THE DEMOCRACY OF BASEBALL

[Music] so so [Applause] this is the voice of america raised with honest excitement cheering the team america has many voices but none is more completely representative than this one and none comes more simply from the heart baseball is the voice of america in many ways here is the distinctive blending of rivalry and teamwork the rare combination of competition and cooperation that are peculiarly american baseball is one of the great common denominators of american life when game time rolls around there are no social barriers baseball is everybody's game millionaires and laborers businessmen and mechanics professors and school kids housewives and career women who have made ladies day an american institution the knothole gang eager youngsters who share dreams of becoming baseball stars themselves someday we're all side by side at the ball game a perfect tribute to the brotherhood of baseball there's no wrong side of the tracks among those who play the game the success or failure of a player depends only on his ability and his worth is measured by his all-time average in baseball we achieve a more widespread total of true democracy than anywhere else on the american scene the keen clean rivalry of baseball exemplifies what we mean when we say the american way and baseball has always been our great national game our baseball heroes of the past have become part of our american tradition baseball has developed many great men of distinguished stature who lived and pregame the american way their spirit will live for all time their names and deeds are rooted deep in the american story the great baseball stars of today are also among the american heroes of our time their names are as familiar to us as our own and they are idolized and emulated by our american youth anything can happen in baseball my boy as i have learned in 50 years of watching the game have you been a fan for 50 years since before your father was born say will you tell us all about when we get home graham you know how it started and all the rest you're asking too much of your grandfather but i can show you a book that will tell you all about baseball can we see it right after the game all right all right give a boy a bat and a ball and he'll discover a game it's always been so when this country was young the lads of colonial days played one old cat when two more boys joined the group it was a simple matter to add another base or cat three old cat was the next logical step and the game began to show a faint resemblance to baseball as we know it today in the village of cooperstown new york on a memorable day in 1839 abner doubleday formulated the first rules of baseball as we know it today and laid the foundation for our national game cooperstown became the cradle of our national sport at cooperstown is baseball's national hall of fame in which the game's immortal players are memorialized there were many changes in playing techniques as the years went by about 1867 a young pitcher changed the game for all time to come perhaps it was the situation his great idea bigot players had known for years that if the ball is cued off center it will curve but this young pitcher was the first to realize that the same principle could be adapted to pitching a baseball after many days of practice he was ready to demonstrate the first curveball ever thrown intentionally [Music] why it was going straight for the batter's head did it seem to go over the plate mighty peculiar pitch never saw one like it before but it's a strike it's a strike coming that was more than 80 years ago the first controlled curveball ever pitched but today it's merely a part of the art of pitching which has been developed and refined through the years tell us about some of the stars you used to see when you were young well i remember the national league was formed in 1876 and of course i recalled the organization of the american league in 1901 the first world series was played in 1905. oh there are a lot of great players in those days christy matthewson john mcgraw hornet wagner uh walter johnson and the great thai cobb yes great players in those days and here are three of the greatest the game has ever seen ty cobb babe ruth and tris speaker ty cobb held or tied 90 major league records he was the american league batting champion for 12 years nine in succession chris speaker was a champion batter and the best center fielder of his day his record for put outs still stands babe ruth the bambino himself was the most famous long-range hitter in the history of the game he hit 714 home runs in 20 record-breaking years the babe was one of the most popular stars of all time in the entire sports world another grand old timer was cy young the only pitcher who ever won 500 major league games later there was carl hubbell the great left-hander who pitched 46 and one-third consecutive scoreless innings among the brightest stars was laraping lou gehrig the iron man of baseball a brilliant record-breaking competitor one of the immortals of the diamond one of the game's finest catches was gabby hartness there was slugger jimmy fox whose home run total was second only to that of babe ruth and mel ott the all-time home run king of the national league rogers hornsby was the most consistent right-handed hitter in baseball with a superb lifetime batting average of 358 then there was the inimitable and colorful dizzy dean outstanding hurler of his day another great picture was lefty grove on july 25th 1941 the entire baseball world acclaimed his fame that was the day when grove won his 300th major league game the first man in a decade to perform this pitching feat and so a 12th name was added to the roster of great