Who’s A Bum!

 That was the headline of the New York Daily News on October 5, 1955, 55 years ago today. There was no explanation needed to describe the cartoon of the Brooklyn Bum who the paper consistently used to portray the Brooklyn Dodgers, who won their only World Series the day before.

There are so many feelings to take away from that day, among my earliest memories (alas, I was just 4 years old). Listening on the radio (I was sick enough to be confined to bed) to Johnny Podres pitch a gem, and then asking over and over, ‘did they really win?’ Even at that age, I was conditioned to question if the Dodgers could ever really win it all. The joy my father felt that evening was palpable. The special joy of having your perseverance rewarded, and of lovable players being lovable for something more than their foibles. And of that feeling the next day, upon seeing the newspaper and realizing that everyone else shared the joy too. As I write this, that Daily News Page 1 is looking back at me, hanging from the bookcase across from my desk. BTW: the newsstand price is prominent in the upper right hand corner… 4¢. [Geez, I’m old.]

Talk about the stars aligning: The Boys of Summer played in the Field of Dreams, and won it all 55 years ago in ’55. Too bad they closed out the series in Yankee Stadium, a sweet victory with just a bit of the shine removed for not having won in their home ballpark… a small price to pay to remember that the Dodgers were still the Dodgers… never perfect.

I just obtained my first vanity license plates, having ceded the moral high ground. The plates read (only space for 6 characters) 55SULL, for 55 Sullivan Place, the street address of Ebbets Field, now gone 50 years.  Only a handful of those Dodgers players are still with us… this one’s for them. Thanx for the memories and lasting good feelings.