Christmas crooner Bing Crosby flew to Paris to avoid jinxing the Pirates in the 1960 World Series

Bing Crosby flew to Paris to avoid 1960 World Series

By Mike Bertha

December 22, 2015

If you leave your house any time between now and the first day of 2016, chances are you're going to hear at least a portion of Bing Crosby's timeless rendition of "White Christmas."

You might already know that "White Christmas" was originally an Irving Berlin tune. And you might already know that Crosby's famous version is the most popular song in history, as it's sold more than 100 million copies.

But did you know that Crosby used to be part owner of the Pirates? And did you know that -- when those Pirates were all tied up with the Yankees after the first six games of the 1960 World Series -- Crosby was so nervous for Game 7 that he didn't think he could stomach watching, worrying that he'd jinx his team.

He also didn't trust himself to stay stateside without turning his television on, so he flew to Europe so he'd have no way of watching. Seriously. The New York Times reported that Crosby flew to Paris to vacation with his wife, Kathryn, and had the deciding game recorded on five reels of 16-millimeter film, which remained hidden in the wine cellar of Crosby's San Francisco home until they were discovered in 2009:

"He knew he would want to watch the game later - if his Pirates won - so he hired a company to record Game 7 by kinescope, an early relative of the DVR, filming off a television monitor. The five-reel set, found in December in Crosby's home, is the only known complete copy of the game, in which Pirates second baseman Bill Mazeroski hit a game-ending home run to beat the Yankees, 10-9. It is considered one of the greatest games ever played."

The Times report also notes that the Crosbys listened to Game 7 at their friends' apartment and that Bing got a little excited when Bill Mazeroski hit the walk-off home run that sealed the Series for his Buccos:

"We were in this beautiful apartment, listening on shortwave, and when it got close Bing opened a bottle of Scotch and was tapping it against the mantel," Kathryn Crosby said. "When Mazeroski hit the home run, he tapped it hard; the Scotch flew into the fireplace and started a conflagration. I was screaming and Nonie said, 'It's very nice to celebrate things, but couldn't we be more restrained?' "

Fifty years after the "greatest game ever played" was, well, played, MLB Network aired Crosby's footage in full and it was just as glorious as everyone imagined it could be:

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So when you're decking the halls, rockin' around the tree, or spying on your mom while she's kissing Santa Claus, remember that Christmas' ultimate caroler believed in baseball superstitions so much that he deported himself and eventually celebrated his team's World Series championship by almost burning down his friend's Parisian apartment.