JULY 21, 2004
Podres, four others join G.F. baseball hall of fame
Ex-Dodger inducted into area Hall of Fame
By MICHAEL LEWIS - mlewis@poststar.com

GLENS FALLS -- Johnny Podres already knows what the first line of his obituary will be.

He's known it for several decades now.

When you're remembered as the guy who made thousands of people in Brooklyn happy one October day in 1955, there's not much you can do to top it.

Podres has a permanent place in baseball history for pitching an eight-hit shutout in Game 7 of the 1955 World Series, leading the Dodgers to a world championship for the first time.

Podres won 148 games in the majors and pitched in three other Fall Classics, but it's 1955 that everyone remembers.

"Practically every day someone asks me about it," Podres said Tuesday night. "I'm glad so many people who remember are still alive."

Moments earlier, a woman walked up to Podres and told him that she and her whole family cried the night of Oct. 4, 1955.

"You were crying? Everybody in our clubhouse was crying, too," Podres told the woman, grabbing her arm and smiling.

Podres was at East Field Tuesday to accept induction into the Glens Falls Area Baseball Hall of Fame. He and Dave LaPoint, Dave Palmer, the late Ebba St. Claire, and John Smoltz were all honored between games of a Glens Falls Golden Eagles doubleheader.

Podres is not a native of Glens Falls, having been born and raised in Witherbee, about 70 miles from Glens Falls. But he's been a resident for 20 years, and joked during his acceptance speech about his dual residency.

"I always tell people that I was born and raised in Witherbee, but now, you do this nice thing and put me in the Hall of Fame, I'm going to start saying I'm from Glens Falls," he said.

Podres had a long baseball career, starting with 15 years as a pro pitcher and 14 years as a coach. After retiring from baseball in 1996 following a job as pitching coach of the Philadelphia Phillies, he returned to Glens Falls.

He said he was very fortunate to be able to attend the ceremony Tuesday; he was in the hospital last week for surgery and only was released four days ago.

"I thought my wife was going to have to do this for me," Podres said. "I feel very honored to be able to be here myself."