I am one of those people who, as a youngster, embraced the great American pastime of baseball. In the 1970s, it was still a sport of backyards, playgrounds, and vacant lots, in addition to organized leagues. I’m not sure that’s true anymore. In any case, with another Major League season beginning, it seems timely to post a few notes about baseball and me.
Whiffle Ball
From age 4 or 5, I remember playing this plastic bat and ball version of baseball with my dad and my brother. Looking back, I appreciate my dad’s effort since he was not at all a sports person. I can’t recall much except the thrill of swinging the bat and hitting the ball.
Playing Days, Early 1970s
Two years of Little League was the extent of my career in organized baseball. I played in the outfield during my first year. The next year, since I was handy enough with the glove, I was at first base. The following year would have been Pony League; but the park for that league was farther from home, and I was busy delivering newspapers mornings and afternoons, so I hung up the glove (but not the cleats — because we didn’t have any!). Nevertheless, the neighborhood kids and I continued to spend many hours playing the game called 500 (hitting and fielding) at a nearby grassy field.
Baseball Fan
Back in the early 70s, there were only a couple of Major League games each week to watch on network TV, and I made a strong effort to catch the Saturday “Game of the Week.” For a sample of the vibe of that era, here’s a short clip from the Game of the Week on July 29, 1972: Cardinals vs. Cubs at historic Wrigley Field in Chicago. There was also a Monday Night Game of the Week, which I often watched.
To follow my favorite team, the Minnesota Twins, I depended on other media. The local daily newspaper and the Des Moines Register had the standings. The Register also had all the box scores. The Des Moines Sunday Register listed all stats for all the players every week. All the League’s hitters (400 or 500 players) were listed by batting average. It was a thrill to see the Twins’ Rod Carew near the top of the list every week. The pitchers, if I recall, were listed by E.R.A. Lists of category leaders were also included, and I remember following along as Nolan Ryan piled up strikeouts year after year. The Twins’ Bert Blyleven was often near the top, though far behind Ryan.
Baseball Cards
Baseball cards, such as the two seen above, are a connection I still have going back to my youthful baseball days. I was never a serious collector of cards, probably because I wanted to conserve my hard-earned paper route money. But I did buy a pack of cards now and then, and it was exciting to see if there might be a card for a famous or favorite player. But that rarely happened. Fortunately for me, an older cousin happened to be a professional wheeler-dealer of collectibles of all kinds. He would give me cards, and once he gave me an entire set of Topps cards. I still have that 1974 set.
The 1974 World Series was between the Oakland A’s and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The A’s won it, 4 games to 1. It was Oakland’s third championship in a row, and the names of the A’s players are etched in my memory. Objectively speaking, some of the names are very memorable: Rollie Fingers, Vida Blue, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, John “Blue Moon” Odom, Jesús Alou, Reggie Jackson. To me, the names read like poetry. The Dodgers, too, had their share of famous players — including Davey Lopes (a prolific base stealer) and Tommy John (whose name now identifies a common elbow surgery for pitchers).
Nostalgia
Once, when visiting my mom at my childhood home, I noticed a box of sports equipment that was still in its spot on the back porch. There was nobody around to use it, but it still served as a reminder of bygone summer days.
