Let’s give thanks for baseball

Most sports fans turn their attention to football when it comes to the Thanksgiving holiday but I am a huge fan of classic baseball, and the holiday week will provide ample opportunity to watch the greats of Gotham and Major League Baseball in general.
My favorite, of course, is the 1969 World Series as the Mets upended the Baltimore Orioles in five games. Both MLB Network and SportsNet New York will show all five games this week.
Yankees fans will be treated to Don Larsen’s perfect game in the 1956 World Series on MLB Network.
The stars of the game come out to shine in the annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game, and MLB Network will be airing many of those contests starting next Thursday and running through the weekend.

Saturday, Nov. 21
Noon – 1956 WS game 5, Brooklyn-Yankees, noon (MLB), Don Larsen’s perfect game
5:30 p.m. – 1965 WS game 4, Minnesota-Los Angeles (MLB); Don Drysdale fans 11 Twins
7 p.m. – 1978 WS game 3, Los Angeles-Yankees (YES); Ron Guidry tosses eight-hitter and Graig Nettles saves at least four runs with outstanding fielding plays
8 p.m. – 1965 WS game 7, Los Angeles-Minnesota (MLB); Sandy Koufax tosses three-hitter on two-days rest
11 p.m. – 1968 WS game 1, Detroit-St. Louis (MLB), Bob Gibson strikes out 17

Sunday, Nov. 22
5 a.m. – 1969 WS game 1, Mets-Baltimore (MLB); Don Buford leads off game with home run off Tom Seaver, O’s win 4-1
7:30 a.m. – 1969 WS game 2, Mets-Baltimore (MLB); Jerry Koosman opens with six hitless innings and gets complete game; Ed Charles, Jerry Grote and Al Weis single in the ninth to earn 2-1 win
10:30 a.m. – 1969 WS game 3, Baltimore-Mets (MLB); Tommie Agee hits leadoff homer off Jim Palmer and makes thrilling catch in fourth inning. Gary Gentry gets the win and Nolan Ryan the three-inning save as Mets win 5-0
1:30 p.m. – 1969 WS game 4, Baltimore-Mets (MLB); Tom Seaver shuts out O’s for eight innings; O’s tie game despite Ron Swoboda’s diving grab; pinch runner Rod Gaspar scores on throwing error in the 10th as Mets win 2-1
4 p.m. – 1969 WS game 5, Baltimore-Mets (MLB); O’s squander 3-0 lead; MVP Donn Clendenon hits his third Series home run and Jerry Koosman earns second win.
4 p.m. – 1999 WS game 3, Yankees-Atlanta (YES); Chuck Knoblauch hits two-run tying homer in eighth and Chad Curtis hits 10th-inning homer
10 p.m. – 1970 WS game 1, Baltimore-Cincinnati (MLB); O’s scrap out 4-3 win at Riverfront in first Series game on artificial turf

Monday, Nov. 23
12:30 a.m. – 1956 WS game 5, Brooklyn-Yankees, noon (MLB), Don Larsen’s perfect game
3 a.m. – 1965 WS game 4, Minnesota-Los Angeles (MLB)
6:30 a.m. – 1965 WS game 7, Los Angeles-Minnesota (MLB)
9 a.m. – 2000 WS game 1, Mets-Yankees (YES); Chuck Knoblauch ties game with ninth-inning sac fly; Jose Vizcaino’s fourth hit drove in Tino Martinez in the 12th.
9:30 a.m. – 1969 WS game 1, Mets-Baltimore (MLB)
Noon – 1969 WS game 2, Mets-Baltimore (MLB)

Tuesday, Nov. 24
12:30 p.m. – 1969 WS game 3, Baltimore-Mets (MLB)
3:30 p.m. – 1969 WS game 4, Baltimore-Mets (MLB)

Wednesday, Nov. 25
Noon – 1969 WS game 5, Baltimore-Mets (MLB)

Thursday, Nov. 26
Noon – 1969 WS game 1, Mets-Baltimore (SNY)
2:30 p.m. – 1969 WS game 2, Mets-Baltimore (SNY)
3:30 p.m. – 1971 A-S Game from Detroit (MLB); Reggie Jackson hits a towering home run at Tiger Stadium; Lindsey Nelson reports from the field
5 p.m. – 1969 WS game 3, Baltimore-Mets (SNY)
6 p.m. – 1982 A-S Game from Montreal (MLB); the first All-Star Game played in Canada was the last in the National League’s 11-game win streak
7:30 p.m. – 1969 WS game 4, Baltimore-Mets (SNY)
9 p.m. – 1989 A-S Game from Anaheim (MLB); Bo Jackson hits mammoth 480-foot home run and robs Pedro Guerrero of extra-base hit, giving the American League consecutive wins for the first time since 1957-58
11 p.m. – 1969 WS game 5, Baltimore-Mets (SNY)

