Cancer Crusade Program - 1952 - Can Baseball Be Made An Even Better Game

Summary

Podcast Summary: Cancer Crusade Program - 1952 - Can Baseball Be Made An Even Better Game

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Date: March 20, 2026
Panelists: Senator Ed Ford (comedian & baseball fan), Jimmy Cannon (sportswriter, New York Post), Dolly Stark (former umpire), Sid Gordon (player, Boston Braves)
Host: Bill Rogers

Episode Overview

This special episode revisits a 1952 panel discussion presented by the American Cancer Society, blending a lively debate about baseball’s improvement with advocacy for cancer research. The panel features diverse perspectives from a comedian and lifelong fan, an esteemed writer, a respected umpire, and a star player, addressing both nuanced baseball questions of the era and the pressing health cause.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. "Rabbit Ball" Debate: Is the Baseball Too Lively?

[01:54 - 04:16]

• Dolly Stark: Suggests removing some "rabbit" (liveliness) from the ball to increase the science and strategy in the game, referencing baseball’s evolution from the era of "freak deliveries."
• Sid Gordon: Notes the controversy among players—some hitters deny the ball is livelier, struggling at the plate, while pitchers blame their struggles on the “rabbit” ball.
• Jimmy Cannon: Jokes, “there’s a little turtle in the ball,” arguing that if the ball were truly juiced, stars like Gordon would hit .400 every year. Credits the slider pitch for equalizing any ball advantage.

Notable Quote:

“If this ball was as live as they say it would be, why, Gordon would hit .400 every year. And I don't think they would get Stan Musial out.”
— Jimmy Cannon [03:31]

---

2. Rule Uniformity: Inconsistencies Across Leagues

[04:16 - 06:43]

• Senator Ed Ford: Calls for consistent rules across both leagues on rained-out games, Sundays, and twilights.
• Jimmy Cannon: Argues all games should go nine innings, regardless of doubleheaders, and opposes curfew rules that terminate games prematurely.
• Sid Gordon: Shares players’ frustration with curfew-induced stoppages; prefers games are completed the same day, even if it means using stadium lights.
• Jimmy Cannon: Colorfully equates depriving hitters of hits due to rainouts as “like kidnapping one of his children.”

Notable Quotes:

“I think baseball game should go nine innings... they should make a rule in baseball demolishing those curfew gags.”
— Jimmy Cannon [04:54]

“Anytime you deprive a hitter of a hit, it's like kidnapping one of his children. I really believe that hitters like hits more than they do their children.”
— Jimmy Cannon [06:11]

---

3. Scoring in Baseball: Press Box vs. Field Level

[08:20 - 12:39]

• Jimmy Cannon: Critiques how official scorers in the press box miss plays, proposing that ex-players, writers, or umpires should be closer to the field for accuracy.
• Sid Gordon: Asserts the importance of proximity and impartiality for scorers, and shares grievances about scoring errors affecting career stats.
• Dolly Stark: Recounts an anecdote where personal bias affected scoring, highlighting the potential for favoritism.
• Panel Agreement: Good scoring requires deep game knowledge, objectivity, and consistent attention—similar in difficulty to umpiring or playing.

Notable Quotes:

“I believe that the greatest weakness in big league baseball is scoring. And I think that guys, either old ball players or all newspaper men, all umpires or all anything else, should be hired to do this important job.”
— Jimmy Cannon [09:10]

“He should be seated directly on the field, more or less as the 10th player for both sides. He’d be off at a certain position all by himself with nobody prompting him in any way…”
— Sid Gordon [10:00]

---

4. The Art and Subjectivity of Scoring

[11:00 - 12:39]

• Jimmy Cannon: Jokes that infielders should get errors if they get both hands on a ball but don't make the play; singles out third basemen as “the pets of scorers.”
• Senator Ed Ford: Pushes back, referencing the velocity and difficulty of some hits.
• Panelists: Discuss nuances requiring scorer judgment, reinforcing that scoring is an “art” demanding expertise and relentless focus.

Notable Quote:

“Anytime a big league ball player, an infielder especially, gets two hands on a baseball, he should get an error... unless it takes a bad hop or slants off a pebble.”
— Jimmy Cannon [11:24]

---

Cancer Crusade: The Underlying Cause

[06:59 - 07:59] | [12:39 - 13:18] | [13:18 - 14:05]

• All Panelists & Host Bill Rogers: Interweave reminders about the 1952 Cancer Crusade, emphasizing the prevalence of cancer irrespective of profession or status.
• Jimmy Cannon & Dolly Stark: Urge listeners to donate, highlighting advances from research and patient support, and note the American Cancer Society's role.

