1962 MLB Season
As originally written by Tim Brulia:
Coming to 1962, and except for a pxp change at NBC, everything is status quo.
Following the AL's lead in 1961, the Senior Circuit adds two teams to the fold, the New York Mets and the Houston Colt .45s, though more commonly referred to as the Colts.
National Television
APRIL
Saturday 4/14:
Pirates-Mets, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Yankees-Tigers, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 4/15:
Pirates-Mets, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 4/21:
Indians-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Dodgers-Braves, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 4/22:
Indians-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Dodgers-Braves, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 4/28:
Reds-Cardinals, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Red Sox-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 4/29:
Angels-Tigers, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Red Sox-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
MAY
Saturday 5/5:
Dodgers-Pirates, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Giants-Cubs, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 5/6:
Dodgers-Pirates, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola (Rained out)
Giants-Cubs, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Saturday 5/12:
Yankees-Indians, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Red Sox-Tigers, 2:15. CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 5/13:
Yankees-Indians, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Dodgers-Cardinals, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Saturday 5/19:
Twins-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 5/20:
Reds-Pirates, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Twins-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Saturday 5/26:
Tigers-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Twins-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 5/27:
Braves-Cardinals, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Twins-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
JUNE
Saturday 6/2:
White Sox-Orioles, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Cardinals-Braves, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 6/3:
Dodgers-Phillies, 1:30, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Cardinals-Braves, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 6/9:
Orioles-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Pirates-Braves, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 6/10:
Indians-Red Sox, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Giants-Cardinals, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Saturday 6/16:
Yankees-Indians, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Red Sox-Tigers, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 6/17:
Yankees-Indians, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Red Sox-Tigers, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Saturday 6/23:
Yankees-Tigers, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Ree Reese
Athletics-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 6/24:
Yankees-Tigers, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese (telecast cut off at 5 PM)
Athletics-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 6/30:
Angels-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Indians-White Sox, 2:30, Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
JULY
Sunday 7/1:
Angels-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Indians-White Sox, 2:30, Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 7/7:
White Sox-Indians, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Braves-Cubs. 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 7/8:
White Sox-Indians, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Braves-Cubs. 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Tuesday 7/10:
First Baseball All-Star Game from Washington:
National-American, 12:45, NBC. Mel Allen, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 7/14:
Giants-Phillies, 1:30, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Tigers-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 7/15:
Giants-Phillies, 1:00, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Tigers-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 7/21:
Giants-Pirates, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Senators-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 7/22:
Senators-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Giants-Pirates, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 7/28:
White Sox-Yankees, 1:00, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Twins-Indians, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 7/29:
Twins-Indians, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
White Sox-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Monday 7/30:
Second Baseball All-Star Game from Chicago (Wrigley Field):
American-National, 1:45, NBC. Vin Scully, Curt Gowdy
AUGUST
Saturday 8/4:
Twins-Tigers, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Yankees-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 8/5:
Tigers-Orioles, 2:00, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Yankees-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 8/11:
