_________________________________________________________ F A M E F O R U M N E W S L E T T E R N A T I O N A L W O M E N 'S B A S E B A L L H A L L O F F A M E National Syndicated Column (contents are protected) Copyrights(c), NWB Hall of Fame, 1998-2008 TXU877085, TXU959430, TXU973266, TXU013972, TXU986753, TXU949885, TXU004037, TXU022893, TXU026161, TXU047111, TXU050230, TXU061149, TXU088068, TXU120937, TXU148132, TXU163784, TXU170668, TXU196853, TXU211917, TXU216769, TXU234252, TXU253116, TXU260664, TXU276615, TXU288273, TXU311442, TXU348663, TXU346055. Issue Number 00419 _________________________________________________________ Volume XI, Number 25 Publisher and Author September 22, 2008 Richard C. Jaffeson Washington, DC HallFame@usa.com http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame _________________________________________________________ 2007 NWB HALL OF FAME INDUCTION KRIS "LEFTY" RANISZEWSKI SEE THE WEBSITE FOR ALL "HALL OF FAMERS" http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/albums DIDRIKSON, HOWARD, SCHILLACE, DANCER, FERGUSON, WINTER, WRIGHT, LUKASIK, MILLIKEN, BALLENTINE, GEYER, WALLACE, CIULLA, GUIDACE, MACURIO, SHELDON, BEAUCHAMP, HUDSON, BRENNEMAN, FERENO, SWEENEY, NELSON, DOMINGUEZ, TRIOLO TED WILLIAMS WEBSITE http://www.saveted.net _________________________________________________________ A. COLUMN: MOVE OVER BOBBY THOMSON Dateline: 1951 at Polo Grounds Pennant Championship "In an electrifying finish in what will long be remembered as the most thrilling pennant campaign in baseball history, Leo Durocher and his astounding never-say-die Giants wrenched victory from the jaws of defeat at the Polo Grounds yesterday by vanquishing the Dodgers 5 to 4 with a four-run splurge in the last half of the ninth inning." Thus, began the opening paragraph of the classic account by John Drebinger of the 1951 National League pennant race that resulted in a dramatic and unexpected climax penned by one of the best sports writers of the day for the New York Times. On Sunday, September 21, 2008 at venerable Marshall Field in suburban Washington, DC off Route 7 just inside the Beltway, a modern version of that historic feat occurred in a similar fashion. Let's re-word Drebinger's account for today's issue. "In an electrifying finish in what will long be remembered as the most thrilling EWBC championship in history, Dave Fyfe and JoAnn Milliken and their astounding never-say-die Flames wrenched victory from the jaws of defeat at Marshall Field yesterday by vanquishing the BarnCats 5 to 4 with a four-run splurge in the last half of the final inning." The BarnCats and Flames, perennial favorites in the Eastern Women's Baseball Conference (EWBC), entered the playoffs with identical 11-2 season records for a .846 average, which is exceptional in any sport. One remaining game would determine the league championship for this year. After the first inning, Flames bats were uncustomarily silent earning only one run in the first until the bottom of the last inning. While rampaging BarnCats accumulated during the course of the game four runs, and built a comfortable lead going into the last at bats of the seven inning contest. However, BarnCats coach Richard Bender made a fateful move by replacing a young ace starter whose untouchable fastball shut down the Flames for most of the game, and substituting usually reliable veteran Robin (named-after-the-Dodgers) Gelman. But, Gelman's trademark vanishing curveball was hittable at Marshall yesterday afternoon. The concluding Flames smash by thirdbaser Gina Whitacre deep into left-center was one of those famed dropping curves which departed the infield in a reverse upward trajectory driving in the tieing and winning runs, Stephanie Wohler and Mary Zajac, respectively, for a wild 5-4 Flames finale. Said Flames manager Dave Fyfe, "The only thing I was thinking to myself as Mary crossed the plate was, 'Amazing, unbelievable!'" In the words of Leo Durocher, "Wow, what a finish! What a game!" B. NWB HALL OF FAME PRODUCTS These baseball items are available from the NWB Hall of Fame: commemorative buttons (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, and 1999), t-shirts, caps, and bats. Free commemorative ribbons are available. The website main page has an order form, and the photo page displays several items. http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame C. HISTORIC TIMELINE September 20, 1934 Grover Cleveland Alexander 300th win. September 21, 1892 Elmer Smith first World Series grand slam. September 22, 1830 Caroline Astor birthdate, Knickerbocker society. September 22, 1927 Tommy