Notable Quotes:

“Cancer strikes people big and small in all walks of life. The American Cancer Society says one person in every five will be hit by cancer in their lifetime.”
— Jimmy Cannon [06:59]

“Nobody can relax while cancer continues to take lives at the rate of more than 200,000 a year. Don't sit back. Strike back. Give generously to your unit of the American Cancer Society.”
— Senator Ed Ford [12:39]

---

Memorable Moments & Closing

[13:18 - 14:05]

• Bill Rogers thanks all guests and urges listeners to recognize cancer’s indiscriminate impact and to support ongoing efforts.
• Panelists’ camaraderie and genuine passion for both baseball and social responsibility shine through.

---

Timestamps of Important Segments

• Rabbit Ball Debate: [01:54 – 04:16]
• Uniformity of Rules: [04:16 – 06:43]
• Cancer Crusade Appeal: [06:59 – 07:59]
• Scoring Issues in Baseball: [08:20 – 12:39]
• Subjectivity in Scoring: [11:00 – 12:39]
• Final Cancer Appeal & Farewell: [12:39 – 14:05]

---

Summary of Tone & Takeaways

The episode is marked by good-natured, occasionally sharp banter among men deeply familiar with baseball’s quirks. They are nostalgic yet realistic about the game’s challenges and equally earnest about using their platform for public health advocacy. The discussion fuses spirited debate on baseball’s improvement—ranging from technical equipment changes to rule uniformity and fair scoring—with a heartfelt pitch for cancer research support, exemplifying the storytelling and community values of old-time radio.

Transcript

[RealReal Advertiser]

So you're running out of closet space. The good news, you don't need to stop shopping. You just need to start selling with the RealReal. The RealReal is the world's largest and most trusted resource for authenticated luxury resale. Whether it's that mini bag that can't even fit your phone or those boots you never fully broke in, the RealReal handles everything from photography and copywriting to shipping and pricing. So you can just sit back, get paid, and make room for things that actually feel like you. And with 10,000 new arrivals every single day from top designers like Prior Prada, Celine, Louis Vuitton, and Loewe, all for up to 90% off retail, you're bound to find something perfectly on brand to fill that extra closet space with. Plus, right now, you can get an extra $100 to shop when you sell for the first time, make room for what feels like you go to therealreal.com to start selling and get your extra $100 to keep shopping. At therealreal.com that's therealreal.com terms apply.

[Bill Rogers]

Can baseball be made an even better game? In conjunction with the 1952 cancer crusade, the American Cancer Society takes pleasure in presenting a panel of experts who will bat this question around. Representing four different points of view and sitting around our figurative cracker barrel are the veteran comedian who was peeking over Abner Doubleday's shoulder when he invented baseball and who's been an avid fan ever since. Senator Ed Ford.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Glad to be here.

[Bill Rogers]

And we have one of America's outstanding sports writers, Jimmy Cannon, sports columnist for the New York Post and magazine contributor.

[Jimmy Cannon]

Hello.

[Bill Rogers]

A former umpire and one of the greatest men who ever called balls and strikes, Dolly Stark.

[Senator Ed Ford]

It's a pleasure to be here for a great cause.

[Bill Rogers]

And popular Sid Gordon, still the darling of the Giant fans, now starring for the Boston Braves.

[Sid Gordon]

Hello, everybody.

[Bill Rogers]

Senator Ford, you've seen baseball develop throughout the years. In your opinion, can it be made an even better game?

[Dolly Stark]

Yes. Well, in my opinion, and I could be wrong, I think that some of the rabbits should be taken out of the ball so that there would be more science in the game as they used to be when they threw oranges and all the freak deliveries. Maybe we should bring that back, too. Now, Sid, as a ball player, I know this wouldn't affect you because I think you're too good a ball player and too smart a ball player to have it too much to your batting average. I think that. What do you say about the rabbit ball, you being in there every day?

[Sid Gordon]

Well, Senator, there seems to be a difference of opinion as to whether there is a rabbit in the ball. When you say rabbit ball, you mean that the ball is really alive?

[Senator Ed Ford]

That's right.

[Sid Gordon]

Now, there are quite a few hitters in the league who have hit.230 and.240 and 250 who feel they should have done a lot better. And they'll tell you that there is no rabbit in the ball. And then you'll come across the pitcher who thinks he should win 20 games and winds up winning about eight or nine and loses 15. And he'll say, well, there's plenty of rabbit in that ball.

[Dolly Stark]

Well, Sid, may I. I'll argue against myself for just a moment. I know there are a lot of low score and low hit ball games pitched by the good pitchers and they would be good anytime anyway.

