[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S12244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO THE 1968 AND 1998 BASEBALL SEASONS

 Mr. KERREY. Mr. President, I rise to make a few remarks about 
a fellow Nebraskan and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his 
legendary baseball season.
  ``Let us go forth a while and get better air in our lungs. Let us 
leave our close rooms. The game of ball is glorious.''--Walt Whitman.
  Indeed, this year baseball has been ``glorious.''
  The highlight of my job is traveling our state and going into 
communities to listen and learn. These learning discussions reflect the 
diverse and varied needs of our state, but this summer there has been 
one constant in all of my meetings. From Omaha to Ogallala, from 
Bellevue to Beatrice, everywhere throughout the State, Nebraskans have 
been talking baseball--specifically, the heroics of Mark McGwire and 
Sammy Sosa.
  This year's heroics have left me reminiscing about the 30th 
anniversary of another magical summer, this one in 1968, when the eyes 
of the world were trained on a native Nebraskan--the great Bob Gibson. 
The St. Louis Cardinal unleashed onto the baseball world quit possibly 
the best season a pitcher has ever thrown.
  Nebraskans have come together to watch McGwire and Sosa pursue the 
number 61 in a way no one thought possible. It was as if these two 
hitting giants entered a zone unknown to us mortals. Before this 
season, it seemed unheard of to even mention the numbers 70 and 66. 
Allowing us to follow in their chase was like joining two explorers on 
the verge of discovering a new world.
  The highlight of many a long day this season was to watch the nightly 
edition of ESPN's Sportcenter and see which man was setting history 
that day. At a time when divisions were tugging at the seams of our 
political system, baseball brought us together. Every American--
Republican or Democrat, right, left or center--found common ground in 
watching these baseball pioneers explore a new sports frontier.
  For me, only Bob Gibson's 1968 heroics match up with this season's, 
1998 was as enjoyable as 1968 because of the tremendous season Bob 
Gibson had. As a New York Yankee fan, I have earlier, unhappier 
memories of Gibson. It was the 1964 World Series and the Cardinals were 
facing a tough Yankees lineup featuring Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, and 
Whitey Ford. I was convinced the Bronx Bombers would win out. It was 
not to be. The determined Gibson won twice and finished off the series 
with a victory in the seventh and final game, earning the Most Valuable 
Player award.
  In 1968, Gibson was coming off another World Series MVP award as the 
Cardinals defeated Carl Yastrzemski's Red Sox the previous year. Gibson 
started that season with some hard luck losses and did not get going 
until late spring. But once he got going, there was no stopping this 
train.
  That summer I was in SEAL Team training in San Diego. A lot of people 
there were snarling, but none of them could match the menace Gibson 
wore on his face when he ascended the mound. When Gibson came to the 
mound, everyone in the park could feel his intensity. As his catcher, 
Tim McCarver, would say, he had the ``Look.'' It seemed as though 
Gibson could ``Look'' a strikeout before he even began his pitching 
motion. He was a command pitcher who mastered the edge he needed for 
each batter who dared to engage him in combat. His renowned discipline, 
his pure intimidation and his intellect for the game created a master 
craftsman in the art of pitching. Whether it be his blazing fastball or 
his snapping slider, the sight of Gibson with his right leg ominously 
moving from beginning to end, while unraveling his cannon of a right 
arm, exploding the unhittable white ball into the leather of the 
catcher's paws was a sight for all.
  In the beginning of June of 1968, Gibson began to unveil a 
performance so dominating, so powerful, it seemed as though the mystery 
of pitching had finally been solved and only Gibson had the blueprints, 
hand-delivered from the creators of the game. Starting in early June 
and finishing in early August, Gibson had thrown an astounding 10 
shutouts. If not for one earned run against the Dodgers, Gibson would 
have finished with 71 straight scoreless innings, easily surpassing the 
record of 59 Orel Hershiser set in 1988. At one point, Gibson had 
pitched 95 innings, which is almost a half season for today's pitchers, 
and allowed only 2 earned runs, for an unheard-of ERA of 0.19.
  This season, Randy Johnson led baseball with six shutouts. In 1968, 
Gibson had 13, shutting out every team but the Dodgers. The end of Cal 
Ripken's streak this year reminded us of the value of baseball's work 
ethic. In 1968, Gibson was also a dominating workhorse, completing 28 
of his 34 starts and going into the eighth inning in all but two. Led 
by his fastball and slider, Gibson was the league champion in 
strikeouts with 268.
  Recounting Gibson's 1968 season, Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Billy 
Williams would say many right-handed batters suffered ``Gibbyitis''--a 
mysterious malady that would somehow take batters ill on the day their 
team faced Gibson.
  Gibson finished the 1968 season with a 1.12 ERA--which is the record 
for over 300 innings pitched, besting Walter Johnson's 1.14 in 1913. He 
won both the Cy Young Award and the MVP of the 1968 season, while also 
earning another Golden Glove Award for his strong fielding. His 
recordsetting exploits did not end in the regular season, as he set 
another Herculean record when he mercilessly fanned 17 Detroit Tigers 
in the World Series.
  Bob Gibson dominated 1968. While doing so, he marveled America with a 
performance so strong, so masterful, so historic, that it should be 
remembered at a time 30 years later when two others stunned the country 
with their mythical skills. Nebraskans should be proud that one of us 
could produce such a season. I want to thank baseball for 1968 and 
1998, both `glorious' years.

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