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This is Alvin Dark. In a few moments you will hear about my greatest sports thrill.
This is Harry Wismer. What you're about to hear is a transcribed story of one of baseball's outstanding players.
And in the event our special guest Alvin Dark considers his greatest sports thrill.
And Al himself is here to tell us all about it.
But first here is Bill Redick with a message of interest from your United States Air Force.
There's a wonderful bond of good fellowship that unites all sports fans, regardless of what particular sport is their favorite.
And you know this same feeling of friendship exists among airmen in the United States Air Force too.
The Air Force team is made up of all kinds of men from all walks of life.
Each man knows he is important to his country and to the men he's working with.
Yes, if you're a young man just out of high school wondering about going into the service,
I can assure you that you'll meet airmen in the Air Force who will share your interests.
They'll be your buddies for life.
So think of the advantages you'll enjoy in this all-volunteer service.
Ask your nearest Air Force recruiter about the specialized jobs open to airmen in such important fields as jet propulsion,
aircraft maintenance, electronics, transportation, and many others.
See for yourself how you can go places faster as an airman in the United States Air Force.
Now back to Harry Wismer.
In May of 1946, the top officials and head scouts of the Boston Braves got together for an organizational meeting.
There was much talk about the Braves purchasing Marty Marion, the St. Louis Cardinals' great shortstop.
Ted McGrew, the veteran scout, listened patiently until it was his turn to offer comment.
Gentlemen, he said, I've heard all this talk and I know Marion is the best shortstop in baseball.
I have only one recommendation, and that is save your money.
Wait a couple of years and I'll have someone better than Marty Marion.
His name is Alvin Dark, and you've never heard of him.
I don't even know where he is except someplace in the Pacific in the service.
He isn't playing baseball in service, probably hasn't played in the last two years.
But if you want my advice, save your money.
Wait for Al Dark.
That was ten years ago.
Today, Ted McGrew stands vindicated on all counts with perhaps one exception.
Al Dark never has approached the octopus-like Marion in the field
and doesn't have the arm that the former Mr. Shortstop was blessed with.
But when it comes to swinging the bat and running the bases,
few, if any, of the modern shortstops are the equal of this quiet-spoken,
gentle-mannered, but fiercely determined captain of the New York Giants.
Ever since he came to the Giants in 1950, Alvin Dark has been the solid man of the club.
He, more than any other player, has been responsible for their success.
A world championship, two pennants, and a second and third place finish in six years.
He has been called the heart and soul of the Giants, the inspiring force,
the glue that has held the club together.
From the first day he joined the club, Dark has been the steadiest hitter on the Giants.
One of the most scientific batters in the game, Dark has been a consistent 300-hitter
ever since he came up with the Braves in 1948.
His 23 home runs in 1953 stood as the most ever hit by a National League shortstop in one season
until Ernie Banks of the Chicago Cubs banged 44 in 1955.
With the possible exception of Pee-wee Reese of the Brooklyn team,
Al Dark has been the standout shortstop in the National League ever since he donned a big league uniform.
Few shortstops can deliver day in and day out over a period of years as Alvin Dark has done
and promises to do for several more seasons.
Al has never been considered one of the game's more graceful players.
He has had to do it the hard way.
But he makes the plays as he proved so dramatically with his intensely competitive performances
in the World Series of 1951 and 1954.
A couple of days after the Giants had clinched the 1954 pennant,
Leo de Rocher was talking about Al Dark.
How that guy has played this year, he said.
What a guy he is to have on your ball club.
He's the glue that held the club together.
Willie Mays has been wonderful, of course, and I'm not taking anything away from him
or the pitchers who have been so great.
But Dark has been the solid guy, the backbone of the club.
The most surprising thing about Alvin Dark is that while at school and in the service,
he was known more for his prowess as a football player rather than a baseball player.
It was a keen disappointment for the professional football promoters
when Alvin decided to risk his future in baseball.
Alvin Dark is almost a myth around Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
He played only one year of varsity sports at LSU in 1941,
then went on to become an All-American at a neighboring institution.
Dark was in the service in 1943 and was assigned to Southwestern Louisiana Institute,
where he became the talk of the football world in one season.
He also did a little running on the track team.
A top golfer who shoots consistently in the 70s,
Al Dark may be the best all-around athlete in baseball.
He has broken 10 seconds in the 100-yard dash.
High jump 6 feet, 4 inches, and broad jump 23 feet.
Alvin Dark was a standout in any sport he played,
not only because he had the natural physical attributes and aptitudes,
but because he approached them all with a fierce determination to excel.
A devout, gentle-mannered southerner,
he becomes a driving killer-type, take-charge guy in the ball field.
He is the quiet sort who bottles his emotions deep within him.
But nobody hates more to lose or gains more pleasure out of triumph.
There may have been short stops with more all-around ability,
but nobody had more competitive spirit.
Alvin Dark was born on January 7, 1923,
not in Louisiana, but in Comanche, Oklahoma.
His father moved his family through Oklahoma and Texas
before he finally settled down at Lake Charles, Louisiana.
It was during his freshman year at LSU that baseball scouts started to take an interest.
The most ardent of his pursuers was scout Ted McGrew of the Boston Braves,
who exacted a promise from Alvin that when he got out of service,
he would talk to him first.
True to his word, in June 1946, Dark reported to the Braves for a look.
He tried out on the road without over-impressing manager Billy Southworth.
