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 “Thrill of Victory” Photo Gallery
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The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat, World Series Style!

“The best possible thing in baseball is winning the World Series…and the second best thing is losing the World Series!” – Hall-of-Fame manager Tommy Lasorda

In past essays, I’ve explored the “Agony of Defeat”  — World Series style — with posts highlighting numerous World Series goats. So now that we’re again in full World Series mode, I’ll instead just concentrate today on what is much more fun: the “Thrill of Victory.”

I’ve always enjoyed looking at raucous clubhouse celebration scenes after World Series victories. Even more so from the old days — before the advent of the big bucks  — when baseball was played more for the love of the game than anything else. We’ve all seen it many times. There just doesn’t seem to be anything else like a World Series victory that’s capable of bringing out such uninhibited emotions, such complete and utter joy.

You see guys in the clubhouse celebrations doing all sorts of crazy things they normally would never do…like mussing each other’s hair and even planting kisses on each other! All the clubhouse cliques, grudges, jealousies, and resentments that had built up over the long season are cast aside once a World Series victory rolls around. Guys who hated each other and probably weren’t even on speaking terms during the season are now routinely seen hugging and embracing! All is forgiven and forgotten. Everyone is happy and smiling. And things really haven’t changed much over the years. Even in today’s game, where money has become such a huge factor, we still see the same genuine emotions on display year after year.

Above, we see Cookie Lavagetto being carried off the field by his ecstatic teammates after his heroics won Game Four  of the 1947 World Series. But that celebration was short-lived. The Yankees eventually won the Series in seven games.  In today’s featured photo above, we see the normally quiet and reserved Joe DiMaggio in a very uncharacteristic moment. He’s enjoying an emotional embrace with teammate Hank Bauer after the Yankees won the 1951 World Series. Almost hard to believe! What else besides a World Series victory could possibly bring out such pure, uninhibited child-like emotions, especially from a straight-laced guy like Joe DiMaggio? It’s a side of him we don’t see very often in old photos.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons why we love this game so much. Like all the players shown in the photo gallery above, we also can revert to our childhood for a brief moment or two, basking in sheer emotional joy, when our team wins the Fall Classic…and no one can blame us!

After all, according to Tommy Lasorda, there’s nothing better! (see quote above!)

Gary Livacari 

We’d love to hear what you think about this or any other related baseball history topic…please leave comments below.

Photo Credits: All from Google search

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