MLB 1944 World Series Highlights

[@djm.326]

Incredible to actually hear Connie Mack talk in this. He actually PLAYED in the 1890's...and there you go folks, on film and his voice.

[@bamafan62]

yes it's incredible

[@texasrailer]

Love getting to see my Great-Great Uncle, Gene “Rowdy” Moore!

[@RRaquello]

Maj. Billy Southworth Jr., seen at 3:46, would lose his life in a B-29 a few months after this. He had survived 25 bomber missions over enemy territory and won the Distinguished Flying Cross, only to die in a training accident after returning to the states. He was considered to be a promising young player himself, but quit baseball to join the armed forces.

[@44032]

That's the voice of Bob Elson, who was the voice of the White Sox from 1929-70. He also did Cubs, Bears and Black Hawks games. He was major early figure in the development of sports broadcasting, using a calm, professional but friendly delivers rather than the breathless style many of the early announcers used. .

[@bbanksy1]

Great win by the Cards in Games 4 and 5 on the road at Sportsman Park before clinching the Series at home in Sportsman Park in Game 6. :P

[@tonybensley6246]

Brane was obviously being facetious. The switch dugouts line was pretty hilarious, though! Presumably, they took turns at which team came to bat first and last. It's always great viewing old footage like this! CHEERS!

[@terrihenricks4160]

The 1944 World Series was the only all St. Louis fall classic ever. The Cardinals and Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles) even shared the same home field, Sportsman's Park (later known as Busch Stadium I). The series was played against the backdrop of World War II, and it appears this film of highlights was distributed to the troops overseas.

[@roseandbench]

Browns missed repeating their A.L. Flag by a whisker in 1945.

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

I love the re-used little snippets of crowd noise: “ATTABOY! KEEP THAT RALLY GOING! KNOCK THIS BUM OUTTA THE BOX!! LET'S GO!! WOOHOOOO!!!! WEEEE!!!!” Can't beat that song, either: "Play ballll, play ballll, the baseball game is just about to staaart...."

[@larryloveless2967]

The best St. Louis Browns team is thought to be the 1922 season that had George Sisler and finished a game behind the Yankees with Babe Ruth. This season though during the WW2 war era was their only pennant in St. Louis prior to becoming the Orioles in 1954. The Cards were missing Enos Slaughter due to military service but were still heavily favored. I have read most of St. Louis was pulling for the Browns as the underdog in this worlld series. The Browns gave it a good try. I have read this world series was heard overseas during WW2 through Armed Forces Services radio.

[@petegilardi2593]

Cards Won 3 world Series in 1940s overshadowed by Yankees who won in 41.43, and 49

[@cjs83172]

One thing about the roll at the beginning of the film. It said that MLB saluted and thanked Connie Mack for 50 years of service to baseball. However, that should have said 60 years, not 50, because he began his baseball career in 1884 and his Major League career in 1886, playing 11 undistinguished seasons before becoming a manager. The rest, as they say, is history.

[@davidrohlfing9055]

It was for 50 years of being a manager. His first year as a skipper was with Pittsburgh in 1894. Good point though! His 1st year as a player was 1884, yes!

[@dalehopkins934]

Great video! Love watching my Grandpa hit a bomb @ 18:52!! Thanks for publishing this.

[@stumarston6812]

Very cool.

[@johndurrer7869]

Why wasn’t he dropping bombs rather than hitting them?

[@johnkelley2468]

Sportsman Park was owned by the Browns and the Cardinals were lessees.

[@bamafan62]

produced and directed by Lew Fonseca......a great player in his own right!!

[@bamafan62]

rjm his name was LEW FONSECA

[@bamafan62]

rjm I guess I’m not following you but I don’t understand what it has to do with the guy that produced and directed this series

[@cards1985]

Great upload Luigi Aguilera.

[@delao7230]

Ken O'Dea was my great grandfather

[@patrickkelley2801]

He was a really good catcher and an important cog for the Redbirds!

[@Pookiepup1]

and, just three miles away, I was not quite 1 year old!

[@tomace7924]

The Streetcar Series

[@garymorris1856]

So, all the games were in Sportsman's Park?, This is very interesting, as it only happened on two other occasions when both World Series teams shared a field,1921 and 1922 in the Polo Grounds, (Giants vs Yankees), before Yankee Stadium opened for the 1923 season

[@johnleber3369]

Senators in 1945 just missed Pennant along with the Browns and Tigers I believe won pennant.

