This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit RetroSeasons.com for more sports history.
This is Retro Sports Radio. Visit Retro Sports Radio.
This is the opening of two of the world's greatest features.
Last night, the World's Heavyweight Battle, and tomorrow afternoon at Yankee Stadium, the Great World Series.
It's a bang-up week packed full of thrill. Two bucks, and you can look at your mutual station to bring it to you.
On this baseball preview tonight, we're swinging around the town to points of interest
to see how hectic this little village that is supposedly so large they can get over an event that hits the heart.
And what is more thrilling than a World Series, as you can undoubtedly hear in some of the celebrating noises that are coming into your loudspeakers.
A red flag up!
And the predominating hubbub in every state that is. Who's fixing for Brooklyn?
Will Rutting stop Medwick? Walker? Camille? Reecer & Company?
It's going to be a thriller. And you know, when the folks of New York City, which is Times Square,
is beating out a staccato of Dodgers, Yankees, Dodgers, Yankees, each of these teams is not going to let down this band of rooters.
So Times Square is wearing a gala face tonight. Started with visitors from all over the USA.
Its message for America is, New York will make you forget all your troubles with a grand old game at Yankee Stadium tomorrow at 1.15 p.m. New York time.
And speaking of the Yankee Stadium, no doubt you've often wondered what the guy who waited in line all night to get a good season of bleachers is like.
Well, you'll see there's nothing undone. So now let's find out what it's like at Yankee Stadium. Go ahead, Frank Danner.
I wouldn't believe it until I saw it.
Usually you can say there's nothing more loathsome than a ballpark along about midnight. But tonight, that is not exactly true.
For here outside the big American League Stadium, the home of the world-famous Yankees, the fans are beginning to form lines at the Bleacher Gate ticket window.
Thousands and thousands of World Series fans from the country over will march into the stadium tomorrow to see the start of the World Series.
Our buttons, as they are so lovingly called, are the Brooklyn Dodgers versus that powerful team, the X.
I apologize. You can put down the plugs that are holding over my head. I'm a Brooklyn fan myself. I'm a second-standard.
The first 75 people here in line are all Dodger fans.
And leading our baseball fans, let's go right up to the front of the line here and discuss the situation phone time for just a bit.
Standing before our mutual microphone right now is Mrs. Elizabeth Albert. Mrs. Albert is number one, number one in line.
And if she's lucky, she'll be number one in line tomorrow when the ticket window is open.
Mrs. Albert, where are you from?
520 East 84th Street.
520 East 84th Street here in New York City.
New York City.
Now is this your first World Series or have you been honored?
This is my first series.
This is your first World Series. Now guess when did you arrive at the Yankee Stadium?
About 6 or 6.30 this evening.
Now what are you going to do? You mean you're going to stay here all night long?
I'm going to stay here all night until the gates open in the morning.
You're going to sit right over there in number one position until the gates open in the morning?
Until the gates open in the morning.
Therefore we're going to make sure that you're going to be number one.
I'm going to be number one, God bless them.
And you're going to be number one too when they take out the tickets tomorrow morning.
Well thank you very much Mrs. Albert for your answers to questions about the World Series.
Well we've discussed the Dodgers a bit. Now let's hear from the Yankee side here.
A Yankee rotor. Here is Mr. John Zazette. B-Z-A-T-E-E. Is that correct, Mr. Zazette?
That's right. That's right. Where are you from?
Hartford, Connecticut.
You're from Hartford, Connecticut.
That's right.
Now tell me something. How long have you been here?
I've been here since half past three this afternoon.
Half past? How come you didn't get into first place? Women before gentlemen.
I have to say women before gentlemen.
Now tell me something else. Is this your first World Series game?
No, this isn't.
How many World Series games?
I've seen them with all the Reds and the Little Three Dancers.
All the Yankees. Yankees, yeah.
Well, you know, I've heard about people coming to the World Series games and events,
when you look at the play sandwiches, putting up tents around the stadium and the like,
to be sure that they can see one or more games.
Zazette, B-Z-A-T, you're not the champion of those people, are you?
No, I'm not. I even elected right across the street.
Who knows your seat while you're gone?
The Dodgers fans.
Oh, I see. Just another question.
Why do you think the Yankees are going to win the Series?
