By Jack Healey
I love inter league play in baseball. I have never understood the whining about it. I get it, not all the match-ups are exciting, but you still have Yankees-Mets, Cubs-White Sox, Angels-Dodgers. You have rematches of the World Series like Red Sox-Dodgers this season or possible previews of the World Series like Dodgers-Yankees this season. Yea I love it and it’s because of inter league games we have the Red Sox and the Giants at Fenway Park over the next three days. Yes it’s a little excitement in the waning days of a disappointing season for the Red Sox. It’s the return of a YAZ to Fenway Park for the first time since Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski patrolled left field in 1983. Yaz’ grand son Mike will be playing in the outfield for the Giants at Fenway in all three games. Here’s hoping he will see at least a little action in left. Yes it will be exciting and it never would’ve happened without inter league play.
Those of my generation who grew up in the Boston area in the 60’s will always remember the magical 1967 season and Yaz’ triple crown! It was a season that changed everything. It was a season that was an “Impossible Dream”. We all knew the album by heart. It was narrated by Ken Coleman, who got his start broadcasting the Rutland Royals in the late 40’s on Rutland radio station WSYB. Who can forget the “Carl Yastrzemski Song” by Jess Cain? I still get chills when I hear it to this day. “And In Vermont….It’s Only Yaz They want!!!!”