My favorite is what I like to call the golden age of baseball, the 1950's and 1960's. This was the best time in baseball. All the stars from the 30's and 40's where coming to an end, Ted Williams hits .400 twice and all the new emerging stars where going to come up and change baseball like no other. Also this was the happiest of happy for Yankee fans. Here is why I think this is the greatest time in baseball. We start off in 1951 Joe Dimaggio is calling it quits and Mickey Mantle is waiting in the wings to take over. 1951 also featured another young rookie, Willie Mays. This was the third year in a row that the Yankees won the World Series. So the start of the decade kicks off better than no other. Jackie Robison is almost coming into his prime he would hit .300 or better from 1949 to 1954. So now we move to 1954 and another young rookie is coming up named Harmon Killebrew. Also the Yankees did not win the World Series this year and it was Jackie Robison last good year. Over the next few years Al Kaline would become the franchise conner stone for the Tigers and win the batting title in 1956 Whitey Ford would start being dominate as soon as he came in the league in 1950 Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, Brooks Robinson,Roberto Clemente,Frank Robison, Ernie Banks would all come in to the league and by the time the 60's would hit they would be entering there primes and the next decade would be there's for the taking. The Year is 1961 the Dodgers and Giants have been gone from New York for 4 years and the Yankees have won the World Series 6 times since 1950. The year before the World Series ended with a great comeback by the Pirates, with one of the most famous World Series Homeruns hit by Bill Mazeroski another great player that came about in the mid 50's. The 1961 season was one that not only changed that changed all time records, but it also changed the rules. Of course everyone knows about the Maris, Mantle, better known as the M&M boys homerun chase for 61 homeruns. Because baseball changed the number of games to 162 games from 154, with the addition of Angels and Twins. So of course everyone knows Roger Maris did not break the record in the 154 games that the commissioner of baseball Ford Frick said he had to beat it in, he beat it none the less and got the famous 61* next to the record which was later taken off. After the 1961 season was over Commissioner Frick freaked out because the Yankees had hit over 200 homeruns and he felt that there was to many cheap homeruns and he made a decision that would change baseball forever. After 1961 he raised that mound and made the strikezone bigger. This would spawn a decade of dominance for the pitchers. over the next 7 years Sandy Koufax would pitch a no-hitter every single year from 1960-1965. Denny McClain would win 31 in 1968, Juan Marichal would win 25+ games 2 times. Don Drysdale would win 20+ games 2 times. Pete Rose, and Joe Morgan would come into the league and the Yankees dominance would end and New York would finally get a National League team again, and baseball would be forever changed after 1968. Its 1968 Mickey Mantle's last year in the league and Denny McClain and Bob Gibson would have the seasons of his lives. Bob Gibson would win 22 games and have the lowest ERA ever at 1.12, and there would be a dual pitcher MVP year for the first and only time. Denny would win 31 games and my beloved Tigers would win the World Series. After 1968 they lowered the mound considering how much dominance pitchers had during the 60's and they would official change the playoff format and add more teams. After 1968 they split each league up into 2 divisions and made a new style of playoffs. This move a lot of people said killed baseball. Now if you won your league you weren't automatically in the World Series anymore, you had to face one team to win your league. Also the A's would come into the league. After those changes the Miracle Mets would happen in 1969 and Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan and Jim Palmer where going to be the next big things to come into baseball. And with that it marked the end of my favorite era of baseball. Baseball would be come faster and had more talent than ever. All the players of the Golden era of baseball would retire by the early 1970's and be in Cooperstown. This is why I love that time in baseball, some of the best players of all time came in and some of the biggest changes ever happened. I left out so much more stuff I could of talked about like the Giants and Dodgers of the 50's and so many more players, but I have ranted long enough.
Im a fan of the Steroid era. Went to my first game in 99, at the Corner. I have never seen a more beautiful dump in my life. Stench of spilled beer and Hot dogs, filled the air. And I swear I have never seen grass as green as the first time looking at the field.
Your so lucky, being only 19 I was too young to like baseball when baseball was played at the conner. I would give anything to walk out of the tunnel and sit in the short porch in right field and look around at the blue and orange stadium and listen to Ernie call a game over that radio. I went down there this year and all that's left is the diamond and the center field flag pole. It's was so cool running the bases and throwing off the mound thinking of who came before me stood there.
Yeah current era is a favorite as well, there is no point in watching a game you know the score too, unless it is a great game that has relevance to your franchise like a World Series win. I have watched game 5 of the 84' World Series many times.
