The Joys of Summer
The Task Accomplished, The Emotions are Released
Before teams locked arms around the mound and hopped up and down together to some invisible beat, the thrill of victory allowed for spontaneity, delirium, tackling, wrestling and the liberation of pent-up anxiety and stress. Hoppin’ happy just ain’t the opposite of hoppin’ mad.
As players have gotten larger and more muscular, it’s possible that the canned celebrations we see today are a move of self-preservation, with “I’m sorry, did I step on your toe?” about the worst outcome needing to be explained in the clubhouse later.
The World Series embrace of pitcher into catcher’s arms, with both feet around his midsection is about as rehearsed as the on-field celebrations of the 20th century ever got. The rest of the time it was often men without hats, but never a safety dance.
We have a thorough record of boys being boys in the immediate aftermath of great accomplishment at the Museum and will pull out some of our favorites from time-to-time.
The Big Red Machine had already kicked into high gear by the time they played the Phillies in the 1976 NLCS. With a World Series title from the previous year, the Reds were headed back to the Fall Classic after sweeping the Phillies in three games. In the finale, they scored three in the bottom of the ninth and won, 7-6, sparking a celebration when the winning run was scored by Dave Concepcion.
Any reason to let the happy emotions fly during a long season is not to be passed up and after the Giants hit five home runs in the ninth inning against the eventual champion Reds in 1961, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey and Felipe Alou had themselves a good romp in the clubhouse. '
The prototype in reverse after Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series.
The Twins return to the World Series for the first time in 22 years in 1987, taking out the Tigers in the ALCS.
In the case of the 1951 Giants, their on-field celebration had no easy exit. Dead center, 500 feet from home plate was the passage to the locker room and Alvin Dark might have to bar the door once he gets there.
Mickey Lolich and Bill Freehan didn’t need a rehearsal to ace their roles
The more the merrier once the World Championship was theirs
Dick Williams is advised to leave the human pyramid stuff to the collegians
Sometimes the celebrations are focused on an individual, as it was when Don Drysdale approached the consecutive scoreless innings record in 1968 with his sixth straight shutout.
The first World Series after the Japanese surrendered a month earlier brought with it a subdued celebration, almost a recognition in 1945 that though baseball was coming back in full force, it shouldn’t put its joy on the same plane as the poignancy of emotion sweeping the country.
The wire photo and the Topps card can sometimes be one and the same