Tigers-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Orioles-Red Sox, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 8/12:
Tigers-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Orioles-Red Sox, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 8/18:
Indians-Orioles, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Giants-Braves, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 8/19:
Indians-Orioles, 2:00, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Giants-Braves, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 8/25:
Yankees-Orioles, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Pirates-Cardinals, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 8/26:
Yankees-Orioles, 2:00, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Pirates-Cardinals, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
SEPTEMBER
Saturday 9/1:
Athletics-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Orioles-Indians, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 9/2:
Orioles-Indians, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Athletics-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Saturday 9/8:
Red Sox-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Gene Kirby, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 9/9:
Red Sox-Yankees, 1:45, CBS. Gene Kirby, Pee Wee Reese
Saturday 9/15:
Giants-Pirates, 1:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Dodgers-Cubs, 2:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Sunday 9/16:
Giants-Pirates, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 9/22:
Twins-Orioles, 1:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Yankees-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 9/23:
Yankees-White Sox, 2:30, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Saturday 9/29:
White Sox-Yankees, 1:15, CBS. Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese
Angels-Indians, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Sunday 9/30:
Angels-Indians, 2:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
Monday 10/1:
Dodgers-Giants (playoff), 3:45, NBC. Bob Wolff
Tuesday 10/2:
Giants-Dodgers (playoff), 4:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, George Kell
Wednesday 10/3:
Giants-Dodgers (playoff), 4:00, NBC. Bob Wolff, Joe Garagiola
------------------------------------------------------------
WORLD SERIES
Thursday 10/4:
Game 1, Yankees-Giants, 3:00, NBC. Russ Hodges, Mel Allen
Friday 10/5:
Game 2, Yankees-Giants, 3:00, NBC. Russ Hodges, Mel Allen
Sunday 10/7:
Game 3, Giants-Yankees, 2:00, NBC. Mel Allen, Russ Hodges
Monday 10/8:
Game 4, Giants-Yankees, 1:00, NBC. Mel Allen, Russ Hodges
Tuesday 10/9:
Game 5, Giants-Yankees, 1:00, NBC. Mel Allen, Russ Hodges (rained out)
Wednesday 10/10:
Game 5, Giants-Yankees, 1:00, NBC. Mel Allen, Russ Hodges
Thursday 10/11:
Game 6, Yankees-Giants, 3:00, NBC. Russ Hodges, Mel Allen (rained out until 10/15)
Monday 10/15:
Game 6, Yankees-Giants, 3:00, NBC. Russ Hodges, Mel Allen
Tuesday 10/16:
Game 7, Yankees-Giants, 3:00, NBC. Russ Hodges, Mel Allen
Note: WPIX-New York and KTVU-San Francisco/Oakland also provided coverage, using the NBC feed.
Local TV/Radio Info
Originally written by garretta
On to 1962 in the National League:
Pirates: KDKA-AM will carry every game on radio and serve as the flagship of a thirty-station network in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia. Thirty-three road games will be telecast on KDKA-TV. Sponsors are Atlantic Refining, Pittsburgh Brewing Company, and Mellon Bank. The broadcasters are Bob Prince, Jim Woods, and Paul Long. NBC will also televise from Forbes Field.
Reds: WLWT-TV will broadcast an undetermined number of games. "As many as possible" will be in color. Other stations receiving them (also in color) will be WLWC-TV Columbus, WLWD-TV Dayton, WSAZ-TV Huntington, West Virginia and WLEX-TV Lexington, Kentucky. Sponsors include Hudepohl Brewing Company, Sohio, and Brown and Williamson Tobacco. On radio, Burger Brewing Company will be the exclusive sponsor for the twenty-first consecutive year. WKRC Radio will be the flagship of a network that will broadcast every regular season game plus twenty exhibition games starting March 10. The network has fifty-five stations and is "still growing" ar press time. Waite Hoyt and Gene Kelly will call the action.
Braves: Television is undecided for this year, but "very likely" for next year when new broadcasting contracts are signed. On radio, WEMP will be the flagship station of a thirty-one-station network which includes WTMJ Milwaukee. Sponsors include Miller Beer, Clark Oil, and Tareyton Cigarettes. Broadcasts will begin March 10 with the first of fifteen exhibition games from Florida. Regular season broadcasts of every game begin April 10, with Earl Gillespie and Blaine Walsh as the announcers. According to the article, fewer stations will carry Braves games this year, but they'll be bigger stations with more coverage area, so ratings shouldn't be affected. NBC will also televise from County Stadium.
Dodgers: On radio, KFI-AM will broadcast 162 regular season games plus twenty-nine exhibitions. The team has a network of twenty-one stations: seven in California, six in Arizona, and one in Las Vegas. (By my math, we're seven stations short.) KTTV-TV will telecast nine games, all from San Francisco. Sponsors on both media are Union Oil, Tareyton Cigarettes, and Roi-Tan Cigars. Vin Scully and Jerry Doggett will call the action.