Al didn't look like much of a shortstop when first seen,
but he was always the first player on the field and the last one to leave.
That had its effect on Southworth.
At least it indicated that the kid liked the game enough to work at it.
Southworth said later, he had one characteristic that made his lack of playing polish seem unimportant,
competitive spirit.
He was an athlete who could play any type of sport.
That was something very much in his favor.
I knew he wouldn't choke under pressure.
In the spring of 1947, the Braves agreed to give Al Dark a $40,000 bonus
and found him out to Milwaukee.
One year later, after leading the American Association in practically everything
and voted the league's Rookie of the Year,
Dark was back, securely installed as the first string shortstop
for the strongest Braves team in 34 years.
In his first full season, 1948, Dark played a great role in the Braves' drive
to their first pennant since 1914.
He batted a rousing 322 and was voted the National League's Rookie of the Year.
In 1949, luck by dissension, the Braves finished third.
The following winter, Dark was the leading man in a gigantic six-man trade between Boston and New York.
On December 14, 1949, the Braves dealt Al Dark and Eddie Stanky to the Giants
for Sid Gordon, Willard Marshall, Buddy Kerr and Sam Webb.
One month later, Brinks was robbed of $2 million.
There is some difference of opinion as to which constitutes the greatest robbery in Boston's history.
Now before you meet our special guest, Alvin Dark in person,
in an interview from the Polo Grounds and hear about his greatest sports thrill,
here is a message of interest to all young men who want to go places faster.
If you're a veteran, chances are you know about the U.S. Air Force re-enlistment policy
and the opportunities it offers to all former servicemen,
especially those with technical experience and backgrounds and critical skills.
But here's important news you may not have heard.
The Air Force has now liberalized its policy to bring you even further benefits.
Here are some of the important advantages.
A wider range of skills is now accepted.
There's a choice of U.S. and overseas assignments.
Also a paid 30-day delay in reporting if requested.
And think about this.
If you qualify on the basis of an aptitude test,
the U.S. Air Force may be able to guarantee technical training.
Yes, guarantee you this even before you enlist.
So it makes good sense for a veteran of any service to inquire about this new liberalized Air Force policy.
Contact your nearest United States Air Force recruiter now, without obligation of course.
See why we say today and tomorrow, you're better off in the U.S. Air Force.
Now back to Harry Wismer.
Al Dark, what was your greatest sports thrill?
Well Harry, in 1951 when Bobby Thompson hit the home run to beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the playoff game,
that was the greatest thrill I've ever received in my life.
We had been behind something like 13 and a half games in August,
and every night we'd go home after winning a ball game, we'd say,
we still have a chance, we still have a chance.
Then when it did happen, Bobby hit the home run, we were all so happy and so thankful that all the work we had done wasn't in vain.
We were just so happy, I just don't know how to explain it.
Al, why did you select shortstop over any other position?
Well I don't know Harry, ever since I first started playing baseball,
shortstop was the position I liked best, I guess because you were always in the middle of the action.
And when you're a little kid, you want to get as many ground balls, pop flies, or anything else that you can get just to be playing.
And so I just kept on playing in high school and college.
So that's the only position I've ever really played where I know anything about it.
What is the toughest play for a shortstop to make?
I think the toughest play for any shortstop to make is going to his right on a slow hit ball,
and he has to come up throwing the ball and put something on it.
Especially when there's a fast runner, the ball just gets by the third base, and then you have to come up really throwing it.
Al, tell us a little bit about what goes on out there in the middle of the diamond,
when the pitcher has gotten in a jam and the shortstop or another player comes out to the mound to talk to him.
Well sometimes shortstop will be just killing time.
He'll go up to see if the manager is getting a pitcher warmed up,
because a lot of times the pitcher in the bullpen hadn't had a chance to get warmed up,
and you're more or less killing time sometimes to give the manager a little time.
Other times you're probably trying to find out just how the pitcher's going to pitch to this next hitter.
Or sometimes you might be suggesting to him, don't be quite so careful.
Don't try to get the ball right on the corner of the plate.
Throw it in there and let him hit it. We'll go get it.
What helpful hints would you give to a young player to improve his hitting?
Well, that has been talked about quite a bit.
The only thing I can say here is this, that a fellow has to try.
He has to be working on it all the time.
You know, a lot of people work on their strong points. I think a person should work on their weak points in hitting.
If he isn't a type of fellow that can move the ball around all over the place, the right field, left field, center field,
I think he should work on it a little bit. Not necessarily weaken himself to hit the right field or center field,
but he should work on it where he can occasionally.
Then the fielders can't play you in any certain position, and you always come up with a base hit.
But a person has to work quite a bit on his hitting.
I think that a 250 hitter can work to become a 350 hitter, but I do think every individual can improve himself.
Thank you very much, Alvin Dark, one of baseball's outstanding shortstop.
One more thing about Alvin Dark. In the quiet way so characteristic of him, Al sent a check of $1,114,
a sizable portion of his 1954 World Series check, to the Trinity Baptist Church at Lake Charles.
From other sources, this reached the newspapers, and Alvin was asked about it.
When I was a newsboy earning $2.50 a week, I gave 10% of my earnings to God, he explained, and I've just been doing it ever since.
Alvin Dark possesses a quality of humility that goes far beyond the requirements of normal amenity.
It's part of Alvin Dark's way of life.