He Was A Dandy Of A Yankee Serial Optimist: Casey Stengel persevered on the way to winning 7 World Series.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: JONAH KERI

Charles "Casey" Stengel had already hit one game-winning home run in the 1923 World Series, an inside-the-park shot in Game 1.

Now it was Game 3, with Stengel's New York Giants playing at Yankee Stadium.

With the score knotted at 0-0 in the seventh inning, Stengel nailed a ball over Babe Ruth's head and into the seats for a more traditional home run. It proved to be another game-winner.

Sportsmanship dictated decorum, despite the excitement of the situation.

Not with Stengel. Rounding the bases, he laughed and openly thumbed his nose at the Yankee players in the dugout. After the game he yukked it up even more: "That's two for Stengel, one for the Yankees."

With almost any other player, that kind of joking, taunting outburst might've elicited a knockdown pitch aimed at his head next time up. So what did Ruth say after watching Stengel's etiquette-breaking display? "I don't mind," Ruth mused. "Casey's a lot of fun."

Stengel believed baseball should be fun, and he did his part to keep it that way. But …