The Arne Harris Appreciation Society

  The Cub right-hander was mowing them down from the 3rd inning on, retiring the last 17 Braves batters to face him heading into the 9th. Dizzy Dean was warming up his harmonica for the 1st running of the "Wabash Cannonball", so here's Pee Wee Reese for the 9th inning call. REESE: Hobbie will face Mathews, Aaron and Adcock here in the 9th, looking to complete this game here at Wrigley Field. Spahn vs. Cardwell. same time tomorrow over these same stations. Mathews has walked and singled in 3 trips this afternoon. The pitch from Hobbie, swung on and hit deep to right, back goes Williams, she is gone! Eddie Mathews takes a Hobbie fast ball and hits it very deep to right, giving the Braves their 1st run since the 3rd inning. It is now an 8-3 ball game, which also snaps the streak of 17 in a row retired by Hobbie. It is also the Braves first homer this season. Here's Aaron, 0-2 with a sac fly and he takes the next pitch from Hobbie deep to center field, you can kiss that o...

The Braves threatened, putting runners at 1st and 2nd with nobody on in the top of the 2nd, before Hobbie put down the rally with a fly ball to center and a 6-4-3 DP. Al Heist led off the Cub 2nd with a homer to right, making the score 2-0 after 2. The Braves would tie it up in the 3rd after Carl Willey led off with a pop to Zimmer at 2nd. (More from Zim later) Then up stepped Lee Maye: DEAN: Maye fouled to the catcher in the 1st, Braves trail by 2 here in the 3rd. The pitch to Maye is lined up the middle for a base hit. Maye now 1 for 2, here comes Bolling, a fly to left in the 1st. Maye takes off, the throw to 2nd, not in time, it gets away from Zimmer, it'll be backed up by DeMerit at center, no further advancement for Maye, who swipes his 2nd base of the season. (Bolling walks) Here's Mathews, recipient of a walk in the 1st. Infield playing for 2. The pitch to Mathews, lined to center and through for a base hit, Maye races past 3rd, he will put Milwaukee on the board, round...

  PEE WEE REESE: Good wind blowing out at Wrigley, should help the hitters this afternoon. Hobbie finishes his warm-ups, Maye steps in the batter's box, we're about ready to go and so is "The Pride of St. Louis" himself, Dizzy Dean. DIZZY DEAN: Thank you, Pee Wee. Boy, it's good to be back with you for Falstaff and let's get this show on the road. Right-handed pitcher Hobbie facing the lefty bat of Lee Maye, batting .250 with an RBI. The pitch to Maye is popped behind the plate foul, Taylor says "I'll take it", there's one out. Now the 2nd baseman, Frank Bolling. He was acquired from Detroit in the deal that sent Bill Bruton to the Tigers. Hobbie's pitch is hit to left field, Ashburn puts it away, there's 2 outs. The veteran 3rd baseman Eddie Mathews takes his spot in the box, he's batting .417 with an RBI. The pitch from Hobbie misses low, Mathews will take 1st. With 2 outs, here's the pride and joy of Mobile, Mr. Henry Aaron...

Well, sort of.   After some success with a blog devoted to the 1961 baseball season via my Strat-O-Matic replay, I have decided to try a blog devoted to faux baseball play-by-play from that season based on my replays. My first game will be the April 15 1961 Braves-Cubs from Wrigley Field, which also launched the 1961 series of Saturday-Sunday baseball games on CBS called by Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese. Not having witnessed them telecasting baseball, this may be a challenge for me, but I will do my very best to recapture the feel for these early baseball telecasts.   Look for this and other "telecasts" coming soon!