Surrounded as I am by family and friends while on holiday, I continue to find time alone for writing to be in short supply. But here’s a gem for the “Shameless Filler” category: the “Old Perfesser” himself, the great Casey Stengel, testifying on July 8th, 1958 at the Senate Anti-Trust and Monopoly Subcommittee Hearings. This is priceless.
Perhaps best of all: Mickey Mantle’s opening remark (last line of the transcript).
One Comment
Malcolm,
Did Mr. Stengal ever moonlight as an English tutor for our current President? I seem to recall an eerily similar sort of Q&A recently.
“Senator O’Mahoney: What I am trying to find out, Mr. Stengel, is how many players are actively working for the major league teams now as was formerly the case? How many players do you suppose–
Mr. Stengel: You are right, I would honestly tell you they naturally have more and they are in more competition now. You have to buck now a university – anyone who wants to be a hockey player–
Senator O’Mahoney: Let’s stick to baseball for a minute.
Mr. Stengel: I stay in baseball. I say you can’t name them. If you want to know get any executive, you have got any names, bring any executive with the Yankees that is an official in the ball club and he will tell you how many players the Yankees have. And there is his jurisdiction – every ball club owner can tell you he is an official, they have enough officials hired with me with a long pencil, too.”