INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE WORLD SERIES AND ITS TROPHY.

It may just be possible that the $15,000 sterling silver trophy - designed by Tiffany & Co. - will soon be coming to the local school or senior center or town hall near you! Given the miles it has traveled and the large number of sightings in recent weeks, some have speculated that multiple trophies must be making the rounds. Not so, according to a Tiffany & Co. executive. He personally witnessed the one-of-a-kind trophy being made. He can vouch for its uniqueness.

The Boston Pilgrims won the first World Series in 1903 by defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 in a best of nine series.

The Legend of the Curse
In 1918 the Red Sox won their 5th World Series, the most by any club at that time. One of the stars of the Boston championship franchise was a young pitcher by the name of George Herman Ruth, aka The Babe or The Bambino. In 1920, however, Red Sox owner Harry Frazee needed money to finance his girlfriend's play, so he sold Babe Ruth's contract to Colonel Jacob Ruppert's New York Yankees for $100,000 (plus a loan collateralized by Fenway Park). Since then, the Yankees, who had never won a World Championship before acquiring Ruth, have gone on to win 26, and are arguably one of the greatest success stories in the history of sport. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox have appeared in only four World Series since 1918, losing each one in game seven...until October, 2004. Many consider Boston's performance after the departure of Babe Ruth to be attributable to "The Curse of the Bambino."

The World Series was broadcast on television for the first time in 1947.

Mickey Mantle holds the record for most World Series homeruns, with 18.

How was the World Series named? The 1884 champion Providence Grays (NL) and the Metropolitan Club of NY (AA) played three games "for the championship of the United States." The winning Grays were acclaimed in the press as "champions of the world," and the World Series was born.

The first World Series was in 1884. The Providence Grays (NL) swept the New York Mets (AA) 3-0. Charles Radbourn pitched all three games for Providence and did not allow any earned runs!

The first World Series between the AL and NL was in 1903. Cy Young and the Boston Pilgrims beat Honus Wagner and the Pittsburgh Pirates 5 games to 3.

In 1912 the facade of the Times Square building posted a 16' by 7' high electic scoreboard broadcasting the play by play of the Boston Red Sox versus New York Giants World Series. Someone with a megaphone announced the game.

In 1922 the World Series was broadcast over the radio for the first time. It was the second ever subway series and the Yankees were beaten by the Giants 4-0 with one tie.

In 1951, the World Series was broadcast coast to coast in another subway series. The Yankees beat the New York Giants 4-2. Willie Mays had only four hits in the loss.

In 1955, the World Series was first broadcast in color