1950s TV - This is the Story - William McKinley

[Music] this is the [Music] story as he had the other time he had stepped up to the plate the young outfielder searched the faces of the crowd that had gathered for the ball game that summer afternoon in 1865 even the fact that he wouldn't have recognized the big league manager if he saw him didn't keep the young man from scanning the faces strange he thought sitting up there somewhere on the crude Boards of the ballpark was a man who was going to decide his future yet he had no idea what the man looked like going to decide he probably had decided three hits and three times at bat what more could the manager of a professional ball team even a big lead team ask of a prospected player get a hold of another one bill bill smiled at the crowd he'd hit another one he could hit the fellow who was pitching blindfolded but it was good that he didn't have to that he had already proved himself to the man who'd come out to Poland Ohio to scout him the umpire's raspy voice brought Bill back to the game stepped into the batter's box but you got his signal wound up and through Bill liked the first pitch he swung and he knew by the feel of it that the ball wasn't going to stop until it cleared the right field fence and it didn't stop Bill jogged around the bases with a huge smile on his face four for four and one of them a home run Bill had played his last game as an amiter he had our contract SED up for sure now he touched home plate and brought it to the bench and sat down what would it be like playing professional baseball certainly it wouldn't be as bad as teaching school oh he might have learned to be contented as a school teacher if there hadn't been any choice and for a while it had looked as though there wouldn't be and then suddenly there hadd been two he could either play professional baseball or accept a job in New York state that would permit him to work his way through the Albany law school funny how it had worked out how the big league manager had come to Scot him on the very day he was to let his friend in Albany know whether he was going to take that job the Roar of the cloud told Bill the game was over the spectators swarmed over the field while the players made a dih for their homes but Bill stayed on the bench the letter he'd received from the big league manager had said he'd contact him after the game Bill waited confident four for four and one of them a home run boy that contract is as good as mine but as the minutes passed Bill became worried the crowd dwindled until there was just a handful of people and then they were gone too Bill was puzzled bewildered hey what's happened to him why doesn't he show up and then sickened he answered his own question he left he left without saying anything it wasn't possible but it was the only explanation the manager hadn't liked him the four hits hadn't meant anything he decided bill was just a FL in the pan but if that's what he thought he was wrong and Bill could convince him he was wrong if he could just talk to him suddenly the young ball player was running there was a train out of town in a few moments the manager would be on it he had to get to the station before the train left but Bill didn't make the train was moving away but the time he diced breathlessly onto the station platform sick and desolate he watched the train disappear down the track his dream of being a professional baseball player was as black and shriveled and lifeless as the Cinders coming from the engine Smoke Stack now it was either go back to teaching school or well I'm not going back to that resolutely Bill walked across a platform to the station and went in quickly he snatched up a telegraph blank and he wrote a message to the friend who had offered him the job in Albany accept offer of position me for Albany tomorrow Bill took the message to the window paid for it for the want of anything better to do waited while the telegraph operator sent it there you are B telegram will be in albine hour here you play to swell game today Bill mumbled his thanks and turned to leave but the operator stopped him oh by the way bill you got that telegram I sent over to your house bill hled around telegram what telegram why the one from that baseball fella message was he couldn't make it today sick or something for a moment Bill felt a surge of elation so the manager hadn't walked out on him he hadn't even seen him play that was why he hadn't offered him a contract but then bill came plummeting back to Earth the telegram to his friend in Albany accepting the job that would permit him to go to law school he couldn't recall it nor could he knew send another telegram rejecting the offer after his friend had made it and he had accepted it Bill realized that he and he alone had cheated himself out of a baseball career but what he did not know was that he had with that telegram to Albany written his own death warrant and changed the course of American History where a baseball career might have taken Bill no one can say but his law career took him into politics and politics eventually took him to the Pinnacle of success and on September 6th 191 sent him to his death the victim of an Assassin's book or the young outfielder who forsook baseball for the law when a big league manager failed to see him play became the 25th president of the United States William McKinley yes this is the story [Music] a [Music]