Posted By:
Ted ZanidakisI told my Mom that I had a bad stomach ache. I wanted to stay home and watch the World Series game.
And, what a game it was....Don Larsen's perfect game vs the Brooklyn Dodgers. During the top of the 9th,
when Furillo, Campy and Dale Mitchell came to bat, I was praying for Don to get them out.
Needless to say, it was the greatest BB game that I ever saw.
About 48 years later, I ran into Don Larsen in Cooperstown on HOF weekend. As I approached him, I said
to him...."guess what was the only day I ever played hooky from school back in the 1950's ?"
He looked at me with a skeptical expression on his face. So we talked for quite a while about that day's
events, while he signed a few items for me.
We talked about the two great defensive plays that saved the no-hitter. You could see a sparkle in Don's
eyes when he recalled the head's up play by Gil McDougald getting the ball off Andy Carey's miscue of a
line drive off the bat of Jackie Robinson; and, rifled it to 1st base to get Jackie out by a split-second.
We talked about Mickey Mantle's great running catch of Gil Hodges long drive into "death valley" (left-center
field).
I found Don to be a very humble guy. He said "The Dodgers made it easy for me, I only threw 97 pitches".
Then as I was leaving, Don said...."I don't believe you ?"
I stopped and asked him about what ?
Don said...."I don't believe that Oct 8th 1956 was the only day you played hooky from school".
We parted laughing.
TED Z