Friday, Nov. 27
1:30 a.m. – 1975 A-S Game from Milwaukee (MLB); Curt Gowdy calls his 12th and final All-Star Game from County Stadium; Bill Madlock’s two-run, bases-loaded single off Goose Gossage in ninth gives the NL the win
4:30 a.m. – 1976 A-S Game from Philadelphia (MLB); ABC broadcasts its first All-Star Game, ending NBC’s run from 1950-75; the late-Bob Prince is joined by Warner Wolf and Bob Uecker at the Vet; the NL wins 7-1 as Tigers phenom Mark Fidrych makes his debut with a loss
6 a.m. – 2001 WS game 5, Arizona-Yankees (YES); Scott Brosius homers off Byung-Hyun Kim in ninth; Alfonso Soriano drives in Chuck Knoblauch with winning run in 12th
7:30 a.m. – 1978 A-S Game from San Diego (MLB); Keith Jackson calls his first All-Star game, alongside Howard Cosell and Don Drysdale from the Murph; AL takes early 3-0 lead but the NL rallies with four runs in the eighth as Goose Gossage is racked around
11:30 a.m. – 1981 A-S Game from Cleveland (MLB); this Mid-Season Classic ended the 1981 baseball strike; Mike Schmidt drives in the winning runs
2:30 p.m. – 1982 A-S Game from Montreal (MLB)
6 p.m. – 1990 A-S Game from Wrigley Field (MLB); NL manages just two hits in rain-plagued game won by Bret Saberhagen and saved by Dennis Eckersley
9 p.m. – 1991 A-S Game from Toronto (MLB); second Classic to be played in Canada highlighted by Cal Ripken’s three-run home run.

Saturday, Nov. 28
1 a.m. – 1986 A-S Game from Houston (MLB); Doc Gooden is rocked by Dave Winfield and Lou Whitaker, Roger Clemens shuts down the NL and Fernando Valenzuela strikes out five in a row
3:30 a.m. – 1987 A-S Game from Oakland (MLB); Tim Raines’ two-run triple in the 13th inning snaps scoreless tie
7:30 a.m. – 1988 A-S Game from Cincinati (MLB); Terry Steinbach homers off Doc Gooden and adds sac fly; Frank Viola retired all six batters he faced
10 a.m. – 1989 A-S Game from Anaheim (MLB)
1 p.m. – 1976 ALCS game 5, Kansas City-Yankees (YES), Chris Chambliss hits a series walk-off home run
1 p.m. – 1990 A-S Game from Wrigley Field (MLB)
4 p.m. – 1991 A-S Game from Toronto (MLB)
7 p.m. – 1996 A-S Game from Philadelphia (MLB); Mike Piazza wins MVP, becoming first all-star to homer in consecutive games since Fred Lynn in 1979-80
9 p.m. – 1977 WS game 6, Los Angeles-Yankees (YES), Reggie Jackson hits three home runs
9:30 p.m. – 1997 A-S Game from Cleveland (MLB); Sandy Alomar hits two-run homer in seventh, becoming first all-star to win MVP in his home ballpark

Sunday, Nov. 29
Midnight – 1994 A-S Game from Pittsburgh (MLB); NL snaps six-game losing streak in exciting game that featured five lead changes and a triumph in the tenth inning
3 a.m. – 1995 A-S Game from Texas (MLB); NL manages just three hits but all were home runs from Craig Biggio, Mike Piazza and Jeff Conine
5:30 a.m. – 1996 A-S Game from Philadelphia (MLB)
8 a.m. – 1997 A-S Game from Cleveland (MLB)
10:30 a.m. – 1999 A-S Game from Boston (MLB); Pedro Martinez fans first four hitters; Ted Williams is celebrated during touching pre-game ceremony; Fox gets first all-star telecast in its history
1 p.m. – 1996 ALCS, Baltimore-Yankees (YES)
1:30 p.m. – 2000 A-S Game from Atlanta (MLB); Derek Jeter becomes first Yankee to win the all-star MVP with three hits and two RBI
4:30 p.m. – 2003 A-S Game from new Comiskey Park (MLB); Hank Blalock hits first pinch home run since 1995; Garret Anderson leaves a triple shy of the cycle
7 p.m. – 2006 A-S Game from Pittsburgh (MLB); David Wright homers but the NL bows in the ninth on Michael Young’s two-run triple off Trevor Hoffman
9:30 p.m. – 2007 A-S Game from San Francisco (MLB); Ichiro Suzuki hits first inside-the-park home run in all-star history

Monday, Nov. 30
12:30 a.m. – 2008 A-S Game from old Yankee Stadium (MLB); fourth All-Star visit to The Stadium results in 15-inning, 4-hour, 50-minute game