Last Of The Ninth 1965 Record LP

[AUDIO REINSERTED: DEC. 26, 2011. first POSTED IN MAR., 2011]This is an original album produced by radio station WCCO (CBS-Minneapolis) in 1965 to commemorate the American League pennant winning Twins.  It has some excellent game and player sound clips from many of the players of that club --Harmon, Tony, Zoilo, and the announcing team of Herb Carneal (great '65 All Star Game clip), Halsey Hall and Ray Scott are all here. Later, make SURE you check out the classic video clip of Ray with 2 other legends.

I heard it years ago on LP when I was a kid. I was smitten immediately, and I can trace my love of Twins history to that event. It, of course, is a passion that dovetailed nicely into the worldly passions of baseball card collecting, and making awkward advances towards the fairer sex (for some reason, the lasses have never been enamored with my encyclopedic knowledge of the '77 Topps Baseball set). Ah, women...a fickle, hard to please race of beings! Anyways, I've been looking for the original version of LOT9TH ever since, with hopes of finding a working copy off Ebay or Amazon for play on ye olde Victrola.  It's a toughie, having out of print since the Johnson administration, and the people I discover that own it don't want to part with it. Gravy sucking, elitist cake eaters...


Otherwise...
Looking to post up another update of "Twins Phenoms Of Springs Past" again this weekend.  Enjoy the Twins-Rays preseason game today.  It'll be interesting to see how the roster shapes up, and how our starters like Baker and Slowey respond to the pressure of their competition for the 5th starters role [ edit. note: some competition, as Slowey basically had to be Walter Johnson last spring to lengthen Mgr. Gardy's  short leash ]. If Baker had been able to perform last year up to his capabilities, there would never be this current situation he finds himself in. Go Luke Hughes!

Album Jacket photos and source embeds courtesy 

of Vinyl From Hell (site may be "de-funked" at present).

It will all sort itself out, one way or the other.

As Herb would say "...and the count rides along."

Twins Fest:Meeting author Bob Showers: "The Twins At The Met"

Bob gracefully turned his attention away from the nearby

Drew Butera Kid's Q & A session  to chat with crazed 

Twins fans. 

The major highlight of my Twins Fest 2011 visit was this opportunity to chat with author Bob Showers.  Bob has published, in my opinion, the definitive book on early Twins history, "The Twins At The Met," (see Amazon.com link) which hit the stores in Sept., 2009. 

You should note his North Stars and Lou Nanne book referenced in the accompanying author bio; these efforts alone should put him on the short list of top Minnesota sports history authors (along with Sid and Patrick Reusse). 



Bob was fantastic in sharing his interview process, which was essentially using photographs to spur his interview subjects (i.e, Tom Kelly, Rod Carew, Tom Mee, Hrbek, Harmon, Tony Oliva, Clark Griffith, etc.) for their personal reminiscences. Incredibly in-depth stories, funny and insightful stuff! 

I hope to add a bit more detail regarding our conversation later. I plan to review the book on Amazon (an interesting review link of the book is here).

Check out the Amazon links!  This Twins book is one lush, "can't-put-down" history lesson on the Twins!  Classic!

May Your Taters Fly Far!

TT

Some photo favorites from Bob's book...

Tom "The Blade" Hall, photo included in

 1970 Minnesota Twins Yearbook

Cookie Lavagetto (1st Twins Mgr., with
Sid Hartmann and Halsey Hall

Photos from book courtesy of Minnesota Twins

Classic Minnesota Twins Game Of The Week: Ray Scott Announcing Game One of 1965 WS - October 6th, Third Inning Highlight!




From 1962 Twins Scorecard: Herb Carneal's first season at the mic for the Twins.

THE CLASSIC of 1960's Twins classics!  The Twins jump all over the Dodgers and starter Don Drysdale in Game Number One, scoring 6 runs in the third inning.  Drysdale is pitching only because Sandy Koufax elected to sit out the game as an observance of Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish Holy Days.


Twins radio announcer Ray Scott is tabbed to work the national telecast for NBC with the Dodgers Vin Scully.  He's superb, especially when he has to fill air during the pitching break after Drysdale is removed!  Love the way he plugs the upcoming football games coming up on the network!



Sound quality isn't so hot for first 45 seconds, like the production quality.  But, it's a very entertaining 4 plus minutes, if I must say so myself!  Lovin' those boater hats and old-timey organ fills by the Metropolitan Stadium organist. Enjoy!

May Your Taters Fly Far!
Go Twins! Beat The Yankees!
Twinkler Out!

More from the ad above, August, 1962 Twins Scorecard.