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Simply put, Harold is a science teacher who loves baseball. Actually, he is a self described "baseball fan who became a science teacher because he couldn't hit or throw." He has been involved with the New York City Education system in various capacities since 1962 and he received his doctorate in science education from NYU in 1968. He credits Casey Stengel with being responsible for his first baseball "degree," and in 1998, Joe Torre and Don Zimmer saw to it that he received the advanced version. For that he says, "I cannot thank them enough." "Reynolds looks in to get the signal from his catcher. He nods assent and brings his hands together. The outfield is straight away and not too deep against Fox. Reynolds is ready. The Yankees right-hander rocks in the box, around with the right arm, in comes the pitch, and Fox takes a fast ball that is high for ball one." "We are in the top of the first inning here at Yankee Stadium. There is one out with no score. The Yankees lead the Sox by two games in the standings and are trying to put some distance between themselves and Chicago" "Reynolds is ready again. Fox stands in with a slight crouch from the left side with his feet close together. He uses the thick handled "bottle" bat and just tries to slap the ball through the infield. He and Bauer have not gotten along lately." "Reynolds, working slowly, gets the signal from Berra, goes into the wind up, and delivers. Fox swings and hits a sharp ground ball to the left of Rizzuto. Rizzuto moves quickly, fields the ball on the second hop, and fires to first. It is ... in time." Such a
description will never again be heard. Mel Allen told the
listener what the listener had to see but couldn't. For the
seasoned fan, it was the next best thing to being at the
game, and for the casual fan, it might have been even
better, because Mel Allen's description of a game revealed
nuances of the game that most fans would never have
known.
Mel Allen did just that. He set up the situation and described what was happening as it happened. He did not, as too many radio announcers and television commentators do today, relate what occurred after the fact. I remember the time that I actually preferred to listen to Mel Allen than watch the game on television. I chose Mel Allen's voice and my ears over my eyes. That is quite a compliment. It was sometime in the late 1950s. The Yankees were playing the Red Sox in Boston. I was a little tired and decided it would be more enjoyable to listen to Mel on the radio than to continue to view the game on television. It was the right decision. I actually "saw" Fenway Park and "watched" the game. Today's fans have either forgotten or never knew how wonderful it is to close one's eyes and listen to a great play-by-play announcer describing a baseball game. No one is perfect. Mel Allen could be, at least to an intense Yankees fan, irritating at times. Mel had been accused of favoring the Yankees during his broadcasts, which was a false accusation that grew out of his enthusiasm for both the game and the Yankees, but to fans who rooted for the team playing the Yankees, it might have seemed as if Mel favored the Yankees. Sometimes, it seemed as if it were the other way around. It was 1959,
and Charlie Maxwell, a left-handed hitting outfielder with
great power, was playing for Detroit. That season, Maxwell
had a penchant for hitting home runs on Sunday, and an even
greater penchant for hitting them against the Yankees. The
day was Sunday, and in a close game (I think there was no
score), Maxwell came up with two Tigers on base.
I was extremely upset. There was no warning that the pitch was about to be delivered or that Maxwell swung and the result was a drive to deep right field. It sounded as if Mel almost expected Maxwell to hit the home run since it was a Sunday in Detroit. I did what I never thought I would do. I turned off the radio. In the upset of the moment, I didn't realize that Mel Allen did not favor the Yankees or the opposition in his broadcasts. Mel Allen tried to be so objective; he gave the opposition too much credit. It really doesn't matter because it is trivial. Mel Allen was one of the great sports announcers of all time. It was a joy to listen to him describe a game and an experience those who listened to him miss every time they listen to today's Yankees commentators. Fans should
listen to tapes of Mel Allen broadcasts. It would be an
eye-opening experience for most of them. They would discover
how lacking so many of today's commentators are compared to
Mel, Red Barber, and Ernie Harwell. |
How ya' doin? Best sites on 'da 'net! New York Yankees Mighty Yanks The Bombers NY Yankees Fast Facts: Betcha' didn't know was the A.L. Strikeout Champion in 1933, 1934 and 1937. He also won the A.L. Pitching Triple Crown in '34 and '37. Roger Maris In his first game in Yankee pinstripes, he singled, doubled, and hit 2 home runs. "In the building I live in on Park Avenue there are ten people who could buy the Yankees, but none of them could hit the ball out of Yankee Stadium." Reggie Jackson Trivia: The interlocking "NY" logo made its first appearance on the uniforms of the New York Highlanders in 1909. Who designed the symbol and why? Answer In Next Issue Have a trivia question? Email it to us and maybe we'll use it in an upcoming issue. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the brave men and women of our armed forces currently engaged in the conflicts overseas. Thank you for your service to our country and the world. God Bless You. |
