How the Experts Figured It

It's a travel day in the World Series. It's still a long road, the Cubs can't lose a game. But it could be an interesting two games?

I wondered what the experts had thought way back when the season began. In April ESPN asked 31 experts for their end of the baseball season predictions. (Link)

• 1 of the 31 predicted that Cleveland would be in the World Series.
• He picked the Giants for the NL champs- and winner.
• 19 predicted the Cubs would be there.
• 14 of those 19 picked the Cubs to win it all.

We will see what we will see. Or, as Yogi once said:

It ain't over till it's over.

1948

Two games have been played in Cleveland and the Series is tied 1-1. According to MLB, the last 1 home teams who won game 1, went on to win the Series.  But this is its own Series- historic and anything could happen. I wouldn't count either team out until one of them wins the 4th game.

Earlier this week I looked at the last World Series that each of this year's teams played in- and lost- 1997 for the Indians; 1945 for the Cubs. Today I thought I would look at the last time the Indians won. As I said when in an earlier post, I was two months old the last time the Indians won the World Series win 1948. In other words you have to be an early Baby Boomer or older to have been alive. So who were the 1948 Indians?

They had six future Hall of Famers on the team.

• Lou Boudreau SS, also their player-manager
• Larry Doby OF
• Bob Feller P
• Joe Gordon 2B
• Bob Lemon P
• Satchell Paige P

A quick look at that list would tell you that there was history made at the game itself. Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, joined the immortal Satchell Paige to be the first African-American players to be on the winning team in a World Series.

That and Paige appeared in Game 5 for the Indians, becoming the first black pitcher to take the mound in World Series history.

They beat the Boston Braves in six games.

From Wikipedia:

The Braves had won the National League pennant for the first time since the "Miracle Braves" team of 1914, while the Indians had spoiled a chance for the only all-Boston World Series by winning a one-game playoff against the Boston Red Sox for the American League flag. Though superstar pitcher Bob Feller failed to win either of his two starts, the Indians ... capture[d] their second championship and their first since 1920 (as well as their last to the present date).

It was the first World Series to be televised on a nationwide network and was announced by famed sportcasters Red Barber, Tom Hussey (in Boston) and Van Patrick (in Cleveland).

This was the second appearance in the Fall Classic for both teams, with the Indians' lone previous appearance coming in a 1920 win against the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Braves' lone precious appearance coming in a 1914 win against the Philadelphia Athletics.

This was the only World Series from 1947 to 1958 not to feature a New York team, and also the last World Series until 1957 not won by a New York team.

1945 and 1997- Former "Last Times"

I am pumped by this year's World Series! As a life-long baseball fan to have a "historic" Series like this does not happen often. My personal greatest was the 1980 World Series where my Phillies won their first ever Series after two earlier widely separated tries. I was there for the first game at Veterans' Stadium- which was the first post season game they had ever won.

Anyway, that is why this year could be quite a time. If both teams live up to their season-long exhibition of skill, it may rank as one of the greats. Only time will tell if either- or both- fizzle and turn it into "ho-hum" baseball in spite of the hype.

I went back and did a little research into the "last time" these teams were in the World Series. For the Cubs it was 1945, as we have heard so often. Seventy-one years.

1945 Cubs

• Charlie Grimm was their manager
• There were no future Hall of Fame players on the team. That should be no surprise since it was the end of World War II and many of the top players had been drafted or enlisted.   
• They lost to the Detroit Tigers in seven games.

According to the Wikipedia article on the Series:

Warren Brown, author of a history of the Cubs in 1946, commented on this [lack of stars due to WW II] by titling one chapter "World's Worst Series". He also cited a famous quote of his, referencing himself anonymously and in the third person. When asked who he liked in the Series, he answered, "I don't think either one of them can win it."

In a similar vein, Frank Graham jokingly called this Series "the fat men versus the tall men at the office picnic."

One player decidedly not fitting that description was the Tigers' slugger Hank Greenberg, who had been discharged from military service early. He hit the only two Tigers homers in the Series, and scored seven runs overall and also drove in seven.

More recently, merely 19 years ago, we have:

1997 Indians

• Mike Hargrove was the manager
• No one from that team has yet been elected to the Hall of Fame, but a number of them are clear contenders including former Twins favorite, Jim Thome.
• Lost to Florida Marlins in seven games. The Marlins were only in their fifth season as a MLB franchise- a record.

Wikipedia reports:

The Marlins, who were underdogs, capped a stunning season. They [won] their first World Series championship, making them the first wild card team to ever win the World Series.

This was also the third (and most recent) time where Game 7 of the World Series went into extra innings, after 1924 and 1991 both of whom involved the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise.

So it begins tonight. More sports, more baseball, more of the Fall Classic- # 112. I hope it lives up to- and even exceeds- the hype.

With all the pain we have been through in this election cycle, we need something extraordinary!

One for the Record History Books

What a World Series awaits us! 

More than setting records, it will, 

one way or another,

make history.

 

Chicago has already made history. It is the first time since the troops  returned home from World War II that they have been in the World Series. In fact my dad was on a troop ship in the Atlantic heading home when they were in that Series.	If Cleveland wins it will be the first time since 1948. (To show you how old I am-  I was 2 months old!)
Let me tell you the top news from the last time the Cubs WON the World Series: Petroleum production begins in Middle East Henry Ford develops the first Model T automobile, which sells for $850. Baden Powell Starts the Boy Scouts, Billy Murray hits the charts with "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" The Gideons put the first Bibles in hotel rooms William Howard Taft elected president Oh- and that veteran returning home from Europe after World War II was only 3 years old.