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I think I am going to recreate the final week of the IPA season because so many teams have a chance of winning the pennant and a spot in the Pro Cup playoffs. It just might be a magical week for some of the 17 teams.
Here's why I am doing this night-by-night coverage of all 17 teams:
Some of the best memories of my life involve down-to-wire pennant races. That's when you live-and-die night after night with every pitch involving your favorite team. You keep your ears glued to the radio. Harry Caray on KMOX radio covering the miraculous 1964 National League finish involving the sensational St. Louis Cardinals, the infamous Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Braves, Cincinnati Reds, even the San Francisco Giants. Not only do you follow your team, you live and die with the other teams, too. Game scores are continually updated in each broadcast.
I loved it when the Cards won the pennant and the World Series, but my favorite memory is of the 1955 Mobile Bears of the beloved Southern Association. I was 15 years old and loved all sports. The Bears were in last place at midseason and going nowhere. Then the magic began. Slowly, but surely, they turned the season around. Back then, they had four-team playoffs to determine the league champion. So Mobile's only chance was to sneak into the playoffs in fourth place. Memphis, the regular season champ, Birmingham and Chattanooga would not be caught. That was out of the question. Fourth place was possible, but unlikely. The season came down to the last week, the last weekend and the very last day before it was decided.
Yep, my ears were glued to the radio listening to Jack Bitterman cover the Bears on the road on WABB radio. They didn't cover home games. You had to buy a ticket, I think it was $1 or $2. Anyway it came down to the last weekend. To make fourth place and the playoffs, Mobile had to win all three remaining games and Nashville and New Orleans had to lose all of their games. Lo and behold it happened. Juvius Pluvius played a huge role. The New Orleans Pelicans had two games rained out and the Nashville Vols had three games rained out. If those games had been played, the Bears might have lost out and come in sixth.
But that not the whole story. Unsung, unheralded and lightly-regarded Mobile beat the heavily-favored regular season champ Memphis Chickasaws in a tense 7-game series in round one and then defeated the favored Birmingham Barons in 6 games in round two for the playoff championship.
Nope, the fairytale is still not over. Mobile will now play for the Double A championship against the champion of the Texas League, the Shreveport Sports. In the opening game of the famed Dixie Series in Shreveport, the Sports jumped out to a huge 9-0 lead after 4 innings. I couldn't believe my ears, but my beloved Bears came back and won it 10-9. This broke the hearts of the Sports and the Bears swept them in 4 games.
Mobile's most valuable player was pitcher Ralph Mauriello (18-8/2.76 ERA). He led the league in ERA and strikeouts. Leading the position players were first baseman Big Jim Gentile (.290 BA/28 HR/109 RBI/153 G), third baseman Jim Baxes (.293 BA/18 HR/69 RBI/112 G), right fielder Ray Shearer (.277 BA/7 HR/50 RBI/115 G), second baseman Dick Young (.266 BA/11 HR/56 RBI/89 R/20 SB/151 G), center fielder Don Demeter (.251 BA/11 HR/36 RBI/92 G), catcher Herb Olson (.269 BA/12 HR/57 RBI/121 G) and shortstop Chris Kitsos (.249 BA/7 HR/39 RBI/85 R/114 G). Gentile and Demeter made the Major Leagues and had pretty good careers. Gentile would have been even better if it hadn't been for HOF-er Eddie Murray, who took his position for the Baltimore Orioles, when Gentile was in his prime years. Gentile played 9 years, hit .260 with 179 homers and 549 RBIs. Demeter played 11 years, batting .265 with 163 roundtrippers and 563 RBIs.
Yeah, buddy, 1955 was a magical year in the life of 15-year old EC.
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