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Old 05-19-2021, 05:42 AM
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Bill Gregory
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Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Flower Mound, Texas
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Fun topic!

The Bill Mazeroski shot won the '60 World Series, so theoretically, no homer should be bigger. All these guys beat themselves up for 154 (and now 162) games to win a title. Maz, arguably the greatest defensive player in baseball history, most improbably, won the Bucs the championship with his bat, beating the most storied franchise in professional sports history in the process.

Hank Aaron's #715 passed the biggest icon in North American professional sports history (apologies to Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Jim Brown and a few others of similar stature, but The Babe will rule until the end of time). Aaron was a gentleman, a model of consistency and greatness for his entire career, and with levels of stress, and an understandable concern for his own well being, given the threats against his life, Aaron broke sport's most hallowed record, clobbering a home run in the Deep South, and was greeted by two white men as he rounded the bases. Sometimes, moments transcend the game. Hank Aaron passing the Sultan of Swat is a moment that did just that.

Yet, even as a lover of the Pirates and Hank Aaron, both, I have to go with Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard Around the World". The iconic call by Russ Hodges that was almost lost to time. It's imprinted on my brain forever.

Ralph Branca. Bobby Thomson. The rope to left field. One swing literally broke the hearts of every man, woman and child in Brooklyn. As of August 11th, the Bums led their cross town rivals by a whopping 13.5 games. The Dodgers went 26-22 down the stretch-not terrible, and the Giants played out of their minds, going 37-7 to close the season.

The call. The improbable comeback. The men involved. Hell, Willie Mays was on deck when the ball cleared the wall. Just....fantastic.

Honorable. Bucky "$&($%*^&" Dent.
Roger Maris #61.

Sadly, the game as it exists in the year 2021, just isn't a hell of a lot of fun to watch. Seemingly every outcome is a home run or strikeout. But my passion for the history of the game has never been greater.
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