The boys need a baseball, and the baseball-impaired protagonist gets one from the house. 'Cept it's not just an old baseball; it's been autographed by one George Herman "Babe" Ruth. The Great Bambino. The Sultan of Swat. The ball is knocked over a fence into a yard containing a monstrous dog, and, well, anyway, it's a pretty cool movie about being a kid decades ago. I got to thinking about my own autographed baseball (well, actually, it's my brother's baseball. I'm not sure if he still has mine).
Sometime in my youth, my dad took me and Andy to Al_Lopez_Field, where the Cincinnati Reds used to Spring Train. We got to skip school and everything. It was great. Dad got us baseballs, and we scooted around to the various players getting whatever autographs we could. These were the days of "The Big Red Machine", when the Reds were the best in baseball. We got autographs from Tony Clonninger, David Concepcion, Tommy Helms, Pedro Barbon, Willie Smith, Hal McRae, Lee May, Wayne Simpson, and Clay Carroll (and one other name I can't read). Oh, yeah, and Johnny Bench, who was maybe the best hitting catcher of all time. Pete Rose was holding out for more money, so we didn't get his, but, man, what a treasure. I remember this was the early to mid-70's, but I don't remember which year. Steve? Anybody?
4 comments:
Great memories there. I still remember my uncle Ted taking me to see Oakland A's games back in the day, when I'd summer out in California with the grandparents (I was about 7) ... We saw those great A's teams of Catfish Hunter, Sal Bando, Gene Tennace, Reggie Jackson, Vida Blue and the like ... pretty amazing.
For years, Spring Training was Tampa's sports vehicle. We caught a couple of Tampa Tarpons minor league baseball games, I think, but the Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer team was Tampa's first "Top tier" sports team (then the Bandits of the old U.S.F.L., finally, the Bucs. The 'Rays were after my time).
That big Red Machine, we'll let's see, was Ray Knight on that team. How about that colored fella, Ken Griffey. Not the boy, the dad? you tell me that, and tell me if you could smoke in the 3rd base box seats and I'll by God tell you who was managing that squad. It was sure George Anderson, I remember that man, he took that team and brought 'em all the way and I don't mean maybe.
Yogi
Andy? Roger? Whoever, that's funny stuff. I don't care who you are, that there's funny!
Post a Comment