Celebrating 100 years of the World Series.

Play Ball! These words are music to the ears of baseball fans everywhere. They're especially sweet in the cool days of October, when the best teams in the National and American Leagues go head-to-head in the World Series.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first "Fall Classic." In October 1903, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Boston Pilgrims (now the Red Sox) faced each other in eight grueling (punishing) games. Baseball legends such as Pittsburgh shortstop Honus Wagner and Boston pitcher Cy Young played in that legendary series.

Pittsburgh jumped out to an early lead behind pitcher Deacon Phillippe. Boston answered with their aces Bill Dinneen and Cy Young--who would combine to pitch 69 of the 71 innings of that series!

On October 13, 1903, Boston won the series five games to three. This was a bitter pill for the National League (NL). The NL, which had been around for 28 years, considered the three-year-old American League (AL) to be little more than an upstart.

A Game of Memories

The first World Series was a best-of-nine-game contest. In 1905, the rules were changed to make the event a best-of-seven-game series, a change that became permanent in 1922.

The World Series has only been skipped twice. In 1904, the NL's New York Giants refused to play Boston, the AL champs! Giants' president John T. Brush said that he would not compete with a "representative of the inferior American League." He later regretted the decision and proposed continuing the series. In 1994, a salary dispute between players and team owners caused the series to be canceled.

The AL's New York Yankees, who have played in more Fall Classics than any other team, have won 26 championship titles. The St. Louis Cardinals hold the National League record, winning 9 out of 15 times.

Every World Series has its unforgettable moments. There was Enos Slaughter of the Cardinals rushing from first base on Harry Walker's single to score the winning run of game seven in 1946. There was New York Giant Willie Mays making his spectacular catch on a dead run toward the center-field wall in 1954. And in 1977, there was Yankee Reggie Jackson, socking three home runs on three first pitches.

Fans remember all of the great catches, dropped balls, and ninth-inning homers. Each story lives with names and a date. And all add to the great treasure of memories that the World Series has given us.

The Greatest of Games

Of course, the scale has changed since 1903. Pittsburgh's Exposition Park held only 8,000 people, and the cheapest tickets cost $1.50. Today, the average stadium capacity is about 47,000. And this year, a World Series ticket will cost between $110 and $175.

But many things about the event remain the same. From the beginning, the Fall Classic has been the climax to each baseball season. As the Pittsburgh Press said in 1903, the World Series is "the greatest series of ball games in the history of the national pastime."

Which team will be this year's world champions? Baseball fans across the country will soon find out!

Your Turn: THINK ABOUT IT

Do you have a favorite World Series memory? If so, share it with your classmates.

LESSON PLANS

OBJECTIVE

Students should understand:

* This year marks the 100th anniversary of the World Series, Major League Baseball's championship Contest.

TEACHING STRATEGY

Prompt a classroom discussion by encouranging students to share their favorite World Series memory.

BACKGROUND

In 1903, the Boston players each received a winner's share of $1,182. Since then the World Series's purse has increased dramatically. Last year, players on the winning Anaheim Angels received $272,147.47, while the San Francisco Giants' players received $186,185.62.

THINKING SKILLS

MAKING INFERENCES: Why did the National League feel bitter about losing the 1903 World Series? (The National League believed it should have won the World Series because it was the older, more established baseball division.)

COMPREHENSION: Why was the World Series not played in 1994? (A salary dispute between baseball players and team owners forced the cancellation of that year's championship series.)

ACTIVITY

BASEBALL'S BEST: Divide the class into small groups. Instruct each group to select one of the eight teams that will play in this year's post-season. Each group should gather the following regular-season statistics on their team: win-loss record, overall team batting average, total runs scored, team earned run average (ERA), and team fielding percentage. Each group should construct a chart displaying this information. Have each group predict their team's playoff performance based on the statistics they researched.

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Culture: How Major League Baseball's World Series has contributed to American culture.

* Time, continuity, and change: How the World Series has evolved through the last 100 years.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Stewart, Mark, The World Series (Scholastic, 2002). Grades 5-8.

* Mintzer, Richard, The Everything Kids' Baseball Book (Adams Media, 2002). Grades 5-8.

WEB SITES

* Major League Baseball www.mlb.com

* World Series History http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/worldseries.html