at the old ball game...
It's noon, Thursday 29 Mar 2018 and we're only about 30 minutes from the Blue Jays' 2018 season home opener with the New York Yankees. Jay Happ getting his first season opener start in his career against Luis Severino. I'm not getting my hopes up this season but I will still enjoy the season.
Baseball has been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember. I first got hooked watching baseball with my Dad back when we lived in Chatham, New Brunswick in the early '60s. We spent many an evening relaxing in the living room; my dad on his easy chair, me usually sprawled on the floor with a bag of corn chips and either a cold Mountain Dew or an Orange Crush. There were no Canadian teams in the Major Leagues back in those days and since we were on the east coast, I think we mostly got Yankee and Red Sox games. If Dad fell asleep in his chair, which he often did, I'd get to stay up until the end of the game.
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| Still enjoying playing at a much later age |
I got involved playing in Little League back in Chatham. I started as a pitcher but fairly quickly moved to 2nd base and then my favorite position in Center field. There is such a great feeling chasing down a fly ball and making a nice catch. I did that once or twice. :0)
My Dad used to play baseball when he worked in the gold mine up in Timmins Ontario and he liked to play catch with me and the other neighborhood kids. He was a pitcher as well as a fielder so he could throw it fairly hard. I don't know how many times he popped Paul Duggan's thumb. Even just playing 500 up was a fun time for us. Do you know that game? One guy bats and the rest of us catch fly balls. You got 100 pts for a fly ball, 75 if you caught in on the first bounce, 50 for a two - bouncer and 25 for a grounder. 500 points and you got to bat. Of course we also used to play make up games in the field near our house. If you didn't have enough players for two teams, you'd get two batters and the rest in the field. Every time one guy got out, you'd all shift positions, the guy who got out moving to the outfield and everyone else shifting closer. So much fun.
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| Softball / fastball.... |
I played baseball and then fastball. I played in leagues at most of the bases I was stationed at when I was in the military; usually center field although as time moved on, I also moved to catcher and first base. I'll play any position just to be on a ball diamond. Love the game.
I always enjoyed watching the game. I remember in Grade 7 our teacher, Miss Lee, let us listen to the World series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox on the radio during class. So exciting. When Canada got it's first professional Major League team, the Montreal Expos, it added an extra level of excitement to watching. Dad and I went to watch one home game at the old Jarry Park to see the Expos play and lose against the Cincinnati Reds 13 - 3. But all it took was one home run from Ken Singleton to get the fans on their feet cheering. I went to a double header against the New York Mets with my cousin Denis but unfortunately the game was rained out. The games on CBC TV were so much fun. They used to have this little promos explaining the various pitches in French; Slider - Balle Glissante, etc.
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| Exhibition Stadium |
When the Expos were on the West Coast I used to listen to the games on the radio as I lay in bed. Yup, I was hooked. And then in 1977, along came the Toronto Blue Jays, playing their first seasons in a converted Canadian Football League stadium, Exhibition Stadium. I wanted to go to their first home opener against the Chicago White Sox but had an exam that day (I was attending University of Toronto at the time). But I managed to see quite a few games while I was finishing my degree. Just hop on the trolley cars and subway and there you were. Cheap tickets and on days when it wasn't a sell-out, just buy a ticket down the right field line and as the game progressed, move down closer to first base. Always a great time.
Lucky for me, Jo got hooked on the sport when she came to Canada so we have enjoyed spending our evenings watching the games. It was especially fun when they had two play off runs in 2015 and 2016. Maybe another one this year??? *fingers crossed*
There have been so many excellent baseball movies. A few of my favorites below.
A League of Their Own. My personal favorite, a movie about baseball during WWII and the establishment of the professional women's baseball league. Great cast, funny and sad, one of the best baseball movies and just movies ever made.
Bull Durham. Kevin Costner has made some great movies but he is especially great at making a baseball movie. This is a true classic.
Field of Dreams. Probably Costner's best movie, it's essentially about the soul of baseball. Based on a book by W.P. Kinsella, it's one you can watch time after time.
Moneyball. Fascinating movie about the origins of Billy ball, the Oakland A's manager, Billy Beane and his attempts to assemble a competitive team during the 2002 season.
For the Love of the Game. Did I not say that Costner makes excellent baseball movies? This one was a bit soppier but still strikes a chord, the story of a washed up pitcher and his look back on his life as he tries to finish off his career.
The Rookie. One of Dennis Quaid's best movies, about a high school teacher who agrees to try out for the major's if his high school baseball team makes the playoffs.
Trouble with the Curve. It doesn't hurt that this movie stars the fantastic Amy Adams. About Clint Eastwood, a decorated baseball scout possibly at the end of his career and his fractious relationship with his daughter who tries to resurrect their relationship by helping him on a scouting tour.
These are just a few of the excellent movies with baseball as a theme. Check out some of them and find others that I never mentioned.
Baseball Books
I have to say I haven't read that many baseball books but I remember a couple that made me chuckle many years ago.
Jim Bouton's Ball Four. Bouton was a knuckle ball pitcher who played for both the Houston Astros and the Yankees. He wasn't the most successful pitcher in baseball but this book provided insight into some of the more unsavory aspect of the game. Not to say it wasn't funny because it was that. But it also talked about drug use and obscene language and tomcatting. I'm not sure how it would be received today.
Joe Garagiola's Baseball is a Funny Game. Garagiola was a professional catcher who played from 1946 - 1954. He wasn't one of the best ever but had a successful career and then followed that as a baseball announcer for many years after that. This is a cozy book with many humorous anecdotes from his career. Many laugh out loud moments as I recall.
Well, there you go, the game is just about to start. I'll be watching during the commercial breaks as I watch Deadline: White House. Then all focus on the game!! GO BLUE JAYS!!!
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