Why should they? They have the power and that's my key.
Well, thank you very much, Mr. Zazette, B-Z-A-T. You won't be alone in the Yankee voting section.
I mean, other people will be there too. Take your clubs away, will you fellas?
Well, that's a scene from here at the Yankee Stadium for now.
Now, down at town, Dave Biscoll is waiting to talk to the sports writers.
Go ahead, in the press room.
Good evening baseball fans. We're not quite in the press room,
but we're in the West Ballroom of the Commodore,
where many of the writers have gathered for a late sandwich
and reminisced after writing their stories on what the World Series scene is tonight.
I've heard about the press coverage of this historic series, which gets underway tomorrow afternoon.
It's certain, dear, that your local newspaper will have complete cover on Main Street or Broadway.
There are independent and rare servers of the nation,
from San Francisco to Boston and from San Antonio to Winnipeg.
There are here, too, from Cuba and Panama.
These are the sports writers that New York has probably ever seen at one time.
Wings of copy will pour through the color types of Western Union and post the telegraph during the next few days
and filter down to your newspaper.
It may be interesting to you if I mention how the press facilities are handled throughout the series.
Our arrangements are made by the local chapter of the Baseball Writers Association.
For example, here in the Commodore Hotel, the New York writers are the hosts.
Charlie Seager of the Daily Mirror, chairman of the local chapter, and his fellow writers have done a great job.
And right at this moment, Lee Scott, sports editor of Brooklyn the Citizen, and Jimmy Woods of the Eagle,
are working out the arrangements for the writers when the two teams move over to Brooklyn on Friday.
Speaking of Charlie Seager, let's have a word with him.
I just had a nice word for you, Charlie. Supposing you'd stop to say a word for us.
You've done a great job here. Supposing you say a word of greeting to the listeners in,
who will also be reading about the world series. How about it?
What should I say? I'm so tired.
How long have you been working on these arrangements for the writers?
Well, we've been working about two and a half weeks, and it doesn't seem to end that soon.
Every frame brings a new writers in. We have them from Mexico City, Panama, Cuba, and far west,
northwest California, and we have some from North Dakota.
How many writers have you all together, do you think?
Well, there'll be about around 500 writers that have been able to get press accommodations at the stadium.
I'd like to tell you to be swamped if it hadn't been for those Hinchman, Gus Bash, and Cappy Cafe,
who stand off the writers and storm into those precious buttons that get you into the press room
where you can sit around and reminisce as we are tonight.
Well, you ought to know, Dave, they kept you waiting an hour.
You're not kidding. Thanks a lot, Charlie Seger.
Now let's shoot around this table for just a moment and talk to some of the writers who have gathered here
in something of a board of experts.
After we talk to the writers assembled here, we're going to switch down to the street at Times Square
and also up to the bleacher line at Yankee Stadium, and give the fans who are at both sides an opportunity
to ask a question or two about the series. We don't know whether the experts can answer it,
but we're going to do our best. But first, before we do that, let's have a word with them.
Here is Bill Lee, the sports editor of the Hartford Corridor. Bill, what do you think of the World Series?
Well, I think, Dave, that this is going to be one of the greatest series ever played.
And my personal pick is the Yankees to win because of their slightly stronger infield defense.
How long do you think the series will go, Bill?
I think it will be at least a six-game series, Dave, and it may go to a full limit of seven games.
All right, thanks a lot. Let's step over on the other side of you and talk to Harry Grayson, sports editor of NEA.
Harry, how many World Series have you covered in your career?
Well, I don't know. I've probably covered 15, 16 World Series.
Do you think that this one will stack up as one of the most exciting on the basis of three World Series expectations?
Well, this one would have broken all attendance records had all the games been played in Yankee Stadium
or had Ebbets Field more seats. There's 30,000 seats at Ebbets Field, and they easily could play to 100,000 people.
I think one of the most stupid things I ever heard of is the Brooklyn games being played in Brooklyn.
When you have 40,000 or 50,000 more seats within a subway ride for five cents.
Well, maybe there's something to that. Thank you, Harry. Let's move on.
By the way, as we move around the table, we might take a moment to give the weather forecast
because many fans across the country, and particularly in New York, want to know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow.
