Aug. 12, 1964 - The man on the street saluted, the umpires sang, the enemy came bearing a gift, and the boss wept.
That montage of the ordinary and the exalted of baseball fused into a glowing tribute to Fred Hutchinson (pictured) tonight at Crosley field. The occasion was the 45th birthday of the Reds’ cancer-ridden manager.
There was a cake — all 500 pounds of it. There was the Hutchinson family. There was a shower of gifts and a deluge of telegrams and best wishes — just for Hutch. And the assembled 18,291 were intent on making this birthday the happiest the popular manager has ever observed.
At 7:46 p.m., the Reds straddled the third-base line, and the Dodgers stationed themselves down the first-base line. Umpires Shag Crawford, Ed Vargo, Bill Jackowski, and Al Forman made a surprise appearance and joined the chorus already huddled around the Village Voices, a local singing group.
Moments later, owner Bill DeWitt escorted Hutch to home plate, amid a standing ovation, where already was located the huge cake.
Wally Moon, the Dodgers’ player representative, gave Hutch a clock-barometer on behalf of his teammates. Bob Purkey, speaking for the Reds, gifted their leader with a color television.
Then DeWitt stepped forward.
“On behalf of everybody, Hutch,” said DeWitt, “sincere congratulations on your birthday.”
The Reds’ owner, fighting back tears, then presented the cake and hastily added a personal gift.
Hatless, grim-faced as usual, but with a tear slipping down his cheek, the ailing manager moved to the microphone and said:
“Words are inadequate to express my gratitude and those of my family to you fans, my players, the Dodgers, everybody. Thank you very much.”
With that, the field cleared for the game. The Dodgers went to their dugout and the Reds, in stony silence, to theirs, while Hutch walked to the box seat alongside the Cincinnati bench for a kiss from his wife.
Through the knot of uniforms and unnoticed by many, DeWitt walked briskly toward an exit.
He wept.
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