Another Edition of: “The Sheer Thrill of Victory”

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1945 World Series Photo Gallery
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 Another Edition of “The Sheer Thrill of Victory” Series

Another Edition of: “The Sheer Thrill of Victory”

I mentioned awhile back that I enjoy it when I stumble upon photos showing baseball’s version of the “Thrill of Victory” from pennant winning and World Series celebrations. There just doesn’t seem to be anything else like a baseball championship that’s capable of bringing out such uninhibited, childlike emotions, such complete and utter joy. Maybe that’s why we love this game so much!

Today’s edition is from the 1945 season, showing Cub manager Charlie Grimm on the back of trainer Andy Lotshaw along with other menbers of the Cubs as they celebrate their winning the 1945 National League pennant. Unfortunately for the Cubs, the celebration was short-lived as they lost the World Series to the Tigers in seven games. 

The World Series used the 3–4 wartime setup for home field sites, instead of the normal 2–3–2. Even though World War II had ended, some of the rules were still in effect. Of course, you’ll remember that many of the major leagues’ better players were still in military service during the 1945 baseball season.  Author Warren Brown commented on this by titling one chapter in his book on the Cubs and the 1945 World Series: “World’s Worst Series.” When asked who he liked in the Series, he answered, “I don’t think either one of them can win it.” Someone once jokingly called this Series “the fat men versus the tall men at the office picnic.”

The Curse of the Billy Goat originated in this Series before the start of Game Four. Having last won the Series in 1908, the Cubs owned the dubious record of both the longest league pennant drought and the longest World Series drought in history, not winning another World Series, as we know, until 2016. The White Sox and Red Sox had the second- and third-longest championship droughts respectively, with the White Sox having last won in 1917 and the Red Sox beating the Cubs, in 1918; the Red Sox would win the World Series in 2004 (86 years after their last championship), and the White Sox would do the same in 2005 (ending an 88-year drought).

The 1945 World Series was a rematch of the 1935 World Series. In that Series’ final game, Stan Hack led off the top of the ninth inning of Game Six with a triple but was stranded, and the Cubs lost the game and the Series. Hack was still with the Cubs in 1945. According to Warren Brown’s account, Hack was seen surveying the field before the first Series game. When asked what he was doing, Hack responded, “I just wanted to see if I was still standing there on third base.”

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Gary Livacari

Photo Credits: All from Google search

Information: Excerpts edited from the 1945 World Series Wikipedia page.

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