Thanks for your replies.
As per the series, Williams had an average just over .400 with three games left, a single then a doubleheader. His manager thought he should consider not playing, but Williams never considered this. The first game went badly and his average dropped to 0.3995; but he went 4 for 5 in the first game of the doubleheader to basically clinch it.
Will watch the last few episodes over the next week.
I asked the question about the feasibility of Williams adapting to the shift in this 2009 thread.
In “Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend”, author Larry Tye claimed that Paige’s ‘Hesitation Pitch’ was so effective that a rule was passed banning it when Paige got to the majors. He had developed it as a young boy, when he would throw rocks at racist bullies. An ever-so-slight pause–too little to be ruled a balk–foiled the bullies’ attempts to curl up to dodge and protect against the thrown rock. And made it exceedingly difficult for batters to hit the ball.
Unlike with most baseball innovations (bunt, spitter, curveball) which are quickly copied by other players, Paige seemed to have an almost savant-like ability with the pitch.
a) Were other sports becoming more popular at this time as well, leading to competition?
b) Was early TV a lucrative source of sports revenue at all similar to now?
c) The Dodgers moved to LA after the Brooklyn Mayor refused demands to fund a new stadium - a very modern sounding phrase. Was this the first example of an owner demanding this?
Mickey Mantle signed a contract for $1100 around the same time Mario Cuomo signed one for $2000 - though only one of these players were destined to succeed. No doubt other athletes pivoted to politics. Which baseball players became successful politicians?
The series made a lot out of a famous catch in deep centre field made by Willie Mays - implying it was “impossible” and no one else could have done it. Puffery - or just the facts?
During WW2, Gray was a successful batter with very few strikeouts and a great fielder. But he only had one arm after an accident when he was six. Mickey Mantle had osteomyelitis but was still a noted hitter and runner. What other great athletes overcame massive physical disadvantages?
Williams took a four year hiatus to serve with the Marines, which he did with great distinction in the Korean War. Was there great public enthusiasm for this conflict?
Beloved Babe Ruth died of symptoms secondary to throat cancer. Was this ever publicly blamed on or tied to chewing tobacco?
Did the New York Giants make significant efforts to stay in the city rather than move to Frisco?
The series calls Larsen “a mediocre pitcher” despite throwing a World Series perfect game. Is this fair?
Stengel saw a lot of talent in Berra and considered him his most important player. “No one could call pitches as well as Yogi”. What is the relevant importance of a Comcast her calling pitches to a coach giving signals from the dugout?
A lot of ball players are given nicknames, many of which are well known. Any lesser known nicknames which are particularly interesting?
Jim Abbott only had one hand yet pitched a no-hitter.
Larsen was only 81-91 lifetime. 3.78 ERA
The NFL in particular was becoming popular throughout the 1950s; the league began expanding at the start of the decade when they absorbed three teams from the folded All-America Football Conference (the Browns, 49ers, and the original Baltimore Colts). The Browns were widely considered to be the best professional team of any kind at the time, having won all four AAFC championships, and then playing in the NFL championship in seven of their first 8 NFL seasons (winning three).
The 1958 NFL Championship game (“The Greatest Game Ever Played”) is widely seen as a watershed moment for the NFL, jump starting the immense growth of the league over the course of the 1960s, culminating in the creation of the Super Bowl.
The NBA and the NHL… not so much. The NBA had popularity in some markets (New York, Boston, Los Angeles) but didn’t really become what it is now until the 1980s at the earliest. The NHL was still just six teams in the 1950s (two of them Canadian); it’s popularity also didn’t really grow largely until the 1980s, and the beginning of Wayne Gretzky’s career.
The 1950s were when the NFL really took off as a popular sport, and TV played a big role in that. The 1958 NFL Championship Game, in which the Baltimore Colts beat the New York Giants in sudden-death overtime, was nicknamed “The Greatest Game Ever Played,” and is credited as being a key event in the NFL’s popularity, due in large part to being televised on NBC.
At that time, the NHL was still very much a regional sport (and there were only 6 teams in the NHL!), and the NBA was young (only founded in '46), and was still small and regional, too. The other big spectator sports in that era were boxing, college football, golf, and maybe horse racing.
Fidel Castro definitely played baseball at some level, but probably no higher than intramurals at the University of Havana law school. There is a legend that he tried out for the New York Yankees or Washington Senators, but it’s bogus.
Jim Bunning, who pitched in the majors from '55 to '71, was later a U.S Congressman, then Senator, from Kentucky.
Tom Dempsey, who was born missing half of his right foot, and had no fingers on his right hand, was an NFL placekicker from 1969 through 1979. He’s best known for setting the NFL record for longest field goal (63 yards) in 1970, a record which he held until 2013.
(Sadly, Dempsey died this past April, of COVID-19 complications.)
My favorite is Death-to-Flying-Things Ferguson. (Actually, there were two other players with this nickname.)
Another is Mose Solomon, a Jewish player called The Rabbi of Swat, a play on Babe Ruth’s nickname of The Sultan of Swat.
I was thinking of him! 
Relatedly, there have been several players, most recently Ryan Braun, who have been nicknamed “The Hebrew Hammer.”
Former player and manager Mike Hargrove was dubbed “The Human Rain Delay” because of the intricate routine he went through between pitches during his at-bats, which took an inordinate amount of time.
Another good one! I like to note that, these days, every MLB batter acts like Mike Hargrove.
In addition to the series I have started reading the book - which is more detailed. It says Billy Martin was regarded as the most ornery player since Cobb. I vaguely remember seeing him as a manager. Any interesting exploits as a player?
One owner with a mediocre team allowed a 3’7” man to bat who had a strike zone of under 2 inches, and walked. The pitcher was laughing too hard to throw well anyway. Would this still be a legal move, or did it result in added rules?
Lots of quotes have been attributed to Stengel and Berra. My favourite: “The secret to good management is to keep the players who hate you away from those that haven’t decided yet.” Any truth the the story Stengel once put a sparrow under his hat to give the crowd the bird? Really?
There was also Dick Stuart, a first baseman whose fielding ineptitude earned him the nicknames of Dr. Strangeglove, Stonefingers, the Man with the Iron Glove, and Clank.
Bill Veeck was the owner.
The owner in question was Bill Veeck of the St. Louis Browns, and the player was Eddie Gaedel (#1/8). Veeck submitted Gaedel’s contract to the American League offices for review late on a Friday afternoon, knowing that it would not be looked at until the following Monday at the earliest, and then played Gaedel in a game that weekend. The AL did change policy to require all contracts to be reviewed and approved by the league prior to a player being able to play in a game as a result of that incident.
Veeck allegedly told Gaedel that he had a sharpshooter in the stands who had instructions to shoot him if he swung at a pitch.
I think Veeck also told Gaedel that he had also taken out a $1 million life insurance policy on him.