Cardinals: The radio network has grown to approximately sixty stations in a dozen states, with KMOX as the flagship. Spring training broadcasts begin March 12, with regular season broadcasts beginning April 10. Confirmed sponsors at press time include Busch Bavarian Beer, General Finance Corporation, and American Tobacco Company. The televised games move to KSD-TV, and the number of broadcasts will be cut from forty-five to twenty. Sponsors are Busch Bavarian Beer, American Tobacco Company, and Shell Oil. Harry Caray, Joe Garagiola, and Jack Buck will call the action on both radio and TV, with Joe also doing some pregame features for TV. There all be unspecified features on radio as well, Both CBS and NBC will also televise from Sportsman's Park.
Cubs: WGN-TV will once again air all daytime home games in color; there will also be night games televised in black and white. Confirmed sponsors at press time are Hamm's Beer and Camel Cigarettes. Jack Brickhouse and Vince Lloyd are the announcers. Or radio, WGN-AM will broadcast all 162 regular season games plus seven exhibition games beginning March 18 when the Cubs take on the Red Sox in Scottsdale, Arizona. Confirmed sponsors include Oak Park Federal Savings and Loan, the G. Heileman Brewing Company, and White Owl Cigars. Jack Quinlan and Lou Boudreau will call the action. CBS will also televise from Wrigley Field.
Phillies: WFIL-AM and TV will be the flagship stations. All regular season games will be broadcast on radio, along with an unspecified number of exhibition games. The radio network will consist of twenty-two stations in eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The television network includes WGAL- TV Lancaster and WNEP-TV Scranton-Wilkes Barre. Sponsors are the same as in past years: Atlantic Refining, Ballantine Beer, Phillies Cigars, and Tastykake. Byrum Saam, Frank Sims and Claude Haring will call the action on both media. CBS will also televise from Connie Mack Stadium.
Houston Colt .45s: KPRC-AM will broadcast all 162 regular season games on radio plus an unspecified number of exhibition games It will be the flagship of a thirteen-station English network. KCOR San Antonio will head the Spanish-speaking network. KTRK-TV will telecast fourteen road games, with American Tobacco the only confirmed sponsor at press time. (Most of the Colts' radio stations came from the White Sox network, according to the article.)
Giants: Eleven games will be televised: nine against the Dodgers from Los Angeles plus two exhibitions. All 162 regular season games will be broadcast by KSFO Radio and the Golden West Radio Network. Sponsors are Folgers Coffee, Tareyton Cigarettes, and Standard Oil of California. The Golden West Radio Network consists of the following stations (in California unless otherwise noted):
KSFO San Francisco
KFBK Sacramento
KBEE Modesto
KMJ Fresno
KSBW Salinas
KVCV Redding
KINS Eureka
KSYC Yreka (Wouldn't this be pronounced "Eureka"?)
KWSD Mount Shasta
KUKI Ukiah
KDAC Fort Bragg
KIBS Bishop
KCNO Alturas
KOOL Phoenix, Arizona
KOLD Tuscon, Arizona
KOH Reno, Nevada
KIKI Honolulu, Hawaii (not confirmed at press time)
New York Mets: All 162 regular season games and all thirty exhibition games will be broadcast on radio by WABC AM/FM. Other cities on the radio network include:
New York:
Binghamton
Elmira
Utica
Schenectady
Massena
Liberty
Ithaca
Watertown
Plattsburgh
Syracuse
Connecticut:
New Haven-Hartford
New London
Putnam
Torrington
Waterbury
Willimantic
Vermont:
Rutland
WOR-TV will telecast all eighty-three home games plus fifty road games and three exhibition games. Other stations on the TV network include:
New York:
WRGB-TV Albany-Schenectady
WPTZ-TV Plattsburgh
WNBF-TV Binghamton
WSYR-TV Syracuse
Connecticut:
WNHC-TV New Haven
Sponsors on both radio and television are Rheingold Beer and Brown and Williamson Tobacco Company, Lindsey Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy will call the action on both radio and TV. NBC will also televise from the Polo Grounds.
