Gym Cracks By Jim October 17, 2002 BEST TIME OF YEAR World Series games in the daylight; plus a practical joke on a Wyoming Husker fan By Jim (Babe) Berryman MissingNebraska.com Western Nebraska I was an adolescence and a young adult in a great era. Even the World Series games were held in the afternoon. School students were allowed to listen to the World Series games during recess, study halls, and other break times. Usually one radio was tuned in to the World Series game somewhere in the school. Television was not a fixture in central Nebraska in the 1950's. Classes were usually not dismissed to listen to the series. Students on the down list or on disciplinary referral could not pass to the room where the game was being heard. I'm sure there were fewer students on the down list and on disciplinary referral at this time of the year. I can recall going back to class with the "hated" Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers scoreless in the 7th inning. Allie Reynolds (17-6) was dueling Don Newcombe (17-8). The students in last period classes had to wait until the end of the day to learn Tommy Henrich hit a ninth inning home run for the Yankees to win 1-0. I was in a classroom at the University of Nebraska/Lincoln on October 8, 1956, when a student arrived late for class. He informed his classmates and the professor, that Don Larsen had just pitched a perfect game for the Yankees. Larsen's victim was the Yankees' cross-town rivals, the Dodgers. I had listened to some of the game on the car radio, while waiting for this class. The Yankees dominated baseball during this era. In the ten-year period (1949-1958), the Yankees were world champions seven times and finished as the runner-up on two occasions. Only in 1954 when the Giants played the Indians were the Yankees not in the World Series during this ten-year period. The World Series continues this Saturday. Two California teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Anaheim Angels, will battle for baseball supremacy. I'm happy the American League representative is not the Yankees. Both World Series participants this year are in the Series via the wild card. Most of the games will be played at night. Baseball was meant to be played in the afternoon, especially the World Series. What could be more enjoyable than attending a World Series game on a crisp October afternoon? There's not as much interest in the World Series today as in the 50's. Of course, baseball is not the only game in town now. In those days, the professional football and basketball leagues were not nearly as popular as they are today. I'm glad to see Darin Erstad playing in this big event. Since I did not follow either of these two teams closely this year, I've decided to "root" for the Angels, because of the Erstad Husker connection. There are places in Nebraska and Wyoming where house doors are not locked. My Wyoming friends know I am a Husker fan. When I returned to our unlocked house this afternoon, a paper was on our kitchen table. It was a Husker Quiz, compliments of an unknown person. Q. What's the difference between the Huskers and the Taliban? A. The Taliban has a running game. Q. What do the Huskers and Billy Graham have in common? A. They both can make 77,000 people stand up and yell "Jesus Christ." Q. How do you keep Husker players out of your yard? A. Put up goal posts. Q. What's the difference between the Huskers and a dollar bill? A. You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill. Q. What do the Huskers and possums have in common? A. Both play dead at home at get killed on the road. There were more questions, but you get the idea. I'm sure every Husker fan has been subjected to this type of harassment. I feel this type of activity shows the respect the Husker football program has. Go Huskers! Feedback Previous Gym Cracks: 10-11-02: Odds And Ends Gym Cracks By Jim 10-04-02: The Rating Game Gym Cracks By Jim 09-22-02: Fans Panned Gym Cracks By Jim 09-12-02: World Herald Calling Gym Cracks 09-05-02: Bit By Baseball Bug Gym Cracks 08-29-02: Caring Coaches Gym Cracks 08-22-02: Nebraska "Storm" Hits Colorado Gym Cracks 08-15-02: Cubs Win, Wallet Drained Gym Cracks 08-08-02: To Coors For Cubs Gym Cracks 07-25-02: Major League Madness Gym Cracks 07-18-02: Nebraskans In The Majors Gym Cracks 07-11-02: Kile Death Sheds Light Gym Cracks 07-04-02: Couch Potato Parking Gym Cracks 06-23-02: Top 10 Nebraska High School Nicknames Gym Cracks 06-06-02: Better In The 50s Gym Cracks 05-30-02: Dangerfield of Nebraska Gym Cracks 05-16-02: Baseball Sneak Aways Gym Cracks