The Yankees and Giants swapped training sites in 1951, with the Yankees spending the spring in Arizona for the first time in their history. Stengel knew that he had an old team needing replacements so he got the Yankees to institute a pre-spring training rookie camp to evaluate young players. The 1951 Yankees added Gil McDougald, Tom Morgan, Jackie Jensen, and Mickey Mantle.
And it was a good thing that they did. On March 2, Joe DiMaggio announced that 1951 would be his last season because he was no longer Joe DiMaggio. Old Reliable, Tommy Henrich, revealed he was three years older than his listed age and he retired. Johnny Mize was thirty eight and would share first base with young Joe Collins and thirty four year old Johnny Hopp.
But it was on the pitching staff that age was really a problem. Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, Eddie Lopat and Tommy Byrne were all over thirty. Whitey Ford, who won nine while losing only one after joining the team in July of 1950 to help win the pennant was drafted into the military to help defend his country against the communists. Joe Page was lost to a sore arm.
The Red Sox were once again "invincible." The great baseball journalist, Arthur Daley, wrote a column in March, 1951 that has applied as long as the Red Sox have existed. Daley could have written it in March, 2004 and it would be just as valid.
Sarasota, March 12---Not too far away from the Red Sox training quarters is he winter home of the circus. One of the less flamboyant claims of the "The Greatest Show on Earth" is that the current product is "bigger and better than ever." The Boston Red Sox never consciously borrowed the catchline, but they are forever coming up with the promise that they also will be bigger and better than ever.
