Hot Stove: 1954

Leaves drift to the ground along Church Street. Up the street, at the top of a steep hill, amongst old hardwood trees now almost completely bare, sits the sturdy white church with the square bell tower, stark against the pale blue November sky. On this Saturday morning in 1954, the church is quiet and few folks brave the wind.

But a handful of men have gathered in the general store to talk of the tobacco crops now curing safely in the barns. It is not quite time to strip the crop and prepare for market. And it is a little too early for much excitement about the chances of the basketball team at the state university.

But it is time for old friends to reflect on a baseball season now almost two months gone and ponder what spring will bring for their favorite teams, the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians.

“Oscar, you reckon the Yankees can whup the Indians next year?”

Elmo Forrester has known Oscar Simmons for more than 40 years. Much of that time has been spent in Oscar’s store room around the old stove that the owner keeps stoked on cold fall and winter days, expecting few customers, more visitors, and good conversation.

“Now, ‘Mo, how in the world would I know that?”

“You know more about the New York Yankees than any man I’ve ever known.  Your head ain’t got much in it but battin’ averages and ERAs. Come on, how did they manage to lose to the Indians this year?” 

“How did they manage to lose? Well, they didn’t lose, did they? They won 103 games for cryin’ out loud.  That’s more than they won in any of the last five years, when Casey took ‘em to five World Series championships in a row. They didn’t lose. Just nobody figured on them Indians winning 111 games.”

“Well maybe somebody should have figured, after all Cleveland had Bobby Feller and Early Wynn and Mike Garcia pitching and with Larry Doby and Bobby Avila and Vic Wertz hitting.”

“Oh, ‘Mo, for cryin’ out loud, those ain’t hitters.”

“What’ya mean they ain’t hitters?  Of the eight teams in the league did anybody have better hitters for 154 games?  After all Avila won the batting crown and Doby was home run champ. They won the pennant, didn’t they?”  

“Yeah, and look what happened to ‘em against the Giants.  The Giants, for Pete’s sake!  When did you ever hear of the Giants winning the World Series?”

“Well, how are the Yankees going to beat the Indians next year? Huh? How?”

“Come on, ‘Mo.  There ain’t no way old Bob Feller and Early Wynn can keep pitching like that.  That was just one year. Whitey Ford and Eddie Lopat and Bob Grim.  I’ll take them three any day over them Indians. And now we got Ralph Branca and Tommy Byrne.”

“Ralph Branca and Tommy Byrne, you gotta be kidding me, right?  Branca is an old man. Ain’t he the same guy that gave up that home run to Bobby Thompson in ’51, the last time the Giants won the pennant? And Byrne is washed up, hurt all year.”

“I’m telling ya, they’ll both be back strong next year, wait and see. Byrne was coming back at the end of the year and he’ll win a lot next year. And what about the hitters?  I don’t care what Doby and Avila did this year. We still got Mickey! And I’ll take Hank Bauer, Irv Noren, and Gene Woodling along with Mickey in the outfield any day.  And our infield will always be better than Cleveland.”

“Infield? You gotta be kidding me. What kinda infield do the Yankees have? I mean come on, Rizzuto is washed up, what did he hit? .200? And Coleman can’t hit at second.  Gil McDougald has no bat. They better hope they can trade for infielders.”

“Then how did they win 103 games and how did they win five straight World Series before that?”

“They’re old, man. Really old. They’ll never do it again. No way.”

“Catcher! You can’t argue about catcher. Nobody is as good as Yogi behind the plate and man can he hit. Shoe tops to eyebrows, that’s Yogi’s strike zone.”

“Sure, I gotta give you that one. Yogi is the best. But you gotta have somebody to go with him and with Mantle hurt all the time now, I figure he’s about through.”

“Mantle through? Come on man, Mickey is still just a kid. What is he now, 23? Yeah, 23 or maybe just turned 24. No way he’s finished. A big strong kid like him, he’ll be back, better than ever.  He’s still the best center fielder in the game.”

“Best center fielder? Better than Willie Mays? Come on! No way? Did you hear about that catch he made on Vic Wertz in the Series? He was about a mile and a half from home plate, running full out when he caught the ball with his back turned. Ain’t nobody else could make that play. Boy, I sure woulda liked to have seen that.”

About that time, Mrs. Greer came in the store and Oscar had to turn his attention to his customer and had to leave the hot stove behind for a while.