The Death Heard ‘Round the World

Ralph Branca, the man who gave up the most famous homerun in baseball history, died at the spry age of 90.

It was called “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”  It was the start of the Revolution.  The Minutemen were ready, on the move.  “Take your powder, and take your gun.  Report to General Washington. Hurry men, there’s not an hour to-”  Wait, wait , wait… that don’t seem right…

OK, so there were two shots heard ‘round the world (three if you count Krakatoa).  This one was where the Giants won the pennant.  It was immortalized by the announcer’s call of “The Giants win the pennant!”  A little on the nose, if you ask me.

Bobby Thomson’s dramatic three-run homer came in the ninth inning of the decisive

Though the next few years were rough, General Washington’s men proved they were tough.

third game of a three-game playoff for the pennant in which the Giants trailed, 4-2.  The game—the first ever televised nationally—was seen by millions of viewers across America and heard on radio by millions more, including thousands of American servicemen stationed in Korea.

 

Branca was devastated by the home run.  It was a pain that he would live with it for the rest of his life.

In the car after the game, Ralph asked “Why me?” and his minister told him “The reason God picked you to throw that pitch was because He knew that your faith was strong enough to withstand the agonies that would follow…  Ah, I’m just fuckin’ witchya!  It’s because you masrutbated so much when you were a kid!”

Branca handled his infamy with uncommon valor and later actually formed a bond with Thomson, with whom he did book promotions, public speaking and card show appearances for many years.

It is also worthy to note that in 1947, Branca he made a point to stand next to Jackie Robinson, who had received numerous death threats for being the first African-American to break baseball’s color line. For years afterward, Robinson always cited Branca as one of his biggest champions.  So: stand-up guy.

Plus, if Hollywood has taught me anything, black people would be nowhere if it weren’t for those brave white people.

This hit goes to: Tailgating with Jesus!  Bean gets on the board with an astonishing 10 points!Happy pooling,

SPMI

Current Standings:

Wes: 50 – (Holly Dunn – 50)

Josh: 20 – (Florence Henderson – 20)

Gianna: 20 – (Leonard Cohen – 20)

Tailgating w/ Jesus: 10 – (Ralph Branca – 10)