truebluefan

from the point-of-view of an 8-year-old Yankee fan who saw it

I was 13 when this series was played.


Seeing the St. Louis Cardinals make it to the World Series for the second time in three years harkens me back to my childhood. Way back in the late 1960s, my friends, pitching reigned supreme, the Yanks stunk, and teams like the Cardinals ruled the day.

I remember many a Saturday afternoon watching Bob Gibson duel Juan Marichal or Don Drysdale. Now THAT was pitching…Fastballs up and in, Complete Games, 1-0 shutouts. Every pitch was important, every hit monumental.

The first World Series I can fully remember was the 1967 classic between the Cards and “Impossible Dream” Red Sox. I might have been the only 8 year-old kid in New England rooting fiercely for the Cardinals. Even at an early age, I could not stand The Beaneaters. Besides, the Cards had Roger Maris in right, and Roger’s posters and pictures still adorned my big brother’s side of the room. Those images had Roger in pinstripes. But here he was still trying to lay the smackdown on the Red Sox, so I was all for it.

Below is a description of how I remember my first Cardinal World Series. The next year, 1968, they would play Detroit, just like this year. But everything about 1967 for me was magic: the fear in the hitter’s eye when he faced Bob Gibson is forever etched in my mind’s eye.

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