Reading Response-Baseball's Great Moments

                        On October 4^th, 1955 the Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series, finally. They had met 5 times before in the World Series, the Yankees had won all five. This year things would be different and “mothers holding babies would be dancing in the streets of Brooklyn” (pg 60 of Baseball’s Great Moments by Joseph Reichler and Jack Clary). Game seven of this series had twists and turns and in the end it all comes down to a combination of luck and skill that I think defines baseball and life; to be good at something you have to practice endlessly and when you’ve reached your peak, you had better hope you are on the right side of luck in the big moment.

            Dodger’s pitcher, Johnny Podres, was a young 23 yr old lefty who during the regular season was a mediocre 9-10. He had not shown himself to be an all star and gave no signs that he would be the hero of the World Series. It seems that sometimes the most unlikely person is the one who comes through when you need it most; on the field and in real life. He won game 3 and game 7, shutting out the favored Yankees 2-0. This game was won on his arm but so many things have to go right for you to win a baseball game, just like in life, there are a lot of moving parts. Every player on that field is skillful and successful, but to be a winner, luck has to be on your side. A player moves a few feet out of position and makes a diving catch he never could make before he moved. Runners get overly aggressive, it IS game 7, and find themselves out on the base path, a perfect relay from the outfield. Star players going hitless. So many variables on the field, so many variables in life.