Re: FYI…..

When you're the youngest in a family of 6 kids, these are happening and at the time baseball wasn't on TV much and Dad had the radio. until '55. It wasn't easy to follow or understand baseball on my own so I liked the Yankees but was really able to do more than read newspaper accounts. Finally the '55 WS -the oldest siblings were all gone & we had our first television. With just me and one brother both in school Mom went to workl; so come WS time I could actually watch the Yankees/Dodgers -Dad got home from work and would come in to watch it with me. He wasn't really a fan for other reasons.but was there when I went ballistic after the Game 7 -my first experience of the Yankee losing the WS and the birth of my hating the Dodgers. In '59 came the shock that the Yankees didn't automatically go the WS -it wasn't a right. Getting my own radio I was able to start listening to Mel Allen do the broadcasts -when I could get reception for NYC stations until a local one started picking up games. My love and following was developing without outside help. At that time most players were pretty much on the same team each year and trades during the season almost unheard of. If a player pitched consistenlty well beating the Yankees (like Frank Lary of Detroit) or hit challenging Mickey in categories (Ted Williams, Rocky Colovito,Duke Snider, Willie Mays (especially when before the Dodgers & Giants went to Ca.) ) Until the mid 60s though we only had game of the week for televison and newspaper accounts - attachments and feelings had to develop & be nurtured. Prime example -since it wasn't on television my contempt for Joe D began - when Mickey tore up his knee the going for a fly ball and landed in the drainage ditch. My mind it Joe's ball and he was CFer and should have called the kid off.
During those early years as a child I was outside as much as possible and doing normal stuff from roller skating & playing with dolls with the girls to playing kickball or baseball with the boys. I was in school when afternoon games started and night games were at 8 which was family time before I went to bed - my emotions & 'hatred'/rivalries were formed on my own. Most were only for the season or winter probably the most passionate developed as I grew older and games were more accessible on television. Baseball for me started with 8 teams each in two leagues - I watched the expansion & rule changes including FA change the game while my passion for the Yankees grew more intense with increasing TV coverage.. Boston has always been in my baseball mind a rivalry for the Yankees to get to the WS - I won't go on except to say there is no explanation for how my feelings have developed/changed through the years = all was due to circumstances and where I grew up. that's part of my story and I'm sticking to it.