Twins Win World Series! (in 1924)

[John Bonnes]

This is a very interesting story with a cool video and links to even more interesting stories about the recent discovery of footage of the Senators (who would become the Twins) winning the 1924 Word Series:

 

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/277949201.html

 

 

[John Bonnes]

It's worth watching just to see the pitching mechanics of the great Walter Johnson. Holy cow - how does he do that?

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

It's worth watching just to see the pitching mechanics of the great Walter Johnson. Holy cow - how does he do that?

It's all lower body! Kent Tekulve is a more recent example of that arm whip motion. Less stress on the arm, and with Big Train it created some serious velocity and deception.  

There's more video of Walter Johnson pitching in the Ken Burns "baseball" documentary 2nd inning or 3rd inning, don't remember which one.

[D. Hocking]

I love old clips like this.  Makes me want to rewatch some of the Ken Burns series.

 

It will be interesting to hear from some of the TD posters who remember listening to this series on the radio and what the reaction was at the time.  

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

From Ken Burns' baseball:

 

Ty Cobb's remembrance of his introduction to the legendary pitcher Walter Johnson:

 

"On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was only a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington. Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us....He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves and with a side arm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance....One of the tigers imitated a cow mooing and we hollered at Cantillon: 'Get the pitchfork ready, Joe-your hayseed's on his way back to the barn.' ...The first time I faced him I watched him take that easy windup-and then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn't touch him...every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park."

 

 

[davidc3915]

That was fun to watch!  Looks like Madison Bumgarner channeled his inner Walter Johnson in game 7.  Thanks for posting that, John!

[Lakeside]

I love old clips like this.  Makes me want to rewatch some of the Ken Burns series.

 

It will be interesting to hear from some of the TD posters who remember listening to this series on the radio and what the reaction was at the time.  

A 15 year old listening to that series would be 105 years old today. . . I'm not so sure Twins Daily has many 105 year old posters!!!!

[Thrylos]

It will be interesting to hear from some of the TD posters who remember listening to this series on the radio and what the reaction was at the time.  

 

That's a joke, correct?  It happened 90 years ago

 

About the Walter Johnson delivery: these old cinema news reels were played back at about 1.5-2 times the actual speed.  Got to think the action happening in slow motion compared to what you see.  No, they did not ran that fast    Johnson's delivery was pretty much the standard in the time, nice and easy and almost side arm (think Neshek), which allowed them to pitch 350+ innings a season...

 

Too bad that the Twins really discard their history as a founding franchise in the AL and try to adapt as their history that of minor league affiliates of other teams that happen to play in the same area.  It is ridiculous not to have a Walter Johnson statue outside Target Field.

[Pius Jefferson]

That's a joke, correct?  It happened 90 years ago

 

About the Walter Johnson delivery: these old cinema news reels were played back at about 1.5-2 times the actual speed.  Got to think the action happening in slow motion compared to what you see.  No, they did not ran that fast    Johnson's delivery was pretty much the standard in the time, nice and easy and almost side arm (think Neshek), which allowed them to pitch 350+ innings a season...

 

Too bad that the Twins really discard their history as a founding franchise in the AL and try to adapt as their history that of minor league affiliates of other teams that happen to play in the same area.  It is ridiculous not to have a Walter Johnson statue outside Target Field.

 

If Kent Hrbek gets a statue than Walter Johnson should have a statue.

[glunn]

A 15 year old listening to that series would be 105 years old today. . . I'm not so sure Twins Daily has many 105 year old posters!!!!

 

Chief?

[Sarah]

After I finish watching the Roosevelts series that I taped earlier this fall, I may have to watch the baseball series again this winter- thanks for the idea. You can get all of the episodes on DVD at the library!

[D. Hocking]

A 15 year old listening to that series would be 105 years old today. . . I'm not so sure Twins Daily has many 105 year old posters!!!!

 

Does no one remember the pictures from the TD moderator baseball outing last year and their party afterwards?

 

http://throughthefencebaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Old-Folks-Baseball.jpg

 

(Before the police came)

 

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.switched.com/media/2007/08/wii2.jpg

[Halsey Hall]

That was cool!  Glad they found it and was able to put it together.

[ashbury]

http://throughthefencebaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Old-Folks-Baseball.jpg

ModCon 2014: Dumb and Dumber And Dumberer  (Not pictured: Dumbererest)

 

PS.   I thought the video had a familiar ring to it:  http://twinsdaily.com/topic/15520-some-pretty-amazing-found-footage-of-the-1924-world-series/?hl=1924  (Complete with Chief Is Old jokes.)

[USAFChief]

I love old clips like this. Makes me want to rewatch some of the Ken Burns series.

 

It will be interesting to hear from some of the TD posters who remember listening to this series on the radio and what the reaction was at the time.

 

Great series, but McCarver calling it on TV for Fox kind of ruined it, IMO.

 

In all seriousness...great find John! Cool stuff.

[ashbury]

The SABR mailing list pointed to this blog entry that dissects the film:

 

http://baseballresearcher.blogspot.com/2014/10/a-closer-look-at-footage-from-game.html?m=1

 

A few probable mistakes were caught by eagle-eyed viewers.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

^^ whoa, I'm going to be spending a lot of time reading that blog. Very cool insights. There's another entry from March with footage from a Yankees / Senators game from the following season that had two very significant footnotes. Walter Johnson started that game, too.

 

http://baseballresearcher.blogspot.com/2014/03/some-very-fortunate-footage.html?m=1

[ashbury]

^^ whoa, I'm going to be spending a lot of time reading that blog. Very cool insights. There's another entry from March with footage from a Yankees / Senators game from the following season that had two very significant footnotes. Walter Johnson started that game, too.

 

http://baseballresearcher.blogspot.com/2014/03/some-very-fortunate-footage.html?m=1

Did you catch the part about Gehrig using a cell phone?

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Did you catch the part about Gehrig using a cell phone?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xsolbe2dCLY/Uy9XS84gMhI/AAAAAAAACEo/DoI-URCb5po/s280/4.jpg

 

"Can you hear me now?"