hurlers in baseball's hall of fame robert moses lefty grove and here are two more superstars of the game joe dimaggio and ted williams both batting champions year after year williams has been one of baseball's great hitters and jolton joe dimaggio has made plenty of baseball history back in july 2nd 1941 for example his bat smashed wee willy keeler's record of nearly half a century for safe hits and consecutive games with a line drive into the stands joe turned a new page in baseball history he made it 45 but he didn't stop there dimaggio finally came through with safe hits in 56 consecutive games that's an all-time record set by the yankee clipper joe dimaggio another batting champion is stan musial a leading hitter for many years our cavalcade of stars past and present could go on for hours but now let's recall two of the star makers the grand old man of baseball connie mack [Music] and clark griffith venerable patriarchs of the game both became immortals in the hall of fame both were managers when the century was born in 1950 connie mack had the longest service record in organized baseball and retired having completed 50 years as manager of the philadelphia athletics in 1951 clark griffith was still owner of the washington senators after more than 30 years many great players found fame under the guidance of these deans of american sport what does it take to make the big leagues mr mack the question often put to me by many young men and boys is how can i become a big leaguer boys my advice to you all is to play some sport while a youngster you know the sport realm as one rule that governs all athletics and that is fair play those of you who have the ability in baseball and will take time to practice can develop into real big leaguers first of all you must have some natural ability and like the game secondly you must practice continually and put some real spirit into your play it is the young players coming up that keeps the game of baseball going baseball has changed a lot since i started in 1884. there are many future major league stars playing today in american legion junior baseball countless amateur leagues high school and college baseball all of which offer rare opportunities for young players to get a start in baseball in closing let me say to you it is the little things the details that win the close ball game the things that make good ball players are physical ability brains courage and good habits if a boy has what it takes the big leagues will find him their scouts are everywhere always searching for good young players high school baseball is one route open to the boy who seeks fame in the game in many high schools throughout america baseball is taken very seriously competent coaches teach the rudiments of play and competition is keen the next step for boys who wish to combine baseball with an education is into the college game many fine young players have graduated from our college diamonds into the minor and major leagues and there'll be many more to come another route leads directly from the sand lots in many cities today professional baseball clubs supervise the operation of sandlot schools where young players can learn the fundamentals and develop their abilities under the guidance of past masters of the game they are forever seeking among the aspiring youngsters another boy like joe dimaggio who rose to fame from the sandlots of san francisco the 1930s opened another new chapter in the baseball book playing the game under lights this important innovation brought baseball to more millions of fans than ever before throngs of spectators who couldn't turn out during the day came to watch the stars under the stars knight baseball quickly won the enthusiastic approval of players and fans alike and soon became well established another milestone in baseball history was passed the exciting cavalcade of baseball continued and the year 1951 marked the advent of a new era it was a banner birthday year for baseball in 1951 the national league celebrated its diamond anniversary 75 years of consistent improvement and distinguished service in baseball simultaneously the american league observed its golden anniversary 50 years of equally outstanding achievement in our great national game and during the same year the national association of professional baseball leagues including all the professional minor league clubs commemorated its 50th anniversary during more than a century of exciting growth baseball has kept step with uncle sam too baseball developed strong bodies keen minds quick decisive action cooperation and fair play our servicemen enjoy the benefits this game brings to all who play it and they have taken baseball around the world it's played everywhere they go nowhere is the democracy of baseball more evident than in the annual all-star game which grows continually in popularity and importance millions of fans vote for their favorite all-star candidates the players who compete in this game are the cream of the major leagues chosen for their ability and performance regardless of color creed or club this tremendous mid-season occasion is top only by the biggest and most classic competition on the whole sports calendar the world series spectators and players alike look forward to this supreme event the brightest pinnacle in the world of sports baseball is official with america our great national game wherever old glory flies this heartfelt voice of america proclaims the eternal brotherhood of the game and we know there will be no end to the democracy of baseball well boys that's the story of baseball it's going to go right on boys this great game of baseball will go on forever but our story [Applause] comes to an end you