(Many of the old radio baseball broadcasts on the net were recorded off of WGY Schenectady, which was the Mets' affiliate at this time.)
Two pieces of on-field gossip found in the article:
1) The owners were thinking about expanding to twenty-four teams and splitting into three leagues based on geography by 1964. Atlanta was slated for one of the expansion franchises. Interleague play could have begun as soon as 1963 under this plan.
2) The A's, who were having trouble selling their TV and radio rights, almost went to Dallas in 1963 instead of Oakland in 1968
Here's the story on 1962 in the American League:
Athletics: As I said in the National League post, the A's hadn't sold their rights yet by press time. They were still in negotiations with WDAF on both TV and radio, along with potential sponsor Schlitz Beer.
Tigers: Almost everything is the same as last year. WKMH-AM Dearborn is the flagship station, with Detroit coverage split between WWJ (day games) and WJR (night games). WKMH will also carry weekend exhibition games from Florida starting March 10. In television, WJBK-TV will be the flagship of a seven-station network that will carry a total of forty-one games. Sponsors on both radio and TV are Stroh's Beer, Subway Petroleum Corporation, and American Tobacco Company. George Kell and Ernie Harwell will call the action. CBS will also televise from Tiger Stadium.
Senators: Locally. WTOP AM/FM will carry all 162 games on radio plus welected exhibition games on weekends. Ballantine Beer will sponsor four innings a game, with the rest split among various local and national advertisers. On television, WTOP will carry thirty games )eleven home, nineteen road), with twenty-five of them on weekends. Sponsors will be Ballantine Beer, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, General Mills, and Socony (Standard Oil New York) Mobil. Dan Daniels and John MacLean will be the announcers.
Nationally, the Sens have put together a network of almost a hundred radio stations stretching from Pennsylvania to Florida as well as ten television stations. The company in charge is Sports Programs Inc., which later became ABC Sports. Nat Albright and Senators radio/television director Bob Best will call 158 games. (I'm assuming that this is the radio total.)
Twins: WCCO Radio will broadcast all 162 regular season games plus some exhibition games, which will also be available on a forty-station network extending outside of WCCO's hundred-and-fifty mile protected range. Sponsors will be Twin City Federal, General Mills, and Western Oil. On television, WTCN-TV (Channel 11) will televise fifty games (eight home and forty-two road) Sponsors include Hamm's Brewing, R.J. Reynolds. American Bakeries, and Maxwell House Coffee. Herb Carneal and Ray Scott are the announcers; Carneal replaces Bob Wolff, who left for NBC.
Orioles: WBAL-TV (Channel 11) replaces WJZ-TV as the Orioles' visual flagship station. We also have a new beer sponsor on both radio and TV, as National Brewing Company of Baltimore replaces Hamm's. R.J. Reynolds shares television sponsorship, while the rest of the radio sponsorship is divided among six local businesses. WBAL-TV will telecast fifty games (eleven home, thirty-nine away), and WBAL Radio will broadcast all 162 regular season games plus some exhibition games to a network of approximately fifty stations, There's also a completely new broadcast team: Chuck Thompson, Bailey Goss, and former Orioles public relations director Jack Dunn III. CBS will also televise from Memorial Stadium,
Yankees: WCBS AM/FM will remain the radio flagship stations. Both stations will carry the entire regular season schedule; WCBS-FM will also carry the whole exhibition season, with the AM side only doing weekend games. The Home of Champions Radio Network also returns with forty stations in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. On television, WPIX will carry Yankee games for the eleventh consecutive year. The first of three exhibition games will air March 25, with the regular schedule starting April 10. Eighty-one home games and forty-six road games will be televised. Sponsors on both radio and television will be Ballantine Beer and R.J. Reynolds. Mel Allen, Phil Rizzuto, and Red Barber will describe the action. CBS will also televise from Yankee Stadium.
