Image Credit: Cliff Eastham ( Custom Baseball Card Group)
The Project
The 1965 Curt Gowdy Inside Pitch Project was a ton of fun. The Milwaukee Braves won the championship, Willie Mays was the MVP and Tony Cloninger won the Cy Young award.
Before storing the 1965 cards, I wanted to give a tribute to the MLB All Star Game, the WBC and the Negro leagues. So I assembled four All Star teams. The Black Diamonds recruited the best 25 best black ballplayers in a tribute to the Negro leagues, the Internationalists picked the best MLB ballplayers born in foreign countries while the Confederates were comprised of ballplayers born in the South or the West while the Federalists roster boasted the best from the North and the East. The teams would play a round robin tournament. Pitchers could pitch the same way they did in the regular season and every reasonable attempt would be made for every position player to take the field in at least 1 game.
Preview:
The Diamonds enter the project boasting Hall of Famers like Mays, Aaron, McCovey, Frank Robinson, Joe Morgan, Maury Wills, etc. The pitching staff was led by Bob Gibson, Mudcat Grant, Bob Veale, Al Downing, Earl Wilson, etc.
Internationalist stars included Roberto Clemente, Tony Oliva, Rico Carty, Zolio Versalles, Luis Aparicio, etc. Juan Marichal, Camilo Pascual, Luis Tiant, etc led a thin pitching staff.
Federalists
Torre, Rose, Kessinger, Frank Howard, Kaline, Colavito, Killebrew, Yaz, Tony Conigliaro, Koufax, Kaat, Tommy John, Sam McDowell, Sammy Ellis, Dean Chance, etc.
Confederates
Haller, Cash, Maz, Clete Boyer, Eddie Mathews, Mantle, Callison, Bob Allison, Brooks Robinson, Fregosi, Mincher, Staub, etc
Maloney, Drysdale, Lolich, Cloninger, Osteen, McGraw, Bridges, Brewer, etc.
GAME 1
Dodger Stadium
Diamonds 6
Internationalists 1
W: Gibson
L: Marichal
HR: McCovey, Mays
Notes: Gibson goes the distance, scatters 6 hits and fans 7. McCovey and Mays lead the offensive attack against Juan Marichal and a thin INTL bullpen.
GAME 2
ASTRODOME
Federalists 6
Confederates 2
W: Koufax
L: Cloninger
HR: Allison 2(2)
Notes: Sandy Koufax served notice for 1966 by shutting down the Confederates, limiting them to 6 hits, 1 run and 6 Ks for a complete game win. Bobby Allison hit 2 home runs off of Koufax.
GAME 3
ASTRODOME
Confederates 7
Internationalists 0
W: Maloney
L: Pascual
HR: Mazeroski
Notes: Maloney tosses a complete game shutout while fanning 7 and allowing only 3 hits. Pascual fooled no one, allowing 5 hits and 5 runs over 4 innings. Mazeroski knocked in 4 runs to lead the Confederates.
GAME 4
YANKEE STADIUM
Federalists 4
Diamonds 2
W: McDowell
L: Grant
HR: Aaron, Rose
Notes: Sudden Sam went the distance in this matchup, fanning 8 and allowing only 3 hits. Grant went 8 innings and allowed only 1 ER but the Diamonds committed 2 errors in a 3 run 7th to seal their fate.
GAME 5
WRIGLEY
Diamonds 2
Confederates 0
W: Veale
L: Drysdale
HR: Wynn
Veale and Downing combine for the shutout. Jimmy Wynn, the Toy Cannon, launched a 475 bomb to lead the Diamonds' attack.
GAME 6
DODGER STADIUM
Internationalists 3
Federalists 2
W: O. Pena
L: John
HR: Cardenal, Mantilla
Notes: The Internationalists posted their only win in the Series thanks to some surprising home runs from Cardenal and Mantilla. Clemente drove in the winning run in the 7th.
FINAL STANDINGS
Federalists 2-1
Diamonds 2-1
Confederates 1-2
Internationalists 1-2
Notes: The Inside Pitch board game continues to provide tons of excitement and the feel of a real game. Although I was only 8 in 1965, it was the first time I can remember watching the game of the week on NBC. I name all my projects in honor of Curt Gowdy. Gowdy's father worked on the railroad just like my father and he had such a respect for the game and the players who made it to the majors. His ability to tell stories about the game and the players gave all his listeners a great education.
You never know who is going to star in the All Star game. Bobby Allison hit 2 home runs in 1 game to win the MVP award.
The Federalists won the championship given they beat the Diamonds 4-2 in game 4.
So that is the way it was in 1965.
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