ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 5, 1996 TAG: 9602050103
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
ONE OF BASEBALL'S most famous home runs is still remembered almost 46 years after Bobby Thomson belted it.
Bobby Thomson, who was born in Scotland, raised on Staten Island, lives in New Jersey and hit a home run some claimed was heard 'round the world, still is known far and wide.
Thomson, who at age 72 continues to work as a salesman of paper products, was at a corporate Super Bowl party in Florida this year when he was startled to hear somebody say, ``Hey, No.23.''
Thomson, who wore that number in his days as a third baseman and outfielder for baseball's New York Giants, thought his ears had played a trick on him. Then he heard it again.
``Hey, No.23,'' a guy said.
The greeting was coming from a group of four men who were smiling at him.
``Just ball fans,'' Thomson said. ``They must have been teen-agers when I was playing. I still run into people who recognize me. It's not like you're Joe DiMaggio or Mickey Mantle, where they can't miss you, though.''
When it comes to baseball celebrities, they don't come much more can't-miss than Bobby Thomson. Hit a home run as famous as the one Thomson did that Oct.3, 1951, afternoon against the Brooklyn Dodgers and you end up on the receiving end of lots of rounds of drinks.
Thomson was at the Salem Civic Center on Sunday night as the featured speaker at the induction ceremony for the Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall of Fame. The honorees were Liberty High School coach Jim Cutler, longtime Roanoke amateur baseball booster Wayne LaPierre, Virginia Tech coach Chuck Hartman and former big-league and Salem Pirates reliever Kent Tekulve.
Thomson had been cutting back his work with an eye to retirement three years ago when his wife of 42 years - her parents had named her Elaine, but everybody knew her as ``Winky'' - fell ill with cancer. Four months later, she was gone. Under those dreadful circumstances, work almost became therapy for the grieving Thomson.
``Something like that is very difficult,'' he said. ``But I have three kids, some wonderful friends, and I was able to stay busy with my work and baseball-related activities.''
Happily, some of the baseball-related activities such as card shows and appearances, helped give a financial boost to some charitable enterprises, several of them in the field of cancer treatment. Thomson is particularly proud of his work with the Tomorrow's Children fund, which was set up by the families of childhood cancer victims.
``It's a wonderful thing to see the work that that organization does,'' Thomson said.
It would have been a wonderful thing to have been there at the Polo Grounds the day Thomson settled the National League pennant race, thus bringing the Giants back from a deficit in the standings that had been 131/2 games in mid-August. Down the stretch, the Giants went 37-7.
Thomson often has been called to recount the events surrounding possibly the most famous home run ever. Thomson has described his orders from his manager, Leo Durocher, before the famous at-bat. With the score- 4-2, two on and one out, Durocher had growled:
``If you ever hit one, hit one now.''
Thomson said he marched to the plate with one thought:
``You're a pro. Act like one. Do a good job.''
That, he surely did.
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. The Salem-Roanoke Baseball Hall ofby CNBFame inducted four new members Sunday night. Guest speaker Bobby
Thomson (second from left) joined new members (from left) Kent
Tekulve, Jim Cutler, Chuck Hartman and Wayne LaPierre.