RICHMOND, Va. -- Misery Month continues here at Cartoon Canon, with the sad tale of the Yankees' sweep of the Pirates in the 1927 World Series. To say this one stings like the other entries this August is a clear overstatement, as it's a disappointment you’d have to be well clear of your 100th birthday to say you experienced firsthand. But defeats with a championship are always tough to swallow, especially considering that it might not have had to end up as one-sided as it did.
Am I seriously postulating that the Bucs might have bested New York’s Murderers Row if not for manager Donie Bush’s stubborn, taciturn benching of future Hall of Famer Kiki Cuyler (reportedly over his not running hard enough into second to break up a double play)?
Of course not! Well, not exactly … but strange things have historically happened where the Yankees and Pirates get together, with no greater example than 1960’s stunning championship by a similarly underdog squad to the one that took the field in 1927. For all their power, the Yanks managed only two home runs in the series, both swatted by Babe Ruth. And all but one of the games were close … who knows what might have happened with a clutch hit here or there?
ROB ULLMAN / DKPS
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