Baseball Trivia

Last week I spent four plus hours watching Ken Burns' special on Number 42 - Jackie Robinson of the Brooklyn Dodgers, a superb athlete and four letter man at U.C.L.A. Of all the interviewees contributing was a name that caught my eye - Clyde Sukeforth - who was the baseball scout sent by Branch Rickey to evaluate Robinson's talent circa 1946. Five years later "Sukey" was the bullpen coach for the Dodgers as they battled the N.Y. Giants for the National League Pennant during a playoff game. In the bottom of the ninth inning at the Polo Grounds with two men on base and Bobby Thomson at bat, the Dodger manager, Charley Dressen, called to the bullpen for their star pitcher Ralph Branca to enter the game to pitch to Thomson who proceeded to hit the "Shot heard around the world" and win the pennant for the Giants. Dressen was in shock and he was quoted as saying "Sukey told me he (Branca) was ready." Dressen's boss was Walter O'Malley who believed in giving only one year contracts much to the irritation of Dressen's wife who nagged her husband about the situation. Charley only stayed another two years and was gone.
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