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  • October 3rd, 1951: The New York Giants face off against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the deciding game in a tied series for the National League pennant.

  • Bottom of the ninth inning, down by 2 runs with runners on second and third, 1 out. Bobby Thompson steps up to the plate.

  • "Brooklyn leads it 4-2 ... One out, last of the ninth ... Branca pitches ...

  • Bobby Thomson takes a strike called on the inside corner ... Bobby hitting at .2952 ... Branca throws ...

  • There's a long drive ... it's gonna be, I believe ...

  • THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT!

  • Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands! The Giants win the pennant and they're goin' crazy, they're goin' crazy!

  • I don't believe it! I don't believe it!"

  • Bobby Thompson's "Shot Heard Round the World" may have been the greatest moment in all of baseball,

  • America's pastime, a game started back in the 1800's and America's first professional sport.

  • While Abner Doubleday is usually credited with the creation of baseball in 1839, the first rules of baseball were written in 1845 by a New York baseball club the "Knickerbockers".

  • Alexander Cartwright, the author, is commonly referred to as the "Father of Baseball".

  • May 4th, 1869: The Cincinnati Red Stockings played the first professional baseball game in a 45-9 win over the Great Westerns of Cincinnati.

  • Between 1845 and 1869, players were mainly amateurs who played only in their own city.

  • The Red Stockings played nationally and posted a 65-0 record in 1869, the only perfect record in baseball history.

  • The first attempt at forming a "major league" was the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players, which lasted from 1871-1875.

  • In 1876, a more structured league, the National League, was formed.

  • The National League is the oldest surviving major league, and its counterpart, the American League, was founded in 1901.

  • The National Agreement of 1903 formalized relations between the two leagues and signaled the advent of the World Series, which pits the two league champions against each other.

  • Baseball became increasingly profitable as its popularity grew, which led to disputes between players and owners over income distribution and control.

  • These disputes culminated in 1919 with the Black Sox scandal, in which members of the Chicago White Sox conspired to throw the 1919 World Series.

  • This scandal led to the formation of a new National Commission of Baseball and its commissioner, which oversees both leagues and brought them closer.

  • Before 1920, most baseball was played with scrappy "scratch-for-runs" play.

  • This era, known as the dead-ball era, ended in 1920 with multiple rule changes that made it more advantageous for hitters.

  • This resulted in more runs and sluggers -- players who hit for power -- than before.

  • This era saw the rise of perhaps the most famous player in all of baseball -- Babe Ruth.

  • "The greatest athletic feat in the United States is to hit a home run.

  • It's a wonderful moment where the ball goes off the playing field, and everything stops, and the guy gets to celebrate. And that really didn't exist before Babe Ruth."

  • In the late 20's and 30's, St. Louis general manager Branch Rickey developed the first modern "farm system", where younger players gain experience before moving to the next level.

  • December 7th, 1941: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, forcing America to enter into World War II.

  • As most players went off to fight in the war, Chicago Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley formed the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League to help keep the game in the public eye.

  • This all-girls professional league lasted from 1943 to 1954, as the end of the war allowed the major leagues to rebound.

  • On April 15th, 1947, the most historic event in baseball occurred when Jackie Robinson debuted for the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the league's color barrier.

  • Since the beginning of baseball, African-Americans had not been allowed to play with whites, and had to instead form their own leagues, such as the Negro National League and the Negro American League.

  • While he may not have been the best player in the Negro Leagues at the time,

  • Robinson, talented, educated, and more importantly, with the emotional fortitude to handle the abuse, succeeded in the league.

  • General Manager Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn Dodgers recognized this inner strength and signed him.

  • While integration was slow-paced, black participation rose steadily to 27% by 1974.

  • "There is no greater figure, in terms on the impact on the social history in America than Jackie Robinson.

  • In April, 1947 when Jackie took the field for the Brooklyn Dodgers, not only did he break the color line of Major League Baseball,

  • but he really broke the color line for mainstream America."

  • "It's almost as if you say, 'If it cost my life, I'm willing to do it for the cause.' And he did that.

  • He was very articulate, and, I believe, a great role model for African-Americans,

  • but not only for them, for all Americans. He was a great role model."

  • In 1953, the Major League Baseball Players Association was formed.

  • The union was the first to survive more than a few years, and became successful after a few years of ineffectiveness.

  • The union was also successful in creating the designated hitter rule to baseball and in the creation of the free-agency system.

  • In 1958, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants relocated to California, becoming the first teams to move across the Mississippi.

  • These moves came with the growth of the cities in the West and the new markets available to them, and ensured the League's reach throughout the entire country.

  • The rise of television had the most impact on baseball, as revenue increased dramatically and teams attracted national audiences.

  • Television created channels for sports, such as ESPN, and allowed fans to watch virtually every game from home.

  • The new attention also brought on new attention to players, as for the first time ever they had elevated to a super-star status.

  • "Three balls and two strikes. The over-shift is on. And Bacsik deals. And Bonds hits one high, hits it deep, it is out of here!"

  • August 7, 2007: Barry Bonds hits home run number 756, breaking Hank Aaron's all-time home run record.

  • This mark is the defining moment of the steroids era.

  • Before 2004, there was no penalty for the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

  • However, the issue over the use of steroids began to attract significant attention in 1998, when Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire both broke Roger Maris's record for home runs in a single season.

  • Since then, several dominant players have been found to use illegal performance enhancing drugs, most recently New York Yankees's Alex Rodriguez.

  • "Well, back then, back in the day, that was it. It was readily available. Guys at gyms talked about it.

  • I believe it was winter of '89 and '90 I was given a couple weeks worth. Tried it, never thought anything of it."

  • [Abbott and Costello performing "Who's on First?"]

  • Since its beginning, baseball has had a broad impact on the United States, both in culture and in sports.

  • Baseball has given way to numerous award-winning films, literature, comedic sketches, and video games.

  • Baseball also inspired the creation of baseball cards, collecting and trading cards of certain players, which has now extended to most sports.

  • Baseball also inspired the first fantasy leagues with the invention of Rotisserie League Baseball.

  • However, the most prominent impact baseball has had on society is the baseball cap, which has now extended to different caps of different designs and logos throughout most of American culture.

  • Today, baseball is played in many countries around the world, with the best competition playing in the major leagues.

  • Currently, the major leagues consist of 30 teams across two leagues, the American League and the National League, with 15 teams in each.

  • Teams play 162 games throughout the year, and the MLB, or Major League Baseball, brings in a yearly revenue of around 7 billion dollars, with the average salary of a single player being around 2.5 million dollars.

  • The impact baseball has had on America is immense to an extent that no other sport can hope to achieve.

  • Baseball has given America a profound influence in everyday society.

  • Baseball's rich history encapsulates all of what is important to America.

  • Many common everyday expressions come from baseball, such as "three strikes and you're out", "that one threw me a curveball", or "he hit a home run with that one".

  • Who doesn't know the words to "Take me out to the ballgame"? Even non-baseball fans know the lyrics.

  • Baseball is America's pastime.

  • As the great American poet Walt Whitman once said, "I see great things in baseball. It's our game -- the American game."

October 3rd, 1951: The New York Giants face off against the Brooklyn Dodgers in the deciding game in a tied series for the National League pennant.

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