Fergie Jenkins and Billy Pierce on two memorable baseball summers
It's been 50 years since the 1959 White Sox wove their magic and made it to the World Series before eventually falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It's been 40 years since the 1969 Cubs raised hopes on the North Side before running out of gas in the final weeks to end a storybook season with a thud as the red-hot Mets overtook them to win the division.
Neither of those teams took home the ultimate title. Yet for many Chicago fans, both squads remain iconic, although they fell short of what the 2005 World Series champion White Sox accomplished in becoming baseball royalty in Chicago.
It was this time of the year when both clubs started to make their move and get fans excited for a pennant chase.
The '59 White Sox were just 11-11 on May 8, when they went on to win 10 of the next 12 games and never looked back. They ended the 156-game season at 94-60-2.
Although the Cubs had opened the 1969 season with a record of 11-1, they were struggling at 20-11 on May 11 when they won five straight to catch fire again. Even with a 9-18 record down the stretch, they finished with a 92-70-1 record, just behind the sizzling Mets.
With so many seasons having gone by since those memorable summers, and with both teams off to uneven starts in 2009, perhaps it's time we introduce a new generation of Chicago fans to the nuts and bolts of those two teams.
Die-hard Sox fans know that Early Wynn was dominating all year en route to a Cy Young award, with second baseman Nellie Fox winning the MVP, and the late-season addition of slugger Ted "Big Klu" Kluszewski, was a big boost. And of course, they remember the air raid sirens going off when the Go Go Sox clinched the AL pennant in Cleveland en route to their first World Series appearance in 40 years.
On the North Side, most Cubs fans know the 1969 Cubs featured future Hall of Famers Ernie Banks, Billy Williams and Fergie Jenkins, as well as third baseman Ron Santo, and that they blazed a months-long run as division leaders. They've seen highlights of relief pitcher Dick Selma cheering along with the Bleacher Bums, Santo clicking his heels, and, of course, that black cat at Shea Stadium ultimately proving an omen of things to come.
But why all the love after all these years?
"Because the fans followed us so much that year," said Jenkins, whose No. 31 was retired last weekend. "We stayed in first place for about five months but those last 15 days we just couldn't muster a win."
"It's because people and the fans remember us," said former White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce. "It's always very exciting to me when people talk about that '59 team.
"The '50s were a great nostalgic time for baseball. I get letters all the time saying that's when baseball was baseball. It's big for the people of Chicago because there haven't been too many pennants (laughs)."
So, in the words of two baseball legends, here's a look back at these two nostalgic summers.
Fergie Jenkins
On emotions from that season: "There are several. I think the turnaround was that first game we lost in Shea Stadium. The umpire made a bad call - (catcher) Randy Hundley tagged Tommie Agee out at the plate. And then I lost in the next game. It kind of just snowballed; we were having a great season and unfortunately once the downward spiral starts, you can't stop it. The Mets were hot and we weren't, and unfortunately we got caught in the whirlpool."
On a moment that sticks out: "The funniest thing that happened was the black cat incident. The (Shea Stadium) grounds crew threw this young kitten out on the field. It was so terrified it didn't know what to do. Everyone thought it was a full-grown cat - no, no - it was a kitten. It just walked in front of Ronnie (Santo) and stood in front of our dugout for about a minute. It was like an eternity watching this black cat walking in front of our dugout (laughs)."
On whether day games wore players down: "That's nonsense. We were ready to play all the time. We had the players to do the job. Leo Durocher wouldn't have put us out there if he didn't have the confidence in us. Sure, a lot of the guys played regularly, but we had guys on the bench who helped out. Unfortunately we didn't get it going and the Mets did."
On memories of that team: "I think the best memory is we had a bunch of all-star players who wanted to win badly. Leo Durocher was a great manager. He was an inspiration to everybody. He was tough, but let me tell you, he gave you credit if you played well.
On it being a life-changing season: "The Hall of Fame changed my life; I can't say that season did."
Final pitch: "It was just a tight-knit group of guys and we're not going to forget each other."
Billy Pierce
On emotions from that season: "We were very happy. Early Wynn and Nellie had tremendous years for us. It was just one of those years where things felt right. When it came to needing a run, things just fell our way. And we needed every run we could get because we always played close games."
On a moment that sticks out: "They always talk about the beer falling on (left fielder) Al Smith. But for me, it was watching Vic Power hitting to Luis Aparicio, who stepped on second and threw to first for the double play - that was the pennant. I was watching very intently. I was warming up and I was going to come in to face the next batter."
On how that team should be remembered: "That we won. We won the pennant. It's disappointing we didn't do better in the World Series because we had a great ballclub. It was an exciting time for Chicago and baseball to see the excitement of the fellas to win. In that Cleveland clubhouse, it was a real exciting time, I'll tell you."
On returning home after winning the pennant: "We landed at Midway at about 2 a.m. and there were about 50,000 people waiting for us. On the way back, people were on their porches waving at us along the streets. At 2 a.m.!"
On keeping in touch: "Oh yeah, the guys still talk and get along. I talk to Jim Landis and Jim Rivera quite often. And Gary Peters, also. I see them every summer. But unfortunately we've lost a tremendous amount of players from that team."
Final pitch: "We're very fortunate to be remembered."