Originally, the forecast was for rain, but a little while ago we called up our good friend, Dr. James H. Kimball,
the chief of the weather bureau in New York, and he said it may rain, probably will, early in the morning,
but it should be clear and windy in the afternoon with fair skies for the rest of the series later on in the week.
Now, on the other side of the table, Shirley Poverty of the Washington Post.
Shirley, how do you think the series may turn out?
Well, Dave, some of my best friends are Brooklynites, but I still can see only the Yankees in this World Series,
and if you offer me sufficient protection in the vicinity of the Kiwanis, I'll say the Yankees in four straight.
Well, that's putting it right on the line. We can't ask you another question after that because it's all made up in your mind.
How about Frank Gibbons of the Cleveland Press? Frank, how many World Series have you covered?
I believe this is my sixth.
What was the most exciting one you saw?
Oh, I would say the last time the Yankees beat the Reds. I would say that probably was the most exciting.
That slide of the Majos into the flight late in that last game with Cincinnati was really something to see.
I've watched the Yankees for a while.
We in the American League are always looking for someone, of course, to beat the Yankees, and over a season's play,
I think there's no question that the Yankees are a much better ball club than the Dodgers.
But on spirit and drive, I think the Dodgers have a chance in this series just like to keep the ball in the park.
Attaboy. Good for you.
Well, so much for the moment from the Conrad Oil. Let's have a whack at somebody else here.
Let's give someone else a whack at us.
We're going to switch down now to George Hogan down in Times Square and let him bring on some of the fans who may want to ask us a question.
Go ahead, George.
We'll all let him take it here. Here's a young fellow here who says he's quite a Yankee Rooter. His name is Pat Hall.
Well, Pat, you ask the question over there and find out what's going on.
Yeah, I'd like to know why don't the sports writers get together and just get together some plan whereby he can choose all the disappointed Dodger Rooters after the series.
Well, that's quite a question to really put into them there.
Can you make a more specific question for us?
More specific?
Anything in particular you want to know about tomorrow's game that we might be able to tell you tonight?
No, but how much of a chance do you think the Dodgers have?
Well, you've heard the experts here. They seem to agree that the Dodgers have a pretty good chance.
Well, Dave, here's the famous fan leader, Johnny Long here. He just stopped by and he thought maybe he'd like to put a little question to you over there.
Let's have it.
All right, Johnny. What do you think about the series tomorrow?
Well, just ask one of the sports writers over there anything you want to know. Dave, what do you think I should bet on?
Well, that's a good question. You're putting some pretty tough questions to us. Let's get down to technicalities.
Hasn't anybody a question down there that would deal with other than who's going to win?
Technicalities? Wait a minute.
I want to know what these writers might think about deciding hurlers for tomorrow's game.
Well, here's Fliriddy in here. He'd like to know something. What's your name?
My little man.
What would you like to know about the series?
Well, I would like to know why...
Well, I can't get these earphones on.
Well, you're all clapped up there. I don't know why.
Well, I would like to know why anyone should think that the Dodgers should win more than one game. And if they should, why would be the reason?
Harry Grayson wants to answer that.
Well, I think that the Dodgers might easily win all four games and four games in a row on pitching.
A good pitching will stop any ball club, including the Yankees.
That's enough for you, brother. Let's switch up to the Yankee Stadium. Go ahead, Frank Dunn, if you've got a question.
Hello, Dave. Yes, we have a question. A Yankee fan standing right here. Would you go ahead, sir?
Who picked the opening game for the Yankees?
Who picked the opening game for the Yankees? Mr. Shirley Povich.
All right, what's your question?
How many games do you think it would take the Yankees to win the series?
All right, Shirley's closing the answer.
Well, I don't intend to speak for the Yankees, but I can safely say for them that if they can't win it in less than four.
All right, I think our time is about up, so we're going to have to say that's all for baseball tonight.
But tomorrow afternoon at 1.15 Eastern Standard Time, it will be play ball between the Yankees and the Dodgers at the Yankee Stadium.
Don't forget the play-by-play broadcast by Bob Elton and Rick Barber.
It will flash throughout the world exclusively over the facilities of the Mutual Network.
This broadcast has been presented through the WOR Special Features Division. This is the Mutual Broadcasting Service.