The Popcorn Stand: Bill Freehan, Doug Harvey and Jose Feliciano

The death of longtime Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan this week of course gives me the chance to offer another installment of Six Degrees of Separation of Porterville, or at least the Porterville area.

Bill Freehan was involved in one of the most famous plays in World Series history that completely turned around the 1968 World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals were ahead in the series 3 games to one and were leading in game 5 of the World Series when it appeared Lou Brock was going to score on a single to left field.

But Brock didn’t slide. Had he slid, Brock would have been easily safe. But instead he came in standing up, Freehan partially blocked the plate and applied the tag.

And the home plate umpire called Brock out. The home plate umpire who called Brock out was Hall of Famer Doug Harvey who eventually came to settle in the Springville area until he died in 2018.

Harvey came to this area as a result of his participation in the annual Golf-a-rama at River Island, the event started by Monte Moore that was held every year to benefit youth athletics. Of course Moore is a distinguished longtime announcer best known for being the lead playby-play radio announcer for the Oakland Athletics during their heyday when they won three straight World Series from 1972-1974. Moore has been a longtime resident of Porterville.

That famous play in which Harvey called Brock out can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr4j3glhl0k Actually it’s difficult to see because of the shadow but what’s not difficult to see is Harvey emphatically call Brock out — and that he was in the right position to make the call.

And what’s also not difficult to see is the displeasure of the Cardinals, who vehemently argued the call. I must have watched that play a hundred times and I have to admit I’ve never been able to come to a conclusion on if Brock was safe or out.

Until I featured a story on Freehan in Friday’s edition of The Recorder and a photo of that famous play to go along with the story. It’s an amazing photo.

I hope it won all kinds of awards. It definitively shows Brock never touched home plate and he was indeed out.

That photo gives me a chance to go off on one of my tangents. One of the most famous sports photos every taken was of quarterback Y.A. Title toward the end of his career kneeling with his helmet off and blood running down his face.

That photo won all kinds of awards. But it never won the Pulitzer Prize. Because it never appeared in a newspaper at that time. Because at that time the newspaper editor said he needed an action photo and that photo didn’t have any action.

Anyway back to that play in the 1968 World Series. The play was the turning point of the series as the Tigers came back to win game 5 and eventually the series in seven games.

There was also another historic moment that happened before game 5 of the World Series. Jose Feliciano’s rendition of the national anthem was really the first time in which a performer deviated from the traditional version of the anthem in anyway.

By today’s standards, Feliciano’s version is tame and it’s actually beautiful. It can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=aqky2ufbub4

But in 1968 Feliciano’s version created a firestorm and led to all kinds of laws being passed all over the country requiring the national anthem to be performed traditionally as it had always been.

One more thing about Doug Harvey. He’s also involved in one of the most important, but not well-known, non-calls in World Series history. Harvey was also the home plate umpire in game one of the 1988 World Series.

Of course that was the game in which Kirk Gibson hit the game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 win over the A’s. The Dodgers went on to win the series in five games.

But what people don’t remember is Mike Davis drew a two-out walk to bring Gibson to the plate. As the tying run, he stole second to get into scoring position.

But when he stole second, A’s catcher Ron Hassey argued Gibson interfered with his attempt to throw. Had Harvey actually called Gibson out to end the game and the A’s would have won, what would that have done to the outcome of that series?

But in the end we have two iconic moments in World Series history. And they’re thanks in no small part to Harvey.