Indians:WERE remains the flagship station of a thirty-five-station network covering four states. Confirmed radio sponsors are Black Label Beer, Society National Bank, and Richman Brothers Clothes. Harry Jones comes over from TV to join Jimmy Dudley in the broadcast booth. Speaking of television, WJW-TV will telecast fifty-six Indians games. Black Label also sponsors on TV, along with Sohio and Sugardale Meats. Bob Neal comes over from radio to join Ken Coleman in the TV booth. NBC will also televise from Municipal Stadium.
Red Sox: WHDH Radio will be the flagship station of a forty to forty-five station network throughout New England. WHDH-TV will telecast fifty-six games (thirty-five home, twenty-one road) as flagship of a six-station network. Other stations are WPRO-YV Providence, WTIC-TV Hartford, and three stations in Maine: WMTW-TV Poland Springs, WABI-YV Bangor, and WAGM-TV Presque Isle. Sponsors on both media are Atlantic Refining, Narragansett Brewing, and American Tobacco Company. Curt Gowdy, Ned Martin, and Art Gleeson will be the broadcasters. NBC will also televise from Fenway Park.
White Sox: WCFL-AM will broadcast all 162 regular season games plus twenty-nine exhibition games and a Mayor's Trophy (what did they call it in Chicago?) game with the Cubs at Comiskey Park. They will also broadcast forty-five recreations of other American League games. The radio network consists of seventy-three stations in eleven states, with more potentially to come if they decide not to broadcast Colt '45's games. Confirmed sponsors at press time include Anheuser Busch, General Finance Company, and Corina Cigars. Bob Elson and Milo Hamilton (replacing Ralph Kiner) will call the action. WGN-TV will telecast all daytime home games along with some black-and-white night games. The total number of telecasts for both teams combined is 143. The first White Sox telecast comes April 10 when the Angels visit Chicago. Confirmed sponsors include Hamm's Beer and Camel Cigarettes. Jack Brickhouse and Vince Lloyd are the announcers. NBC will also televise from Comiskey Park.
(As of press time, WGN was still trying to figure out how to handle July 14, when both the Cubs and Sox were due to play at home in the afternoon. One possible solution was when the article called a "dual pickup". What that means, especially in practical terms, is a mystery to me. A South Side/North Side split? Each team alternates half-innings?)
Angels: KHJ-TV (Channel 9) will televise twenty-six games (six exhibition, twenty regular season). Sponsors are Standard Oil, Viceroy Cigarettes, and the Chevrolet Dealers of Southern California. Ay least one game will be televised from every other American League park. KMPC-AM (720) will be the Angels' radio flagship. Standard Oil and Viceroy will be joined as radio sponsors by Folgers Coffee. Buddy Blattner, Don Wells, and Steve Bailey will describe the action. In addition to KMPC, the Angels' radio network consists of the following stations:
California:
KERN Bakersfield
KWTC Barstow
KXO El Centro
KNGS Hanford
KCHV Indio
KSFE Needles
KPRL Paso Robles
KTIP Potervllle
KCKC San Bernardino
KIST Santa Barbara
KSMA Santa Maria
KSLY San Luis Obispo
Arizona:
KXIV Phoenix
KVUB Tucson
KVOY Yuma
Nevada:
KENO Las Vegas
National TV Info
Originally written by garretta
NBC: A fifty-game weekend schedule starts April 14-15, when the expansion New York Mets host the Pirates. The Saturday and Sunday games each weekend will be televised from the same park with one exception: June 9 and 10. Pirates-Braves will be televised Saturday (June 9) from Milwaukee; Indians-Red Sox will be televised Sunday (June 10) from Boston. There will be no Saturday telecast May 19 (reason unknown) and no coverage at all the weekend of September 8 and 9 (U.S. Tennis Championships from New York).
