Monday, October 3, 2005

'The Shot Heard Round The World'...

Bobby Thomson was immortalized with one swing of the bat on this date, October 3rd, 1951 when his 3-run homer ended the third and final game of the Giants playoff with the Brooklyn Dodgers to put the Giants into the World Series...

A Polo Grounds crowd of 34,320 was on hand for the wild finish that gave the Giants the pennant after trailing the Dodgers by as many as 13 1/2 games on August 11th. The game would go down as one of the most thrilling finishes in baseball history when Glasgow, Scotland born Bobby Thomson lifted a pitch from Ralph Branca 315 feet into the air and over the lower left-field stands at the Polo Grounds...

Thomson the trans-planted Staten Islander would forever be a Giant hero while Branca would wear the goat horns in the hearts of Dodger fans for a lifetime. Branca and Thomson are good friends today and our hero is retired, enjoying a game of golf or two and following the national pastime...

The year Bobby Thomson would become a hero, 1951, he moved to 3rd base to make way for rookie Willie Mays who replaced him in center field. MTV VP Gene Bolan gives us a guest commentary and 'happy recap' of seeing Willie Mays for the first time after the 'Say Hey Kid' joined the Mets in the 70s...

More October 3 Memories...

1945) Elvis Presley makes his first public appearance at 10 in a talent show where he pockets a cool $5 for placing 2nd...

1951) Bobby Thomson hits 'The Shot Heard Round The World' (feature story)...

1954) "Father Knows Best" debuts on CBS-TV...

1955) "The Mickey Mouse Club" premieres on ABC while "Captain Kangaroo" debuts on CBS...

1957) "The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom" debuts on ABC-TV...

1961) "The Dick Van Dyke Show" premieres on CBS-TV...

1973) Cher is #1 with "Half-Breed"...

1982) "Jack & Diane" tops the charts for John Cougar ("Mellancamp" would debut later)...

1992) Sinead O'Connor tears up a picture of the Pope during her 'Saturday Night Live' appearance (the Pope would get even by assuring that Sinead never has another hit)...

1995) O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald L. Goldman. Simpson would later be found liable in a civil trial...

1997) The former Hartford Whalers, now the Carolina Hurricanes, play their first home game in Carolina...

2000) Benjamin Orr, bass player of the Cars, a victim of pancreatic cancer at 53...

2003) Roy Horn (of Siegfried & Roy) is mauled by Montecore, a 7-year old tiger during a stage performance. Not a happy birthday for Roy who turned 59 that day...

5766) Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown tonight. L'shanah tovah...

Happy Birthday to...

1941) Chubby Checker...

1944) Roy Horn...

1947) Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac...

1951) Baseball Hall of Famer Dave Winfield...

1954) Rev. Al Sharpton...

1962) Tommy Lee...

1969) Gwen Stefani...

Guest Commentary by MTVs Gene Bolan...

"Growing up the son of a New York Giants fan, I remember my dad telling me that Willie Howard Mays was the most complete baseball player to ever play the game. It wasn't until many years later (after Mays came to the Mets) that I realized it was probably the catalyst that convinced my wonderful father to take myself and two cousins, one sunny Saturday summer afternoon to our first baseball game and we were as happy as any children could be walking into Shea Stadium for the chance to see Willie Mays in person...

We took our seats along the 3rd base side but sadly Bob Watson of the Astros hit a home run to deep left that would send the Mets to defeat but the thrill of the experience still remains a part of me. This was 1973, about a year since Willie became a Met but for all I knew he was still the greatest player in the league and to my dad the greatest ever...

I still have that program, a cherished part of my happy childhood. I still remember the excitement of watching him on Channel 9 and hell, I can even remember sitting comfortably on our burnt-orange shag carpeting and watching the Saturday morning cartoon, "Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid" while filling my belly with Quisp cereal. Ah the happy memories, and I hope you all enjoyed 'the happy recap'"...

(You can be sure we did. Thanks Gene)...