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 “The Thrill of Victory” Photo Gallery
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The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat, World Series Style: Part III

 

“The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series…and the second best thing is losing the World Series!” – Hall-of-Fame manager Tommy Lasorda

Today in Part III of this series, I’ll do away with the “Defeat” and instead just concentrate on the “Thrill.” I’ve always enjoyed looking at raucous clubhouse celebration scenes after World Series victories. Even more so from the old days – before the advent of the big bucks – when baseball was played more for the love of the game than anything else.

We’ve all seen it many times. There just doesn’t seem to be anything else like a World Series victory that’s capable of bringing out such uninhibited emotions, such complete and utter joy.

You see guys in the clubhouse celebrations doing all sorts of crazy things they normally would never do…like mussing each other’s hair and even planting kisses on each other! All the clubhouse cliques, grudges, jealousies, and resentments that had built up over the long season are cast aside once a World Series victory rolls around. Guys who hated each other and probably weren’t even on speaking terms during the season are now routinely seen hugging and embracing! All is forgiven and forgotten. Everyone is happy and smiling. And things really haven’t changed much over the years. Even in today’s game, where money has become such a huge factor, we still see the same genuine emotions on display year after year.

Today’s featured photo above is from the 1947 World Series. In Part I, we saw Cookie Lavagetto being carried off the field by his ecstatic teammates after his

heroics won Game Four. But, as I mentioned, the celebration was short-lived. The Yankees eventually won the 1947 World Series in seven games.  In today’s photo above, we see the normally quiet and reserved Joe DiMaggio in a very uncharacteristic moment. He’s about to plant a “smooch” on winning pitcher Frank Shea. Almost hard to believe! Other photos in the gallery depict Dizzy Dean with a lampshade on his head as he hugs Frankie Frisch in 1934; Phil Rizutto planting a kiss on Billy Martin in 1952; and Duke Snider, Don Newcombe, and Johnny Podres getting a champagne shower in 1955. 

What else besides a World Series victory could possibly bring out such pure, uninhibited child-like emotions, especially from a straight-laced guy like Joe DiMaggio? It’s a side of him we don’t see very often in old photos. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why we love this game so much. Like all the players shown in the photo gallery above, we also can revert to our childhood for an extended period of time, basking in sheer emotional joy, when our team wins the Fall Classic…and no one can blame us!

According to Tommy Lasorda, there’s nothing better!

Gary Livacari