A hundred and fifty stations will carry the games, with Joe Garagiola and Bob Wolff as the announcers. National sponsors include Busch Bavarian Beer and Sunray Oil Company; there are also many local sponsors. The games won't be seen in Major League markets, and no color telecasts are planned,
NBC also has the rights to both All-Star Games and the World Series. The first All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 10 at D.C. Stadium in Washington. Airtime is 12:45 PM Eastern, and Garagiola will be joined in the booth by Mel Allen. The second All-Star Game will be played on Monday, July 30 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Airtime is 1:45 PM Eastern, with Vin Scully and Curt Gowdy on the call. Lindsey Nelson and John MacLean will call the first All-Star Game for NBC Radio, while Jack Quinlan and George Kell call the second.
The World Series will begin on Thursday, October 4 from Candlestick Park in San Francisco. First pitch is scheduled for 3PM Eastern. Game 2 will take place the following afternoon (Friday, October 5) at the same time and place. The series moves to Yankee Stadum in New York for Game 3 on Sunday, October 7, with first pitch at 2PM Eastern. Game 4 will take place the next day (Monday, October 8th) at the Stadium, with first pitch at 1PM Eastern.
After a one-day pause for rain, Game 5 will be at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 10, with first pitch at 1PM Eastern. The series resumes at Candlestick Park for Game 6 on Monday, October 15 after a series of postponements due to heavy rain; first pitch is at 3PM Eastern. The deciding Game 7 will be the following day at Candlestick; first pitch is again scheduled for 3PM Eastern. Mel Allen (voice of the Yankees) and Russ Hodges (voice of the Giants) will be on the call. George Kell and Joe Garagiola will call the games for NBC Radio. Garagiola will also host the pregame show on television with Bob Wolff. Allen, as voice of the victorious Yankees, will host the trophy presentation.
Each team's flagship station carried the NBC feed: KTVU-TV (Giants) and WPIX-TV (Yankees).
NBC also had the rights to the best-of-three playoff for the National League pennant between the Giants and the Dodgers. The first game was at Candlestick Park on Monday, October 1, with first pitch at 3:45 PM Eastern. The action moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for Games 2 and 3 on Tuesday, October 2 and Wednesday, October 3. First pitch each day was at 4PM Eastern. Bob Wolff called Game 1 by himself. but was joined by George Kell for Game 2 and regular partner Joe Garagiola for Game 3.
(Are we positive that Wolff called Game 1 by himself? Also, why didn't Joe simply fly with Bob from Cleveland (their last assignment of the regular season) to San Francisco? He wasn't working on Today at the time, so he had nothing that required him to go back to New York to appear on the air the next morning. Did he call either of the first two games for NBC Radio, which had the radio rights? If not, why didn't he appear on TV until Game 3?)
CBS: Approximately 165 stations will carry games on twenty-five Saturdays and twenty-three Sundays beginning April 14, when the Tigers host the Yankees. Telecasts will usually (but not always) originate from the same park on both days of a given weekend. Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese will call the action. (Gene Kirby filled in for Dean on Red Sox-Yankees September 8-9.) Sunday telecasts end September 9 due to NFL football, There will also be no Sunday telecast April 15. Sponsors include Falstaff Beer, Phillip Morris Cigarettes, General Mills, Rise Shave Gel, Colgate Toothpaste, Vitalis Hair Tonic, the J.B. Williams Company (Lectric Shave, Aqua Velva) and Simoniz.
Note: The Yankees-Tigers game on June 24 was cut off by CBS at 6PM Eastern with the score tied 7-7 in the tenth inning, The Yankees won the game 9-7 in twenty-two innings; it took six hours and fifty-nine minutes to play, which was an MLB record at the time.