Lasorda birthdate, MLB Hall of Fame. September 23, 1908 Merkle error lost NY Giants the pennant. September 24, 1940 Jimmie Foxx 500th homerun. September 25, 1932 Olive Beech birthdate, co-founder Beech Aircraft. September 25, 1965 Satchel Paige pitches 3 inning shutout. September 26, 1948 Olivia Newton John birthdate, singer. September 27, 1923 Lou Gehrig first (1923) and last (1938) homerun. September 27, 1939 Kathy Whitworth birthdate, champion golfer. September 28, 1920 White Sox team indicted (later acquitted). September 28, 1941 Ted Williams .406 finish. September 28, 1951 Allie Reynolds pitches no hitter for pennant. September 29, 1942 Madeline Kahn birthdate, Tony Award actor. September 29, 1954 Willie Mays makes "the catch." September 30, 1927 Babe Ruth 60th homerun record. September 30, 1947 First televised World Series. September 30, 1981 Dominique Moceanu birthdate, Olympic athlete. D. FAME FORUM ISSUES Volume XI, 2008 Season Publications Number 25, Move Over Bobby Thomson, (EWBC final), September 22. Number 24, 2008 NWB Hall of Fame Induction Form, September 4. Number 23, Niner at the Plate (Casey II), August 4. Number 22, K.C. Higgins at the Bat (Casey), July 31. Number 21, Base Ball To Day, Polo Grounds, July 25. Number 20, Hit the Ball: Act One, Scene One, July 23. Number 19, Batting Beauty (Esther Williams), July 19. Number 18, Playing and Pitching Parodies, July 16. Number 17, Swinging in the Rain (Freed hits), July 14. Number 16, Begin the Ball-Guine (Porter hits), July 11. Number 15, Puttin' on Your Mitts (Berlin hits), July 3. Number 14, 2008 NWB Hall of Fame Induction Form, June 29. Number 13, Judy, Judy, Judy (Johnson), June 12. Number 12, Tales of Narda: The Guessing Game, May 10. Number 11, Clifford Plays Some Hoops (Auerbach), April 21. Number 10, Tales of Narda: Lady with the Light, April 13. Number 09, Tales of Narda: Turning the War Club, April 2. Number 08, Playing for a Higher Authority (Natural), March 22. Number 07, Prayerful Pearl (Janis Joplin), March 14. Number 06, Reigning at Ringside in Ritchie (boxing), March 11. Number 05, Tales of Narda: Origin of the Magic Bat, February 28. Number 04, Clifford's Favorite Store (Ballentine), February 15. Number 03, Bases Loaded, Reel Two, (baseball movies) February 12. Number 02, Bases Loaded Remake (Sunset Boulevard), February 2. Number 01, That Was the Year That Was, January 2. http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame/handouts E. NWB HALL OF FAME PROGRAMS The National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame, an independent not-for-profit organization established September 1998, is situated in suburban Washington, DC. The objective is to recognize achievements of women in regulation baseball. The NWB Hall of Fame offers these programs for participants in regulation baseball with organized leagues. Managers are are encouraged to recommend recognition awards and suggest articles on their teams, players, or events. Applications are available through email and are posted on the website. NWB HALL OF FAME INDUCTIONS Nominations for the NWB Hall of Fame are due September 30. Inductions may include four current and one previous players by formal application or candidate statement. NATIONAL MVP AND MANAGER AWARDS MVP player and manager award requests are due December 31. Season nominations should be by a manager or administrator. One MVP player per team may be selected annually. Membership covers transmission of newsletters, announcements, invitations, applications, and access to all website pages. Membership is $9.00 renewed annually, and an application is available on the NWB Hall of Fame website. _________________________________________________________ NATIONAL WOMEN'S BASEBALL HALL OF FAME Richard C. Jaffeson, Executive Director PO Box 15282, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20825 301-847-0102 HallFame@USA.com http://www.eteamz.com/hallfame "National Women's Baseball Hall of Fame" is a registered trade name with the State of Maryland. MD672265, October 19, 1998. Programs, articles, and contents presented herein are protected under provisions of the U.S. Copyright Office, Library of Congress. Fame Forum registrations are listed below. TXU877085, TXU959430, TXU973266, TXU013972, TXU986753, TXU949885, TXU004037, TXU022893, TXU026161, TXU047111, TXU050230, TXU061149, TXU088068, TXU120937, TXU148132, TXU163784, TXU170668, TXU196853, TXU211917, TXU216769, TXU234252, TXU253116, TXU260664, TXU276615, TXU288273, TXU311442, TXU348663, TXU346055. Copyrights(c), NWB Hall of Fame, 1998-2008 __________________________________________________________