Wow!

My earliest and most vivid recollection of baseball was the '64 season, listening to Harry Caray and Jack Buck describe the Cardinal's pennant drive (which coincided with the Phillies' pennant dive). During school we were allowed to watch the weekday afternoon series games on the school's only black and white TV all gathered in the cafeteria - and vividly remember Gibson finishing up game 7 by allowing a couple (?) of home runs in the final inning (OMG - they're going to blow it!)

But I know I went to ball games earlier than '64 at old Sportsman's Park in N St. Louis, so I'm certain I saw Stan the Man play a time or two. Was a shame he retired just one season prior to their pennant in '64; but then I guess his retirement was partly the reason they made the Brock/Broglio trade which was the catalyst for their pennant drive.

And a few years later (while in high school) the area was all abuzz once more in October when the Cards were again in the Series in back to back years. All gathered in the cafeteria again watching on a black and white - I can still see those couple of plays that doomed the Cards in the '68 series v. the Tigers - Brock failing to slide and Flood coming in on a ball over his head! Aaaarrrggghhh!!!

1967 and 1968 were such tumultuous years because of Vietnam and the peace movement, the two assassinations of King and Kennedy, both political and race riots/demonstrations through out the country - baseball in St. Louis was a pleasant respite during those troubled times.

Everyone has such nice baseball memories from their youth. Here's mine. I was a 7th grader at a Catholic grade school in the very tough Englewood neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago when the Tigers played the Cardinals in the '68 World Series. Like most of the boys in the neighborhood, I was an avid White Sox fan and a baseball lover. We played sandlot ball all Summer from early morning until the sun set, taking breaks only to go home for lunch and supper, with an occasional swim in the pool of one of our more fortunate buddies.

By the time the '68 World series started, we had been back in school for about a month. Most of us were rooting for the Tigers, since we were Sox fans and preferred the AL over the NL. Although I can still recite the starting lineups for both teams from 45+ years ago, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast yesterday!

Many of the teachers in school were nuns from the Sisters of (no) Mercy. They were stereotypical nuns of the era, but had recently discarded the large habit in favor of smaller ones or even no habit. They were big on discipline and good teachers of reading, writing, English and religion, but weren't so good at teaching math and science. Unlike today, it was a time when if you got in trouble in school, you faced BIG punishment at home, with no parents claiming that their baby was being picked on or was misunderstood or was suffering from ADHD.

Although we had a lay teacher, Mrs. Kinney, in 7th grade, the principal of the school was a nun. Sister Coreen. Since she taught no classes, she was somewhat of an unknown quantity and was more respected than feared, although one did not want to get on her bad side.

Although I don't know how she managed it, Mrs. Kinney somehow got a tv for our classroom while the World Series was being played. I half jokingly suggested that she put on the game, and to my surprise, she checked with Sister Coreen and the go ahead was given, and we watched the end of the game, I think it was game 7. Needless to say, we were on our best behavior and even the girls in the class seemed to enjoy the game.

Although I can still recite the starting lineups for both teams from 45+ years ago, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast yesterday!

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I hear that!
This is a great thread!