October 3rd, 1974-May 14th, 1977
A half-hour syndicated PBS series sports nostalgia show hosted by Curt Gowdy. Guest athletes view film clips of famous sporting events and reminisce.
A look back at the 1951 National League playoff and pennant race between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Host: Curt Gowdy.
One in this series of sports nostalgia programs that chronicles notable sports events and profiles outstanding athletes. This program concentrates on the 1951 National League pennant race between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers, which was decided in a best of three play-off series. With Ralph Branca pitching for the Dodgers, Bobby Thomson hit the winning home run of the series in the Giants's final inning at bat, and the hit came to be known as "the shot heard round the world." Guests include centerfielder Willie Mays, third baseman Thomson, and manager Leo Durocher, all of the Giants; centerfielder Duke Snider, and pitchers Branca and Don Newcombe, all of the Dodgers; and baseball announcer Ernie Harwell. Topics discussed include the Giant's eleven-game losing streak; Duroucher's attempts to resuscitate the team, including a major league promotion for promising young centerfielder Mays; and the fact that, despite sixteen victories in a row, the Giants were still trailing the Dodgers by six games in mid-September before securing a tie. Guests from both teams and host Curt Gowdy discuss the three-game playoff during footage of key moments. Footage of Thomson's fateful home run on October 3 is accompanied by broadcaster Russ Hodges's famous call, "The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!"