Now this was a rivalry...

[Lipman 1]

June 13, 1957 -The Sox and Yankees hooked up in perhaps the greatest "base-brawl" in history. In the first inning at Comiskey Park, New York’s Art Ditmar threw a pitch at the head of the Sox Larry Doby. As the pitch rolled to the wall, Ditmar ran to cover home. Doby warned Ditmar about the pitch, and then threw a left hook. The fight appeared to have racial overtones and lasted a full 30 minutes.

Chicago native and future Sox player Bill "Moose" Skowron jumped on Doby which brought Walt Dropo into the fray. Dropo was 6-5, 220 pounds, and a monster for his time. At various times, “Whitey” Ford,Casey Stengel,"Jungle" Jim Rivera and Enos "Country" Slaughter were in the middle of it. Slaughter’s jersey and undershirt were ripped to pieces and his hat was backwards in one of the most famous photographs of the 1950's.

After things settled down Billy Martin rushed into things and started in on Doby. Five players were ejected and fined for the melee. New York won the game 4-3.


Walt Dropo (top left) & #17 Slaughter fight, Slaughter after the brawl

[Krs1]

My grandpa used to tell me about a lot of the names in the story. Wish there were more pics of that. Surely, somewhere, there's some rolls of film with the action played out.

[LITTLE NELL]

It was a Thursday afternoon day game and I was in grammar school so didn't get to see it on TV but it was a big item on the news that evening and they had some great film clips of the brawl even though the local news shows were only 15 minutes in the 1950s.

[Paulwny]

I remember seeing those photos in the Buffalo News. They were probably in every sports' page in every paper in the US.

[BigKlu59]

Just another reason to hate those “Damn Yankees””.

BK59

[Vernam]

Audio of the full game, brawl starts about 25 minutes in: https://youtu.be/n1g0nsb3OKM?t=1516.

Highlights: "The police and umpires are trying to restore order," and "Doby dropped him (Ditmar) with a hard left hook. He really went down."

Then Round 2 starts about 29:30.

[BigKlu59]

Audio of the full game, brawl starts about 25 minutes in: https://youtu.be/n1g0nsb3OKM?t=1516.

Highlights: "The police and umpires are trying to restore order," and "Doby dropped him (Ditmar) with a hard left hook. He really went down."

Then Round 2 starts about 29:30.

That was a synopsis of the damn 50’s in general dealing with those freaking Yankees. Sox would lead the AL by a couple of games, in this case 5 on those dung beetles, yet crap like this would happen and they’d run off 10 straight and by September be waving at the Sox through the rear view mirror of that 50’s Yankee band wagon. I always wondered why my Pops would have such a doom and gloom attitude when we played those knuckleheads and were leading them by 1 or 10 runs. He’d always say those bastards had a golden horse shoe up their ass and nothing was certain until the last out. My first taste of this came in 64 when the Sox played Phenomenal baseball, yet came up short on these harmonica playing buffoons.

You older chaps lived through some damn fine Sox baseball and Lip testifies to that to sooth our wretched souls thru the sub par <.500 seasons. Glad 59 happened to slay that beast only to lose to their transplanted Brooklyn Bum borough ball mates. That was the first time I experienced a Cub fan throwing monkey dung in my face and showing Sox hate. I asked him how he could have rooted for the Dodgers as a Cub fan and being from Chicago. He said, easy, they were playing the Sox, and even though they kicked the crap out of the Cubs constantly, watching the Dodgers win that series was better than the “Black Sox” winning it. He also through in some crap about the NL being the Senior Circuit and playing better baseball.

Baseball, you gotta love it.

BK59

[Chez]

My dad (a north sider) grew up as a Yankees fan (he became a Cubs fan as an adult). I remember him telling me that, "rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel," a line that I learned (after he died) that he borrowed from a comedian.

[HomeFish]

It's interesting how different generations of Sox fans see different teams as public enemy #1. For guys who grew up in the 50's, it is definitely the Yankees. For me it will always be the Minnesota Twins. If I were maybe 5 years older it would be the Indians.

I suspect that going through life as a Twins hater is a tad bit easier than going through life as a Yankees hater.

[Paulwny]

My dad (a north sider) grew up as a Yankees fan (he became a Cubs fan as an adult). I remember him telling me that, "rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for U.S. Steel," a line that I learned (after he died) that he borrowed from a comedian.

Here's another one, "the 3 constants in life, death, taxes, yankees in the World Series."

[Dumpjerry]

It's interesting how different generations of Sox fans see different teams as public enemy #1. For guys who grew up in the 50's, it is definitely the Yankees. For me it will always be the Minnesota Twins. If I were maybe 5 years older it would be the Indians.

I suspect that going through life as a Twins hater is a tad bit easier than going through life as a Yankees hater.

I lived in the Twin Cities from 1980-1987. I found Twin fans annoying as hell, they were no different than Cub fans with their cute nicknames and blind optimism of the team. Never did develop a hatred of the team itself, however. This was probably because I had to stop going to games (I usually went to Sox games up there) because indoor Baseball was an abomination. Never felt like I was at a ballgame. No sunshine, no wind in my face, no fresh air, etc.

