Magic Stadium Opening Day

Thanks to Brother Two Names for this shot of Opening Day at Magic Stadium, nee McCourt Muck nee Rupert World.

This year is also the 50th Anniversary of Plotzer Stadium, so they trotted out many of the surviving members of the 1962 Opening Day team. Plotnik knew every one and still remembered their numbers. Criminy, what a boat load of useless information is his brain.

Oh, they looked old and grizzled. Many limped.

Here were the starters that year:

Willie Davis - CF * Ron Fairly - 1B Jim Gilliam - 2B * Wally Moon - LF Johnny Podres - P * Johnny Roseboro - C * Duke Snider - RF - * Daryl Spencer - 3B Maury Wills - SS

Only the guys without an asterisk are still alive. Darryl Spencer was introduced yesterday, limping badly. Maury Wills still looked like he could steal second if it wasn't tacked down.

Here's what Plotnik remembers about the 1962 season: one game playoff with the Giants. Please don't make him talk about it. OK, he will.

It's a day game and he wants to listen to the game but he is on the high school track team and everyone is running around the track. It's hot. Someone has a transistor. "Dodgers are ahead in the Ninth," someone calls. "Don't worry."

They keep running around the track. It's gotten quiet, like a storm is coming. Jim Davenport comes up. Everyone stops running.

Crack of the bat. Plotnik doesn't have a radio but he can hear the crack of Jim Davenport's bat. It still hurts. Can you believe that? It still hurts. Dodgers lost.

Flash forward two weeks and ask the Giant kids who were running around their track about Willie McCovey and Bobby Richardson: Giants lost.

Such pain. Maybe the pain lasts because we love it so much.