Gym Cracks By Jim May 30, 2002 BETTER IN THE 50S Professional baseball in the 50s was more enjoyable than today. By Jim (Babe) Berryman MissingNebraska.com Western Nebraska Growing up in central Nebraska in the 50's was a great experience. Organized baseball for youngsters did not begin until you were old enough or good enough to play for the midget team. On many nice summer afternoons, a pick-up baseball game would be held, where two of the better players whould choose their respective teams from whoever showed up on that day. Who got to choose first? A bat was tossed to one of the captains. Each of the two players would then place his hand on the top of the other's vertical hand. The hand that reached the bottom or lid of the bat had first choice. Umpires? No way! Each close play was resolved in a different manner, depending upon the individual's involved in the play. At the conclusion of the game, the group usually retired to their swimming "hole." We had a choice, Bill's Beach or Sandy Beach. The village did not have a swimming pool, so we walked a short distance into the country to one of the "holes" to cool off. Sometimes these "holes" would be occupied by cows receiving their own respite from the heat. The cows were unwelcome company, so they were usually shooed away. In that way the young men could enjoy their water activities without coming face to face with a cow. More about the village swimming pool in another article. Now back to baseball in the 50's. Major league baseball was easier to follow and much more enjoyable than today. Free agency was not part of baseball's vernacular. There were only 16 major league teams, eight in each the American and National Leagues. A baseball aficionado could memorize the starting lineups of each team. Without free agency, most players remained with one team for the length of their professional baseball careers. By the late 1950's, 75 percent of player salaries ranged from $l0,000 to $25,000 with $100,000 checks going to five superstars (Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays). In 1977, Phil Wrigley, owner of the Cubs, said, "No player is worth more than $100,000." My how times have changed! Compare those salaries with the salaries paid major league baseball players today. The American League teams in 1950 were the New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, Chicago White Sox, St. Louis Browns, and Philadelphia Athletics. Their counterparts in the National League were the Philadelphia Phillies, Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Giants, Boston Braves, Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Pittsburgh Pirates. Eleven of the 16 teams were confined to five cities--New York City area with three--Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers; Boston--Braves and Red Sox; Philadelphia--Athletics and Phillies; St. Louis--Browns and Cardinals; and Chicago--Cubs and White Sox. The first defection from the status quo in modern day baseball was the Boston Braves moving to Milwaukee after the 1952 season. The Browns moved to Baltimore after the 1953 season. The next year the Athletics moved from Philadelphia to Kansas City, a team I had the opportunity to see play many times over the years. After the 1957 season, the Dodgers left the friendly confines of Ebbets Field and the Giants left the Polo Grounds for Los Angeles, and San Francisco, respectively. Five of the 16 major league teams changed locales during the 50's. Today there are 30 teams divided unevenly between the two leagues. After short durations, players leave teams for more lucrative contracts. Most games are at night; back in the 50's, baseball was played during the day. Major league baseball in the 2000's is more of a business than the game we enjoyed playing and watching back in the 50's. Look for Gym Cracks by Jim every Thursday on MissingNebraska.com Previous Gym Cracks: 05-30-02: Dangerfield of Nebraska More More Feedback