
THE PROS SAY:
Millions watched big-league baseball from the stands—-millions more on the flickering screens of TV. It is a rare fan who does not have his own view, at season's end, of the key men and moments. Here, at the request of SI, some of baseball's wisest pros—-three managers, one coach, four players and an umpire—-give their memories and opinions. Compare them with your own.
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Pee Wee Reese Dodgers | Birdie Tebbets Reds | Del Crandall Braves | Larry Goetz Umpire (NL) | Al Lopez Indians | George Myatt Senators | Ted Williams Red Sox | Harvey Kuenn Tigers | Casey Stengel Yankees | Your Answers | |
When did you really think the Giants/Indians were "in"? | The Giants were in after we lost those last two in Pittsburgh. Until then I thought we had a chance. | When they beat the Braves three straight in that last series in the Polo Grounds. | When they beat us three straight in New York. | Monday night, Sept. 20, the night they clinched it. Not before. Anything can happen in baseball. | I began to feel pretty confident after that double-header with the Yanks. | That last Indian-Yankee series in New York when Wynn beat the Yankees with a three-hitter. | When they beat the Yankees twice in that double-header in Cleveland. | After we had played each team three times. The Indians seemed to have more confidence and spirit. | I never did. Well, after that double-header. We had no more games with them then. | |
What asset of the Giants/Indians came as a surprise to you? | Antonelli. He came along so fast. I knew he was a good pitcher but not that good. | Sal Maglie | Their pinch-hitters delivering in the late innings. | Mays and Antonelli. I knew they were both great young players but I didn't know they were that great. | The relief pitching of Mossi, Narleski and Newhouser, and the fine play of Dente, Wertz and Smith. | The bench. Especially Majeski and Dente. | Relief pitchers and bench. | Their consistent hitting. Somebody always took up the slack. | Eight pitchers. They never had so many experienced and successful pitchers before. | |
What one thing would you blame or the Dodger's/Yankees' failure? | Campanella getting hurt. That bothered us more than anything else. | Injuries | I couldn't answer that. | There were so many damn things—-Roe, Campanella, Newcombe, Podres. But Campy was the main thing. | I don't feel the Yankees failed. It was just a matter of the Indians winning more games. | The platoon system. | You can't blame one thing. If I had to, I'd say their pitching got a little thin. | Pitching as much as anything else. | No one thing. We were all to blame. We lost because Cleveland played stronger ball. | |
Which pitcher consistently had the most stuff in the clutch? | Maglie. He always had it when he had to have it. | Antonelli and Marv Grissom | Robin Roberts | I could name several. Haddix was very good. Antonelli. Maglie. He had great stuff in the pennant-clincher. | Bob Lemon | Lemon | I just don't know. It would be hard to pick one out. | Bob Lemon | For us, Grim. Against us, Nixon. | |
What batter would you least like to see coming to bat against your club? | Kluszewski | Del Crandall of the Braves | Big Stan (Stan Musial) | This fellow Rhodes was very good. There was more than one: Kluszewski, Musial, Mays, and that Dark. | Yogi Berra in Yankee Stadium | Wertz | Berra, against us. | Hank Bauer of the Yankees. | Doby. Doby and Avila. They were the most dangerous against us all year. | |
What was the most important hit you saw this season? | Rhodes's single that won that night game in June in the 13th inning. | Temple's do-or-die single to tie up that replay game with Milwaukee on Sept. 24, even though we lost. | I can't think of any because we didn't win the pennant. | Rhodes's two hits in that June series when the Giants swept the Dodgers. His hits won two games. | I can't be sure, but Mitchell's homer when we clinched it in Detroit stands out. | I don't know. | I can't say. | I can't single one out. | Doby hit a homer off Sain in the 10th to beat us back in July. I remember that one. | |
Who was the best fielding infielder in your league this season? | Red Schoendienst | Roy McMillan of the Redlegs | Johnny Logan of the Braves | McMillan is pretty good, pretty good. Dark and Reese too, But Schoendienst—-he's the game's best. | George Strickland | Carrasquel of the White Sox. | Nellie Fox, against me. | George Strickland | No great infielders in the league this year. Carrasquel was about the best. | |
What team had the best defensive outfield as a unit? | The Dodgers and the Giants were about even. | Brooklyn | Irvin, Mays and Mueller of the Giants. | Any team with a Mays or Bruton or Snider in center has a damn good outfield. They are the outfield. | The Yankees and the Indians were about even. | The White Sox. The Yankees if they didn't have the two-platoon system. | Yankees | Yankees | Cleveland and us. But Cleveland was always falling over fences, making catches against us. | |
What was the finest fielding play you saw all season? | Snider's catch in the 12th inning that saved a ball game for us in Philadelphia on May 31. | Bell's catch against the Cards with bases loaded, even though they ruled it no catch and we lost. | Bill Bruton's over-the-shoulder catch of a line drive by Maglie in the Polo Grounds. | In Milwaukee, Repulski jumped up in the air, caught the ball, hit the fence, fell over it and held the ball. | Doby's falling-over-the-fence catch of Umphlett's fly in Washington. | I swear I don't know. | Miranda got to a ball the third baseman missed, didn't even look at first but got the ball there. | Doby's catch in Cleveland against us early in the season. He brought one back from over the fence. | I never saw a throw before like the one Al Smith made in July to catch Slaughter at the plate. | |
Who seemed to you to be the most natural ballplayer? | I have to have two: Snider and Mays. They do everything right. | I can't pick one. | Everyone's a natural ballplayer or they wouldn't be playing. | Willie Mays is the most natural ballplayer I've seen come up in a long, long time. | Ted Williams | Mickey Vernon | Harvey Kuenn is as natural as anyone could be. | Larry Doby | Ted Williams is the best natural hitter, but Berra is the best all-around ballplayer. |