Subject: Re: Red Sox Trivia
From: Don Dudley
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:26:07 -0400
To: [email protected]
CC: Mary Murtha Dudley , Dave Dudley , Terry Gallagher , John Singletary , Maura K. Dudley , Leah Dudley , Roger Dudley , Ed Hudson_Home , Phil Barber , Al Willsky , Mike Heatherly , Charley Trechter , Ken Adair , Doug Greenwald , David Poppel , Peter Stanton , Peter Princi , Captain Carl Reetz , David Fitterman , Ed Connor , Ben Fudge , Jeff Brody , Jim Hoburg , Tim Simmons , Joe Klune , Kevin Gray , Kevin McGovern , Al Maury_Home , Michael Dudley , Matthew Dudley , Deborah Poppel , Caroline Barber , Jody Fields , Virginia Hudson

Hey, Graham,

Today's question brings back some great memories if you'll indulge me.� Some of the others of you have heard parts of this before, so please also bear with me.

Not the most recent to achieve this rare feat, but Willard Nixon pitched an extra-inning, complete-game shutout for the Red Sox -- against the eventual WS Champion and 68-36 (at the time) Yankees no less and in a jam packed Fenway Park.� Willard Nixon of all unlikely people.� Why is this particular game memorable for me?� Coincidentally, I heard this game on the radio in Pueblo, Colorado.� The Mutual Broadcasting Corporation carried random baseball games in that era and on Tuesday, August 7, 1956, they broadcast this game.� I was eight years old going on nine.� This is the summer I started collecting baseball cards.� My beloved Dodgers had finally won their first WS the previous Fall and were looking strong again.� I was into it to put it mildly.

Pinky Higgins let Nixon bat for himself to lead off the bottom of the 11th against Don Larsen.� We obviously know what Larsen did a couple months later!� Nixon reached on an error by 3rd baseman Andy Carey.� Higgins pinch ran Billy Consolo for Nixon -- he let Nixon bat, but not run.� Yankee 1st baseman Moose Skowron threw away Bill Goodman's double play ball, and Consolo took 3rd.� Larsen walked Billy Klaus to load the bases and Casey Stengel brought in lefty Tommy Byrne to face -- you guessed it, Ted Williams.

Now, Teddy Ballgame had already begun to endear himself to me, owing to his batting prowess and also his scientific approach to it.� He wasn't a Dodger, but he did at least wear an Old English "B" on his cap.� This at-bat greatly enhanced that endearment.� After the count reached 3-and-2, he fouled off several pitches and eventually Byrne walked him.� I didn't have a visual obviously, and I doubt his excitement approached what he had for his game-ending HR in the 1941 All-Star Game we've all seen so many times, but he was ecstatic.� He threw his bat high in the air and celebrated as Consolo crossed the plate with the winning run, then walked to the dugout.� The umpire made him come out and go step on first base before pronouncing an official victory.� Ted obliged and the Red Sox won 1-0 in 11 innings, generating the winning run without the benefit of a hit, with their complete-game pitcher having been removed.

Okay, so big deal, I heard an exciting game on the radio a long time ago.� Fast forward 13 years.� Within the first week of my arriving in Massachusetts for grad school in 1969, Ted made an appearance at Jordan Marsh in downtown Boston for purposes of autographing his biography, "My Turn At Bat."� When I got to the front of the line after a very enjoyable two-hour wait among serious Red Sox fans, I briefly described the 1956 game to Ted, remarking that I was able to listen to it as a kid in Colorado.� Security was pretty lax and the Splendid Splinter recounted more detail on the game even than I provided here, going on and on for at least five minutes.� There's more to this autograph story, but that's enough for now.

Thanks, Graham,
D

On Tue, Jun 30, 2009 at 12:07 PM, Boston's Pastime <[email protected]> wrote:

RED SOX TRIVIA - Week # 10

June 30, 2009

CURRENT STADINGS - TOP 14

1. Jim Wolfrum (21 points)
2. Don Dudley (20)
3. Alan Ginsberg (17)
4. Jay O'Brien (14)
4. Ryan Sawchuk (14)
6. Doug Ashbacher (13)
6. Fritz Dostie (13)
8. Nancy McGuiggan (11)
8. Andy Burns (11)
10. Dave Sawtelle (9)
10. Cheryl Ebeling (9)
10. Ronnie Getty (9)
10. Kyle Moore (9)
10. Ethan Coven (9)
�(full standings)


TRIVIA PRESENTER

Boston's Pastime

Boston's Pastime

This Week's Red Sox Trivia Question

Who was the last Red Sox pitcher to throw an extra innings complete game shutout?

Send your answer to [email protected] and remember to include your full name and city/state.


Last Week's Question/Answer

Who was the first Red Sox player to steal 30 bases before the All-Star break?

It was Otis Nixon, who stole 34 bases before the 1994 All-Star game was played.

Last week, 11 of 37 people answered the question correctly. Fritz Dostie in Kittery, ME was the first to get it right. Fritz is in 6th place in the Red Sox Trivia Standings after 9 weeks of competition.



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