[LITTLE NELL]

That was a synopsis of the damn 50’s in general dealing with those freaking Yankees. Sox would lead the AL by a couple of games, in this case 5 on those dung beetles, yet crap like this would happen and they’d run off 10 straight and by September be waving at the Sox through the rear view mirror of that 50’s Yankee band wagon. I always wondered why my Pops would have such a doom and gloom attitude when we played those knuckleheads and were leading them by 1 or 10 runs. He’d always say those bastards had a golden horse shoe up their ass and nothing was certain until the last out. My first taste of this came in 64 when the Sox played Phenomenal baseball, yet came up short on these harmonica playing buffoons.

You older chaps lived through some damn fine Sox baseball and Lip testifies to that to sooth our wretched souls thru the sub par <.500 seasons. Glad 59 happened to slay that beast only to lose to their transplanted Brooklyn Bum borough ball mates. That was the first time I experienced a Cub fan throwing monkey dung in my face and showing Sox hate. I asked him how he could have rooted for the Dodgers as a Cub fan and being from Chicago. He said, easy, they were playing the Sox, and even though they kicked the crap out of the Cubs constantly, watching the Dodgers win that series was better than the “Black Sox” winning it. He also through in some crap about the NL being the Senior Circuit and playing better baseball.

Baseball, you gotta love it.

BK59

To this day I would never root for the Cubs in the World Series. In the 1950s I would feel the same way that Cub fan who rooted for the Dodgers against the Sox in the 59 Series. As much as I hated those Bronx Bombers with Mantle, Berra, Ford and Skowron I would be pulling like hell for them if they had met the Cubs in a World Series in those fabulous fifties.

[BigKlu59]

To this day I would never root for the Cubs in the World Series. In the 1950s I would feel the same way that Cub fan who rooted for the Dodgers against the Sox in the 59 Series. As much as I hated those Bronx Bombers with Mantle, Berra, Ford and Skowron I would be pulling like hell for them if they had met the Cubs in a World Series in those fabulous fifties.

You must know my buddy Ken’s Dad. Never forgot the time Kenny invited me over for dinner after sun soaked day on the sandlot. Conversation got around to who and what my favorite baseball team was and I cheerfully oathed the White Sox, he about spit out his mashed taters. He bellowed how and the hell can you follow those cheating som na bitches. Also tossed in the “Black Sox” reference. He took it upon himself to take me to Wrigley to convert me and show me where REAL baseball was played. Didn’t work too well you see. Cubs lost to the, of all teams, “The Dodgers” in a blow out as I day dreamed of Comiskey and doodled on my scorecard. The only positive was you may have served this tyke one of the plethora of treats his Dad used to entice the experience.

Baseball, you gotta love it.


BK59

[Dumpjerry]

To this day I would never root for the Cubs in the World Series. In the 1950s I would feel the same way that Cub fan who rooted for the Dodgers against the Sox in the 59 Series. As much as I hated those Bronx Bombers with Mantle, Berra, Ford and Skowron I would be pulling like hell for them if they had met the Cubs in a World Series in those fabulous fifties.

During those dark and scary days of the 2003 NLCS when the Cubs had a 3-1 game lead over the Marlins (in other words "27 outs from the World Series"), my friend and I were in the bunker waiting for the storm and made a deal. if the Cubs won, she and I would go purchase, and wear, a head-to-toe hat and uniform of the Cubs' AL World Series opponent. This meants Red Sox or Yankees. Talk about "taking one for the team," the two last AL teams either one of us wanted associated with our public appearance......

[LITTLE NELL]

You must know my buddy Ken’s Dad. Never forgot the time Kenny invited me over for dinner after sun soaked day on the sandlot. Conversation got around to who and what my favorite baseball team was and I cheerfully oathed the White Sox, he about spit out his mashed taters. He bellowed how and the hell can you follow those cheating som na bitches. Also tossed in the “Black Sox” reference. He took it upon himself to take me to Wrigley to convert me and show me where REAL baseball was played. Didn’t work too well you see. Cubs lost to the, of all teams, “The Dodgers” in a blow out as I day dreamed of Comiskey and doodled on my scorecard. The only positive was you may have served this tyke one of the plethora of treats his Dad used to entice the experience.

Baseball, you gotta love it.


BK59

All those years the Sox and Yankees went at it, the Cubs were a joke, from 1952 to 1967 they had only one year where they finished at over .500, that was 1963 when they were 82-80.
I would have served you treats in 1962, and not after June, I gave up being a vendor at Wrigley, lucky if I made 5 bucks, 3,000 souls for weekday games, maybe 10,000 for Saturdays and Sundays. Made good money for a 16 year old at Comiskey and when the Sox went on the road and the Cubs were home, I went back to my caddy job at Edgewater Golf Club in Rogers Park.