[@nickcostigan7312]

Interesting to see what the Browns future would of looked like had they won 🤔

[@mr.ramfan8100]

St. Louis Browns- One world series, one loss, sad.....

[@marksieving7925]

Later became the Baltimore Orioles and were the best team in the major leagues in the 1970s.

[@americangiant1003]

@@marksieving7925 Nope. Try either the Oakland A's 3x in a row. Or even the Reds winning 2 titles in 4 WS appearances.

[@marksieving7925]

@@americangiant1003 You could make a case for the Reds, who won the most games in the 1970s, 951 wins compared to 944 wins for the Orioles. You can't really directly compare wins though, since they didn't play the same schedule. In terms of player value, wins above average, The Orioles beat out the Reds by 120 to 105 for the decade. And if you extend things a bit to include 1969 and 1980, it's really no contest. The A's really aren't in the running. They had a good run in the first half of the decade, but even in the years of their consecutive World Series titles they were never the best team in the major leagues. Post season success isn't really a good measure of a team; it depends too much on short term luck. And in the second half of the decade after Charlie Finlay dumped most of the A's talent they were among the worst teams in the majors.

[@americangiant1003]

Dumb Question? Why was there even full MLB seasons in say 1943 and '44? Especially since almost all of the top MLB stars was overseas in Europe and Asia? If I remember correctly the European Soccer Leagues was suspened during this period. Just curious as not yet born until the early 1970's? Thanks.

[@MrTrackman100]

Baseball continued as a national morale booster. It showed how confident the Allies would be to win the war so no need to take away the national pastime. Good call.

[@cjs83172]

@@MrTrackman100 And the NFL did the same thing, even though in 1943 and '44, the Pittsburgh Steelers had to combine with another franchise to field a full squad (in 1943, they combined with the Philadelphia Eagles and in 1944, they combined with the Chicago Cardinals). But nonetheless, the NFL also played a full season and had their championship game. However, other big sporting events, such as golf's major championships (for the most part) and the Indianapolis 500 were cancelled during World War II.

[@ieatoutoften872]

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). I was researching movie League of Their Own because I thought MLB was suspended. Found story with following title: A League of Their Own: The True Story Behind the Classic Film by BY BRENDAN MICHAEL PUBLISHED JUN 15, 2019 I was able to confirm I was wrong about MLB being suspended for a year or years because of Second World War. Here is excerpt from BRENDAN MICHAEL's story: ---- Wrigley had a plan to gradually replace Major League Baseball with his AAGPBL if the war raged on. He’d initially hoped to have games on Major League fields on off dates and even at night, which was unheard of at the time. But President Roosevelt would not let America’s Pastime perish, writing in 1942, “I honestly feel that it would be best for the country to keep baseball going. There will be fewer people unemployed and everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before…” ---- [End of excerpt] So it appears that AAGPBL ran in parallel to MLB. If MLB would have been suspended in 1945, then the AAGPBL would have already been running on--I am guessing--its third year. So I conclude AAGPBL was not a replacement for MLB, but Wrigley's contingency plan if MLB shutdown for the remainder of the war. However, MLB did not shut down for the remainder of the war so AAGPBL ended up being additional entertainment.

[@robertmalraux50]

Another point: the European soccer leagues could never have played during those years. Americans have been lucky, fighting no wars on their soil since 1865.

[@docadams7099]

Although night baseball had already started, from 1942-1945 they only played in the daytime, because of concerns about nighttime air raids. Also, any balls leaving the field of play were sent to the armed forces for recreation. Like in all aspects of life, concessions were rationed.

[@holdenv81000]

It's not a film as it's more a retelling of the World Series of '44 & the pictures & audio are horribly out of sync. The tape footage however is very good.

[@MrTrackman100]

Are you complaining? I'm just happy and surprised we have this historical film.

[@aboxofbroken8tracks983]

Of course it’s a film. Tape hadn’t been invented.

[@markhensley8513]

Bought a 51 bowman ditwhiler today

[@stevenettore378]

Pitching coaches didn't need a translator for mound visits back then.