BASEBALL....A MAGICAL WORD

BASEBALL....A MAGICAL WORD

THE WORD BASEBALL REMINDS ME OF THE WORD JAZZ; I CAN'T SAY EITHER ONE WITHOUT SMILING. BORN IN THE MID FIFTYS, MY FIRST BASEBALL EXPERIENCE CAME FROM MY MATERNAL GRANDFATHER, A TRUE BROOKLIN DODGER FAN. I EVEN HAD A BLUE CAP WITH A "B" ON IT, BUT I WAS PRETTY YOUNG WHEN O'MALLEY MOVED THEM TO THE OTHER COAST.   IN 1962 I WAS 7 WHEN THE METS CAME INTO EXISTENCE, WWOR TV, RALPH KINER, LINZEY NELSON AND BOB MURPHY, MAN I WAS HOOKED. IT DIDN'T SEEM TO MATTER THAT CASEY’S BOYS WERE PLAYING A PRETTY POOR VERSION OF THE GAME, IT WAS REAL. OH, ONCE IN A WHILE WE'D SWITCH OVER TO WPIX, HOME OF THE WORLD CHAMPION YANKEES, MEL ALLEN/PHIL RIZZUTO CRIED AND WHINED ABOUT EVERY PLAY THAT DIDN'T GO THE YANKEE’S WAY. I LEARNED THIS WAS CALLED BEING A HOMER, NOT VERY PROFESSIONAL. IN THE SUMMER I PLAYED BALL EVERYDAY IT DIDN'T RAIN, MOST TIMES JUST ME AND MY FRIEND RICHIE, HE WAS REALLY GOOD. I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW GOOD I WAS 'CAUSE I ALWAYS LOST TO RICHIE BUT HE WOULD GO ON TO RECIEVE A SCHOLARSHIP TO PLAY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. I WOULD PITCH AND RICHIE WOULD HIT IT HALF A MILE AND I'D GO CHASE IT WHILE HE RAN AROUND THE BASES. THEN MERCIFULLY I WOULD FINALLY GET THE THIRD OUT AND COME UP, PROBLEM WAS RICHIE COULD REALLY PITCH TOO. OF COURSE HE WAS THE YANKEES, I WAS EITHER THE METS OR DODGERS; MANTLE AND MARIS HIT MORE HOMERS THAT SUMMER THAN IN '61.

  I ALSO PLAYED IN LITTLE LEAGUE; MY FIRST YEAR I WAS A BIG POWER HITTER, USED A TAPED UP FULLSIZED BAT I HAD GOTTEN FROM A SEMI PRO LEAGUE. I HIT SIX HOMERUNS, ONE LINE SHOT I HIT THROUGH A WOODEN SNOW FENCE. THE NEXT YEAR SOME PARENTS COMPLAINED THAT MY BAT WASN'T LITTLE LEAGUE APPROVED AND THEY HANDED ME A TOOTH PICK. I SUCKED FOR THE NEXT TWO SEASONS. THEN ONE DAY IN THE BACK YARD OF THE COACH’S HOUSE, WHILE PLAYING CATCH WITH HIS SON, HE BECAME AWARE THAT I COULD THROW REALLY HARD FOR MY AGE; I STARTED THE PLAYOFF GAME THE NEXT NIGHT.....WE LOST ONE TO ZERO.   AS THE 60'S TURNED INTO THE 70'S, I BECAME TOO COOL FOR BASEBALL; MY WALLS THAT HAD BEEN COVERED IN BASEBALL CARDS NOW WERE ADORNED WITH LOVE BEADS, BLACKLIGHT POSTERS AND SUCH.....MY RECOLLECTIONS OF THIS PERIOD ARE A LITTLE SKECHY, THANKFULLY WITH THE ADVENT OF ESPN AND THE PRESENCE OF CHRIS BERMAN, I FOUND OUT IT WAS COOL TO LOVE BASEBALL AND ROCK N ROLL TOO!   WHICH BRINGS ME TO THIS STEROID THING. BASEBALL HAS EVER BEEN CHANGING, GO TO COOPERSTOWN AND LOOK AT THE GLOVES THEY USED IN THE TWENTIES AND COMPARE THOSE TO THE JAI ALI CESTAS THEY USE TODAY.  JACKIE ROBINSON BREAKING THE COLOR LINE IN 1947, THE OLD TIMERS NEVER HAD TO FACE A PITCHER OF COLOR OR LATIN AMERICAN OR ASIAN DESCENT. DESIGNATED HITTERS AND CLOSERS, GREENIES IN THE 60'S AND 70'S, COKE IN THE 80'S, IT’S JUST ANOTHER CHAPTER, THE GAME GOES ON. IF PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS WERE AVAILIBLE IN 1930, THE "BABE" WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TO BEND OVER: "HEY BABE I GOT A SHOT HERE THAT WILL MAKE YOU PLAY LIKE A KID AGAIN FOR ANOTHER 5 YEARS", NO DOUBT. 35 YEARS LATER IF SOMEONE HAD SAID THE SAME THING TO MICKEY, HE'D HAVE BENT OVER TOO. WHEN BIG MAC AND SAMMY WERE REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS IN 1997, WHAT WAS A POOR BOY LIKE BARRY BONDS TO DO, HE HAD TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD AND LEVEL IT HE DID. 2001-2004 HE PUT UP NUMBERS THAT WILL NEVER BE TOUCHED: 73 HOMERS, 232 WALKS, 130 INTENTIONAL. NO, THE TIME HAS COME TO GET PAST THIS. IT HAPPENED, MANY PLAYERS DID IT, WE'LL NEVER KNOW HOW MANY. PITCHERS DID IT AND BATTERS DID IT, THAT’S EVEN. BONDS BELONGS IN THE HALL OF FAME AND SO DO MCGUIRE AND SOSA. IF THEY WANT TO ADD A NOTATION "STEROID ERA" SO BE IT, BUT THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS, HOWEVER AIDED, DESERVE ENSHRINEMENT.  THE GAME HAS SURVIVED THE BLACK SOX SCANDAL, WORK STOPPAGES, POOR PETE ROSE BETTING ON HIS OWN TEAM TO WIN AND THE GAME WENT ON.  LET’S PUT THE PED'S STUFF TO BED NOW TOO. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO HOLD A GRUDGE, WHATS DONE IS DONE.......BRING THE MAGIC BACK......PLAY BALL.....SMILE WHEN YOU SAY THAT........WAR