>> TOMMY SHEA HAS BEEN SPENT ROUGHLY FOUR DECADES AS A
REPORTER, SPORTSWRITER AND COLUMNIST FOR THE REPUBLICAN.
HE'S CO-AUTHOR OF A NEW BOOK ABOUT BASEBALL TITLED "DINGERS:
THE 101 MOST MEMORABLE HOME RUNS IN BASEBALL HISTORY".
TOMMY CAME IN TO TELL US ABOUT THE PROCESS OF PUTTING THE BOOK
TOGETHER AND HOW IT CAME TO BE.
>> IT REALLY, IN SOME WAYS, WASN'T THAT HARD BECAUSE I BET
YOU THAT IF I SAID TO YOU, NAME THE TOP 10 HOMERS IN BASEBALL
HISTORY, YOU WOULD COME UP WITH THEM BECAUSE AS A FAN, YOU WOULD
SAY YES, BECAUSE THEY BECOME LIKE THESE, YOU KNOW, A SOCIETAL
SIGN POST YOU KNOW, THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER, AND IF WE DID NOT
REMEMBER, LET'S SAY SOMEONE TOLD US ABOUT BOBBY THOMPSON'S HOME
RUN OR, YOU KNOW, LIKE, WHEN THE STEROID ERA, DESCENDED ON
BASEBALL, EVERYBODY TALKED ABOUT HANK AARON AND, YOU KNOW, THE
COUNTRY STOPPED WHEN HENRY AARON HIT HIS HOMER TO BEAT BABE RUTH,
EVERYTHING IS COUNTED IN BASEBALL, EVERYTHING IS
RECORDED, THE RESEARCH AND THE AMOUNT OF RESEARCH, WHERE YOU GO
AND WHAT DID YOU DO, IT'S NEVER VERY HARD.
IT WAS -- YOU KNOW, I GOT TO READ LOADS OF BASEBALL BOOKS AND
WATCH YOUTUBE -- LOADS OF VIDEO.
IT WAS GREAT FUN BECAUSE THERE WAS -- THE THINGS THAT I KNEW
AND I THINK ABOUT BASEBALL WAY TOO MUCH, SO YOU KNOW, I KIND OF
KNOW SORT OF A LOT.
THEN THERE WERE THE THINGS THAT I ONCE KNEW, BUT I HAD
FORGOTTEN.
THINGS THAT I KNEW FROM MY CHILDHOOD AND THERE WAS JUST
ACRES AND ACRES AND ACRES OF STUFF.
I DIDN'T KNOW IT ALL, AND IT WAS, YOU KNOW, ONE EXAMPLE WAS
CASEY, ONE OF THE GREAT MANAGERS OF ALL TIME, YOU KNOW, MANAGED
THE YANKEES AND THE METS.
AND WELL, HE HIT THE FIRST WORLD SERIES HOME RUN, AND THEN THE
NEW YANKEES' STADIUM.
AND IT WAS AN INSIDE THE PARK HOME RUN, AND HIS CLEAT WAS
FALLING OFF, AND HE WAS TRYING TO SAY, KEEP RUNNING, CASEY,
KEEP RUNNING, AND HE HIT A HOME RUN.
AND THEN ONE THAT ESPECIALLY IN THIS TIME OF YEAR WHEN JACKIE
ROBINSON HAS BEEN HONORED, WE ALL KNOW THE STORY, OR AT LEAST
BASEBALL FANS DO, OF THE COLLAPSE OF THE BROOKLYN
DODGERS.
AND WELL, I DID NOT KNOW THIS.
WAS THAT ON THE LAST DAY OF THE 1951 SEASON, THE GIANTS CLINCHED
THE FIRST PLACE, AND THE DODGERS, IF THEY WON THEIR GAME,
WOULD CLINCH THE FIRST PLACE, JACKIE ROBINSON HAD A HUGE HOME
RUN THAT DAY, LIKE I THINK THAT IT'S IN THE 14th INNING, AND
THAT GOT THE DODGERS INTO THAT PLAYOFF SETTING.
HE ALSO MADE LIKE A SPECTACULAR PLAY.
I SAID WOW, YOU KNOW, I JUST DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THAT HEROIC
MOMENT AS A BASEBALL PLAYER BECAUSE THEY DID GET TO PLAY
THREE GAMES.
ROBINSON WAS THE ONLY DODGER THAT WENT INTO THE GIANTS'
DRESSING ROOM AFTER BOBBY TOLLEFSON'S HOME -- HOME RUN.
>> I HAVE GOT TO SAY ONE THING, YANKEE FANS, THE MOST HOME RUNS
OF ANY INDIVIDUAL PLAYER, IF I COUNTED RIGHT, TED WILLIAMS, IN
THE BOOKS, SIX TIMES, SIX INNINGS, HOME RUNS.
>> YOU ARE GOOD.
>> DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT?
IS.
>> YEAH, PROBABLY DOES.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, I WANT NOT TOO GOOD AT COUNTING SO HE'S IN
THERE A LOT.
>> YEAH.
>> AND ONCE UPON A TIME, I WAS A SPORTSWRITER, FOR THE
SPRINGFIELD DAILY NEWS, AND I COVERED THE RED SOX.
IF THE RED SOX WON, THEY WERE IN A GOOD MOOD, AND IF THEY LOST,
THAT'S SOMETHING, I'M IN A GOOD MOOD.
AND I WOULD SEE TED WILLIAMS AT SPRING TRAINING EVERY YEAR.
AND ONE OF THE GREAT BENEFITS OF BEING LIKE IN THE MEDIA, YOU
MEET A LOT OF BIG SHOTS, AND TED WILLIAMS WAS REALLY THE ONLY BIG
SHOT THAT I EVER MET THAT HAD CHARISMA.
TED WILLIAMS WAS ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE IF YOU WALKED INTO ANY
ROOM WITH NO ANNOUNCEMENT, TED WILLIAMS, HE WAS SOMETHING ELSE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT A HOME RUN, YOU HAD TO ENJOY IT, IT
ALMOST KILLED ME, 1978, ONE GAME PLAYOFF, RED SOX, AND YANKEES,
AND QUITE THE WEEKEND.
>> THE YANKEES WERE SO FAR BEHIND AND THEY HAD REALLY,
REALLY A GREAT TEAM BUT THEY WERE DISFUNCTIONAL IS THE WORD,
BILLY MARTIN, ASPIRED AND BOB LEMON, THE PITCHER FOR THE
INDIANS, AND THE YANKEES ROARED, AND IT COMES DOWN TO THE
ONE-GAME PLAYOFF, AND JIM, HE WAS THE CARTOONIST OF THE DAILY
NEWS AND HE WENT ON TO READ ALOUD, AND HE HAD A CARTOON ON
THE FRONT PAGE OF THE DAILY NEWS, AND IT SAID, BEST OF
TIMES, WORST OF TIMES.
AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT MAKES US ALL TURN INTO WATCH A BASEBALL GAME.
YOU NEVER KNOW, AND HE WATCHED THE FILMS, AND HE CHOKED UP AS
MUCH AS I DID, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN, AND GUYS LIKE THAT DON'T
USUALLY HIT IT.
I KNOW I WAS HAPPY THAT DAY.
>> THANK YOU.
>> GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US AND THANKS, THE BOOK IS DINGERS.
CONGRATULATIONS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> HAPPY BASEBALL.