Show Sports thoughts s aa Th This s sports editor began his faithful listening and viewing of the World Series in 1963 That year the New York Yankees with such stars as Mickey Mantle Manlle Roger Marls Maris Tommy Tresh Whitey Ford Bobby i Richardson and Tony Kubek 3 were pitted against the Los Angeles Dodgers with such stars as Sandy Koufax Don Drysdale Junior Gilliam Maury Wills and Tommy Davis NEW YORK had b been n the World Series champion for the past two years with victories over the Cincinnati Reds in 1961 and the San Francisco Giants in 1962 So due to this fact the Yankees were favored to defeat the Los Angeles Dodgers I decided that since the Yankees were were the favorites and that up to 1963 they had won twenty out of twenty-seven twenty World Series I might as well root for the old reliable NewYork New NewYork NewYork York Yankees The Yanks playing in the World Series was wasas as common as as' as snow at th the north pole They had competed in six of the ten World Series in the twenties They appeared in five of the ten World Seri Series s in the thirties four of the ten World Series in inthe in inthe inthe the forties In 14 years years from 1950 to 1963 the Yankees had played in 12 World Series It seemed to me that they were were the team to cheer for So what happened in the 1963 Series The Yankees were were defeated in il in four our straight games games as Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale silenced the NewYork New NewYork York Dodgers ge easily defeated ted ball Th The 1963 World Series Series' was was n no no contest the Dodgers were the winners going away WELL I 1 figured that nobody was perfect and that even even the mighty Yankees Yankee's could lose ilose a World Series It was was only their eighth l loss ss in hi 28 World Series So I stuck with ith the Yankees an and roo ed for or for the New York te m min i 1964 The Y Yanks anks were yere in a fierce fierce batile battle with the Baltimore Baltimore Orioles and land the w t ji t. t f ft e g i iI l s 11 1 If Seem eem tha h h f in m 0 the Yankees Yanke s were out of th J ef for t the th the crown but the they caught t t fire and won won the American League title in the thelast thelast last few days of the season n. n The Yankees were were to face the St St. St Louis Cardinals in the 1964 W World Series ries I figured that the Yankees were the favorite to win the 1964 classic because the Philadelphia ia Phillies had blown a 7 72 2 game lead in the final week of the season to allow St. St Louis to win the National League title ST. ST LOUIS surprised this Yankee fan as they forced NewYork New NewYork NewYork York into a seventh game The Cardinals defeated the Yankees in to the seventh game to give NewYork New NewYork York their ninth World Series loss in 29 appearances I figured that 1965 was was was' the Yankees Yankees' year for their World Sec Series ies However number thirty never came as the Yankees bombed out in 1965 and finished in sixth place Loyally I decided that the Yankees couldn't make it to every World Series and that they had to slip ev every ry once in a awhile while The baseball season of 1966 was was a a it nightmare to this trus fan fari as the Am American rican League champions champins champi ns of 1964 finished in last place in 1966 The New York Yankees were has beens They had gone gone from kings to bums Finishing in ninth place in 1967 and fifth place in 1968 they had dismal seasons in 1969 1971 72 73 and 75 Occasionally things brightened up as the Yanks placed second in the American League East in 1970 and 1974 AFTER twelve years of waiting and taking abuse from Baltimore Oriole and Oakland Athletic fans the New York Yankees won the American League pennant by breaking the 6 6 tie in the final game of the American League playoff series against Kansas City with witha a dramatic bottom of the ninth home run by Chris Chambliss I So after twelve years the Yanks advance to the World Series and what happens Well the Cincinnati Reds kick the daylights out of the Yankees in I four straight games I a cm There were only three twenty game winners in the American j League vague this year and the Baltimore Orioles had two wo of the lire three pitchers Orioles Jim Palmer 2213 22 and Wayne Garrett 7 20 joined Luis Boston 2111 21 in the twenty I game winners' winners circle |