman, the 1st baseman fields the ball and throws to Giant second baseman Davy Jacobs covering. Robinson obliterates Jacobs so badly that he suffers a back injury that basically ends his career.
There were no rules, no instant replay. Players settled their own problems. A pitcher throws at you, you run him over at first base. And if your second baseman gets blown up by an opposing runner, well that's not the end of it.
A few innings later, Giant shortstop Al Dark hits a double down the line. This is the Polo Grounds where the foul poles were 260 and 280 feet. This was barely a double. Certainly not a triple. But Dark didn't stop at second and headed for third where, you guessed it, Robinson was playing. Red Barber, the famous Dodger announcer yells, "He's not going for third, he's going for Robinson!" The ball beats Dark by so much, Robinson looks bored waiting. But Dark wasn't looking for a triple. He was looking for payback. He hits Robinson, Robinson goes one way, his glove goes another, and the ball goes another. Safe.
End of problem. No ejections, no instant replay, no controversy. In later years, when Dark is accused of racially-insensitive remarks, Robinson defends him, saying that Dark was always a gentleman on and off the field.
61 years later the Dodgers are in a similar place with another team that has an orange NY on its cap. It'll be interesting to see if history repeats itself.
