Baseball things you didn't know till today

[Theoldmole]

On 6/26 1944 a game in which the three New York clubs could play each other in the same game was held on a Monday night at the Polo Grounds in Mahattan. A crowd estimated at 50,000 was there not only to see a unique game but, more importantly, to contribute to a War Bonds drive. Bleachers seats were a costly (for then) $25, reserved were $100 and box seats were a pricey $1,000! The income from the admissions alone enabled $5,500,000 to be taken in for the war effort! WOW! The contest was the brainchild of Stanley Oshan of the War Finance Committee. A mathematics professor at the local Columbia University, Dr. Paul A. Smith, used a slide rule to �chart� the game (why didn�t he just use his laptop? Ha!). Each of the three clubs, namely the Brooklyn Dodgers (N), the New York Yankees (A) and the New York Giants (N), engaged in what was described several ways: as a 3-cornered game, a tri-cornered game, a triangular game, a 3-way game, and as a 3-dimensional game. Whatever it may be called, it certainly was one for the ages! Each of the three clubs fielded and batted 6 times (see linescore below) with the Dodgers coming out on top with 5 runs. There were no home runs in the game and no winning or losing pitcher was awarded. Of the 15 total hits, two were doubles and one a triple. The game took 2 hours and five minutes and with all of the movement of the players to and from the field, I find this time truly amazing--and there were no breaks for commercials! It was broadcast live in New York on WINS radio! Too bad the audio for such a broadcast did not survive!

The linescore:

Innings	1	2	3		4	5	6		7	8	9		R	H	E
Brooklyn Dodgers (N)	1	2	X		0	0	X		0	2	X		5	9	1
New York Yankees (A)	0	X	0		0	X	0		0	X	1		1	4	0
New York Giants (N)	X	0	0		X	0	0		X	0	0		0	2	2

A program for the event lists these participants:

Listed in the program's centerfold rosters are the following Hall of Fame members: Dodgers Paul Waner and Leo Durocher, Giants Joe Medwick, Mel Ott and Ernie Lombardi, Yankees Joe McCarthy and Umpire Jocko Conlan. Many other stars of the time are also listed: Dixie Walker, Ed Stanky, Ralph Branca, Howie Schultz, Whit Wyatt, Augie Galan, Billy Jurges, Gus Mancuso, Buddy Kerr, Johnny Allen, George Stirnweiss, Hank Borowy, Joe Page.

[Benjamin Grimm]

I had heard about that game but not much of the details. I wonder how the dugout space was apportioned?

[Ceetar]

I wonder if the team that was 'off' that inning heckled the other teams.

[Benjamin Grimm]

They probably spent their time tweeting.

[Edgy MD]

My Dad remembered this game. I used to pepper him all the time with dumb philosophical questions about baseball. "Could three teams play a baseball game against each other?"

"Well, there was this one time...."

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

A letter from 1898 - either part of a campaign by baseball to stop players from using foul language or a parody of that campaign by the players themselves - contains an interesting collection of salty words including the earliest known appearances in print of the word "cock-sucker" and the phrase "go fuck yourself."

[metirish]

Sounds like a really cool event, would have been sweet to have been there.

[Piggiestomatoes]

Great story...that I'd never before heard (but you already knew that).

[Fman99]

Mets � Willets Point wrote: A letter from 1898 - either part of a campaign by baseball to stop players from using foul language or a parody of that campaign by the players themselves - contains an interesting collection of salty words including the earliest known appearances in print of the word "cock-sucker" and the phrase "go fuck yourself."

I think we shared this one before and it led to much of the best salty language appearing in baseball threads for weeks afterwards.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

Fman99 wrote: Mets � Willets Point wrote: A letter from 1898 - either part of a campaign by baseball to stop players from using foul language or a parody of that campaign by the players themselves - contains an interesting collection of salty words including the earliest known appearances in print of the word "cock-sucker" and the phrase "go fuck yourself." I think we shared this one before and it led to much of the best salty language appearing in baseball threads for weeks afterwards.

Well, it was new to me you cock-sucking son of a bitch!

(See, I'm as genteel as a 19th-century ballplayer).

[Fman99]

You keep talking to me like that and I'll make you suck my ass!

(Editor's note: Meant as insult, not pillow talk.)

[Ceetar]

Josh Lewin actually mentioned this game on the broadcast today.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

If anybody can find the thread that Fman speaks of, I'd love to see it.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I'd seen that before, you **** lapping dog.