BOBBY THOMPSON - RIP

Most famous Home Run ever?

R.I.P.

Just finished reading Willie May's new Biography and he was on deck after Bobby Thomson, he talks above feeling nervous and glad he didn't have to bat in such a pressure situation as a rookie in '51. Also just read a few weeks ago in the NY Times that John Branca died, Ralph Branca's brother, and the father of John Branca Jr, who is a major card collector (has top registery set of 1954 Topps Baseball and others). John Branca, Jr. is also the lead attorney for the Michael Jackson estate and is responsible for Michael Jackson's purchase of the Beatle's song rights. He was/is also attornery for other legandary rock bands in the 1970's and 1980's.

I have a hot sports opinion about this. I don't deny the greatness of the home run......it was truly great, but I think the feat has been a tad overblown over the years. It did not win the Giants a championship, in fact the Yankees dominated them in the World Series. It DID cap one of the great sports comebacks of all time. That cannot be denied.


First of all, RIP. Sad when anybody dies... even a Giant.

Second, living in Nor Cal for 25 years now I can tell you the Giant's fans haven't had much to get excited about in our lifetimes. Thus, smaller feats get blown up bigger by them. Once the Cub's win the world series the Giants will have to be about the team with the longest without a world series championship.

Cubs, Indians, Giants in that order.

Again, his HR was truly great - I have a pic of it in my office..........just think there were others that were equal or superior, that's all.

RIP.

RIP

Even though the home run did not win a world series it was against a hated rival and the stakes couldn't
have been higher for getting to a world series, in that context to me it holds up as one of the greatest homeruns in history.

I have seen the replay a number of times over the years and even though I'm not a huge baseball fan it
still gives me chills just to see it and hear the famous announcer words "The Giants win the pennant, the Giants win the pennant"

"the shot heard round the world" refers to American servicemen overseas listening to the game on radio.

It was the top home run compared to all the others for one main reason in my opinion.

The Giants were down 4-1 when it was hit. And it was win or go home (game three of 3 game playoff)

Boone's? A walkoff is always great, but if it never happened, they would have kept playing.

Fisk? Again, the game was tied, they would have kept playing

Carter? if the Jays lost, there would still be game 7

None of those other big HR's was the player's team behind when it was hit.

I believe you have to look at the era during which Bobby Thompson's HR was hit compared to today which helps explain why the "shot heard round the world" is regarded as the most famous home run ever:

First of all, in 1951, baseball was, without a doubt, the "national pasttime". Television was, of course, in its infancy. The NFL was a 12-game a season sideshow and was still seven years away from its "Greatest Game Ever Played" which, combined with expanded TV coverage, would propel its popularity. The NHL was a six-team league with only four teams within the U.S. The NBA was only five years old and many years before the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell came on the scene. In 1951, baseball was as popular in the USA as soccer is in Brazil today.

Second, in the '50's, the baseball leagues were dominated by the New York (the media capital of the world) teams - from 1949 to 1956, a New York (AL or NL) team would win every World Series so the media hype was incredible. Also, it is difficult to find a rivalry today that matches the intensity of the old Giants-Dodgers teams - remember, if "familiarity breeds contempt", teams played each other 22 times in the regular season every year back then.

So, different era, different times. As the old saying goes, "timing in life is everything".

Mays was on deck.