[Sid Gordon]

Well, you've got two different type of pitches. You've got pitchers that throw hard, and you've got pitchers like Preacher Rowe and Eddie Lopat who throw up an assortment of stuff, as we call it. And the pitchers who throw hard, well, they feel they can overpower you, while the pitchers who throw that slow stuff feel that they, they can get you out with their cleverness. In other words, try to get ahead of you. Get those, get a strike on you and make them. Make you bite at a bad ball.

[Jimmy Cannon]

Well, speaking as a newspaper guy who looks down at baseball from the press box, I think there's a little turtle in the ball. And the reason I say this is because if this ball was as live as they say it would be, why Gordon would hit.400 every year. And I don't think they would get Stan Musil out. And if this ball is alive, the distances are still from the plate. The same from the plate. The defenses in both leagues, except in places like Pittsburgh where they have Greenberg Gardens and other gags like that. But it seems to me that the slider has nullified any edge the hitter has on the live ball. It's an extra pitch that all pitchers came up with.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Jim, can I interrupt for just a minute? It seems to me the answer to this whole question as we've had it presented here, is this, that only one fellow, Stan Musil, hit.355 or.356, and the rest of the great sluggers are way below that. So I don't think we have the rabbit ball as we had from 1921 until about 1935. Well, I've got a question here, fellas, and I'd really like to put it in front of this fine panel. I like to see the uniformity of the rules in the major leagues in regards to rained out games and Sundays, twilight games and so forth. That is for both leagues to have the same rules. What do you think about that, Jim?

[Jimmy Cannon]

Well, I think a baseball game should go nine innings and I don't care whether it's on the butt end of a double header or the first game. I think the rule is all right that rain should stop again at five innings, but they should make a rule in baseball demolishing those curfew gags. In some towns where you get to a certain time and the ball game automatically ends, I think the ball game should be played off

[Senator Ed Ford]

at some later date, Jim.

[Sid Gordon]

Yeah, well, I'm going to go along with you, Jim. I think that when we ball players do play a game, we hate to have a game called, let's say in Pittsburgh now at 7 o' clock there's a curfew law there and we hate to have a game call and say, well, the score is tied now we have to play this game all over again, which is what has been happening. I think if you took a consensus of the opinion of the ball players themselves, I know I can speak freely for all of them that they would want, once they start the game, to finish it and let it go like it has been going. Now put the lights on if they have to, but get the ball game over and let one team win with

[Jimmy Cannon]

the exception of rain, of course, especially hitters. Anytime you deprive a a hitter of a hit, it's like kidnapping one of his children. I really believe that hitters like hits more than they do their children.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Well, Jimmy, let's take that rained out ball game at the stadium here this past season, which created quite a rule, Bob. The Yanks were leading three to one and then the Chicago White Sox came up and scored three runs. And those hits and runs and everything else was washed out due to the stalling tactics by both sides, more or less. And I think that kind of a ball game should be played at some later date to do away with all these rhubarbs and stalling.

[Jimmy Cannon]

Well, Dolly, old boy, you're kind of indicting your own profession being an umpire. That's up to the umpire to stop those stallings.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Well, you can't. They've tried it for about 75 years, since the days of Doubleday and all the rest of that motley crew.

[Jimmy Cannon]

You mean to say that there's something wrong with umpires?

[Senator Ed Ford]

There's always some trickster on A ball club.

[Jimmy Cannon]

For some reason or another, I'd like to get serious. A momo. We've been talking about how baseball can be made a better game. I'd like to tell you how we can improve our life. Some of the biggest names in baseball have been struck down by cancer. And that goes for all the other businesses, too, in the professions and the arts. Cancer strikes people big and small in all walks of life. The American cancer Society says one person in every five will be hit by cancer in their lifetime. If we could conquer it, we would remove a terrible menace. There's one way we can help it. Join the 1952 Cancer Crusade of the American cancer Society. The money we give goes to scientific research. It goes for cancer education, which saves thousands of lives every year. It goes for services to the cancer patient. Folks, dig down deep. Get to the bottom of your pocket. This is important. I think the most important cause of all today. Before you forget it, mail your contribution to cancer care of your local post office. I'll repeat the address. Cancer care of your local post office. That's all.

[Dolly Stark]

Jimmy, before this session started, you said something about scoring these days sitting in the press box. You should know a lot about that.

[Jimmy Cannon]

Well, I'm an authority on nothing, I suppose, especially baseball. I approach baseball with a fierce, dedicated ignorance. But I know enough that a guy sitting in a press box can't score a ball game and file a running story at the same time. They're not close enough to the field, and their concentration is not enough when a guy has to worry about filing a running story for a morning paper. Even in the stale cliches we use this, the cheapest of all literature, which is the running story out of anything. He hasn't the time to clearly see what's going on in a ball field. And I believe that the greatest weakness in big league baseball is scoring. And I think that guys, either old ball players or all newspaper men, all umpires or all anything else, should be hired to do this important job.

