An Ugly Sign of the Times

Trey Smith

Don Larsen, the famed Yankee right-hander who threw the only perfect game in postseason history, is preparing to auction off the uniform he wore during that timeless performance in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

The New York Times notes that the uniform worn by Larsen's catcher Yogi Berra fetched more than $500,000 at auction. One would assume Larsen's duds would command an even higher price.

So why is Larsen going to part with such a cherished personal artifact? "I'm auctioning the uniform to provide my grandsons with enough money for a college education," said Larsen, now 82. "What the uniform actually sells for is not that important to me; whatever happens, happens. I'm just hoping for enough to help the grandkids."
~ from Don Larsen to Sell 1956 World Series Perfect Game Uniform by Dayn Perry ~

If you aren't a baseball aficionado, you're probably thinking to yourself, "Big deal. Larsen wants to sell his uniform." But, I gotta tell you, this is an ugly sign of the times.

A perfect game occurs when no one from the opposing team reaches base. Every batter who steps to home plate makes an out. As Wikipedia tells it, "Over the 143 years of Major League Baseball history, there have been only 21 official perfect games by the current definition."

Think about that for a minute. Hundreds of thousands of major league baseball games have been played over this period and ONLY 21 perfect games have been pitched. It truly is a remarkable feat.

But this particular perfect game was even more remarkable. It is the ONLY one that was pitched during a World Series (the championship).

Times are so bad that Don Larsen is willing to part with an irreplaceable memento from one of the most famous baseball games ever played. Why? Because you need to be fricking rich these days to send yourself, your kids or your grandkids to college!

I don't whether to bawl uncontrollably or scream profanities! Hell, maybe I'll do both.