2 Minute Drill: End of an era in Boston baseball

2 Minute Drill: End of an era in Boston baseball

It's the end of an era of Boston baseball.

The last remaining player from the Boston Braves, Del Crandall, died on Wednesday at age 91.

Aaron in the minors.The Braves left minors.***VIZ SFX***It’s the end of an era of Bostonbaseball... The last remainingplayer from the Boston Braves,Del Crandall, died on Wednesdayat age 91.Younger fans might be astonishedto know that there was a timewhen the Red Sox were not theonly baseball team in town....The Braves, now twice removedfrom Boston, were Boston’sNational League team... Theylast played here in 1952 atwhat’s now BU’s NickersonField... departing for Milwaukeein 1953 with some kid name HenryAaron in the minors.The Braves left their mark onBoston... Babe Ruth finished hisbig-league career with theBoston Braves.... Among theirloyal fans was Robert Kraft...The Patriots owner never forgotwhat it was like to have hisboyhood team ripped away... It’swhy he ponied up for thePatriots to make sure theydidn’t defect to St.

Louis.

TheBrady-Belichick dynasty tracesits roots to Kraft’s affectionand fondness for the Braves.The Braves won a World Series in1914... In 1948, we came soclose to an all-Boston WorldSeries.Boston baseball fans desired aStreetCar series between the Soxand the Braves... separated bythe trolley stops from KenmoreSquare along Commonwealth Ave toBraves Field... The Braves wonthe National League pennant.

TheSox succumbed to the ClevelandIndians in a one-game playoff atFenway Park.Those 1948 Braves gave us one ofbaseball’s most famous diddies-- "Spahn and Spain and Pray forRain" -- An ode to aces WarrenSpahn and Johnny Sain and thelack of pitching depth behindthem.As for Boston’s Last Brave,Crandall made his debut inBoston 1949... He didn’tactually play for the Bravestheir final season in Boston...as he missed the 1950 and1951 seasons due to militaryservice... Crandall had a greatcareer... He led the NationalLeague in assists six times andtopped all catchers in fieldingpercentage four times... He wonfour Gold Glove awards...Crandall caught the entire gamewhen Warren Spahn and the SanFrancisco Giants’ Juan Marichalstaged one of baseball’s greatpitching duels on July 2,1963... The scoreless staredownbroken up in the 16th inni