[Sid Gordon]

Jimmy, I. I'd like to interrupt and add a few more things to what you say. I'm speaking as a ball player who has, at some time or another, kicked about the scorekeepers due to an error that they might have given me or in reference to a base hit that I was supposed to have gotten. Now, my opinion in scoring a ball game is this. I think that anybody who is going to score this game, whether it be an old, an ex ball player or an ex writer or somebody who really, really knows the game, the ins and outs of the game. He should be seated directly on the field, more or less as the 10th player for both sides. He'd be off at a certain position all by himself with nobody prompting him in any way, letting him use his own judgment and situated in a place where he could possibly see every play, every ball that's hit and who's going to field it and how it's fielded. Many times a ball is hit that takes a bad hop in front of a shortstop or a second base or the other infielders, and it'll hit a pebble and hit him in the shoulder. Well, the scorer who's sitting up in the box is going to give him an error. But ordinarily he's going to get. He should have gotten a base hit.

[Dolly Stark]

Well, Sid, I agree with you on all of that I saw. I know of an instance where a scorer admitted that he liked a certain Brooklyn ball player and gave him three hits on obvious errors by the infielders.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Well, in going over this thing, Senator Ford, I wish to say, in accordance with Jim, that it's a great art. A fellow should know practically everything that goes with baseball. A position of players, the kind of a ball that was hit, whether it was slow. There's 100,000 different kind of grounders or fly balls. Where was that man? And then the concentration is just as great as umpiring or playing a game of baseball.

[Jimmy Cannon]

Well, I believe in many instances, and I'm sure Sid will hate me for the rest of his life, that anytime a big league ball player, an infielder especially, gets two hands on a baseball, he should get an error. And Sid is a third baseman and outfielder and third basemen are really the pets of scorers. A ball is hit directly at a third baseman, he should field it unless it takes a bad hop or slants off a pebble or something.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Well, sometimes, Jimmy, there's balls hit like a shot out of a cannon and a fellow can't move a step and he may just even fling himself, you know, or go after that ball on the ground and Karen's off his wrist and out into the outfield.

[Jimmy Cannon]

I'm not talking about flinging himself. You're talking about acrobats. You're thinking of the Jacoby Troop.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Even one right at them. They're hit like a shot out of a cat.

[Jimmy Cannon]

They're hit right at them. They're big league third bas, and they should come up with it.

[Senator Ed Ford]

Well, that's the judgment that must be exercised by a scorer, Jim, because that's

[Jimmy Cannon]

a great odds and incidentally, I never scored in my life. And I honestly don't think I'm competent enough to score from a press box. And I've seen umpires. Present company accepted, miss a play. So how can a guy sit in a press box and call everyone even with a trivial accuracy?

[Senator Ed Ford]

See, the great odd of that, Jimmy, is being at the proper angle at all times, too. And really concentrating for the whole nine innings. You know, fellas, I'd like to flash a reminder as to why we're here. And that is to help in the 1952 cancer crusade. To strike back at the disease which will strike one American in every five. Folks, nobody can relax while cancer continues to take lives at the rate of more than 200,000 a year. Don't sit back. Strike back. Give generously to your unit of the American Cancer Society. May your contribution to cancer care of your local post office.

[Bill Rogers]

Remember, friends, as Dolly Stark has said, mail your contribution to cancer care of your local post office. Don't forget, cancer strikes one in five. It is no respecter of persons. Anyone, man, woman or child can develop it. Protect yourself by knowing cancer's seven danger signals. And join in the fight against it. Strike back. Give generously to conquer this disease. And now, fellows, may I offer the thanks of the American Cancer Society for your appearance here to discuss the question, can baseball be made an even better game? Thanks to you, Sid Gordon, Dolly Stark, Jimmy Cannon and Senator Ford. This is Bill Rogers speaking.

[Jimmy Cannon]

Are you really buying a car online on Autotrader right now?

[RealReal Advertiser]

Really? I can get super specific with dealer listings and see cars based on my budget. You can really have it delivered or pick it up.

[Jimmy Cannon]

Mommy, walk.

[RealReal Advertiser]

I think kid is walking up the slide. Really? Autotrader, Buy your car online? Really?

[Jimmy Cannon]

Tyler redich here from 2311 Racing Victory Lane. Yeah, it's even better with Chumba by my side. Race to chumbacasino.com let's Chumba. No purchase necessary VTW Group void where prohibited by law. CTNCs21+ sponsored by Chumba Casino.