If you peer closely on the grassy patch behind the fourth rung to the left of the railing of Rachel's porch, a little red cardinal is looking for seeds or bugs, whatever cardinals eat [The cardinal looks brown]. I took this shot last March when we were there. I was in the house. It was very hard to get a photo of this beautiful bird. They are sharp, alert, and quick. I was always the loser. 'Good inspiration for a baseball team. I don't know how big a fan of baseball Rachel is but one of Luke's favorite songs is "Take Me Out To The Ballgame." On the Cook side of the family is a great tradition of baseball. Grandpa was a big fan. He saw so many of the great ones play; Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig (his favorite I think), Joe DiMaggio. In the old days teams would travel around doing exhibition games. One of my happiest memories of my childhood is Dad working out in the yard in the summer with the San Francisco Giants games being broadcast on the radio. I think the announcers were Lon Simmons and Curt Gowdy. I think I remember when Willie Mays did that famous sensational running backwards catch. If any of my siblings are out there reading this please comment and tell us about your memories of Dad and baseball. I feel like crying right now just thinking about it; happy tears!When our kids were growing up they weren't allowed to watch television on school nights but the World Series was an exception. Kelsey and Rachel both played softball one summer each. I was Rachel's team coach. She was a dependable batter and I was the worst coach ever. I was clueless and it was horrible and I learned sometimes you just have to say "no" no matter how desparate they are for coaches. And then there was William's little league team coached by Leanord Bay(A terrific kid's coach.) They won the championship one year. William was fast and graceful and gutsy! My heart would stop when he would steal bases. And what could be cuter than when he would slide into base, forward or backward.
And then there was the year Ben made a "resolution" to not strike out once that season in Little League. As the season wore on it was agony each time he got up to bat. I so badly wanted him to achieve his goal. And by golly he did! Cory played in Little League. His team got the 3rd place trophy one year. I don't remember watching him play much, probably because I wasn't there because I was busy with his siblings. (Poor upper middle child) I do remember the summer before Cory got married he was a fit and strong firefighter for the BLM. I watched him playing in a church ball game and WOW when he hit that ball! Jay's experience in Little League wasn't so fun. He only played one year. But he was a strong, dependable batter and had a good arm. He played center field and could get that ball in fast and accurately. My brother Tom had an awesome baseball card collection that he kept in Velveeta cheese boxes. In 2004 Terry coached Sage's softball team to the championship. Uncle Joe (Grandpa's brother) was offered a contract to play for a minor league team based in Twin Falls, Idaho back in those days; the Twin Falls Cowboys. He lived and still does in Erie, PA. What a small world! His oldest son Joe was the baseball coach for an Oklahoma City high school. Ah, such happy memories!
11 comments:
Mom, I laughed so hard thinking of you being a softball coach. That brought tears to my eyes. I'm going to have the giggles all day. That would be like me being a coach. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea what to tell the kids..."um, swing! yeah, and then run--fast."
I loved all your baseball memories. Some of my happy childhood memories are of watching my brothers play baseball. But not playing myself! I can't believe I played softball for one year. I must have blocked it out of my memory. I would have been the worst player ever--you should have coached my team. Then we could have had the worst coach and worst player on the same team. :)
I resent that!
And oh yea Special K, LoyAnn Bennett was your coach. You knew her as "the lady with the pretty skin." And my coaching was so bad the girls ended up coaching each other and they asked a mother to come and help. We lost every game but one.
I really enjoyed reading this one, Fran. Some of my best memories are of summer days and Dad listening to the game on the radio. Although I remember him laying on the chaise and drinking lemonade in approaching evening. :) And it comforts me to know that his love and vast knowledge of baseball is alive and well in my sons, most especially Joe. Did you also know that Dad once tried out for pro baseball? He went to an open try-out for the Cleveland Indians as a pitcher. He got offered a job on the minor league team, but decided against it when he saw the conditions that those poor guys had to live with on the road, etc. Dad always did love his comfort....
cool memories. no one in my family has ever really cared about sports. guess that's why i don't much. there is something very charming about the old baseball days though, esp. compared to now. And it is funny imagining fran as a baseball coach. probably the nicest coach...
lidia and aiden played one year but it was boring to them.
It's so funny, but Dad and baseball has been running through my mind lately too. Maybe whereever he is, he had a hard time watching the A's lose the penant this year.
Yeah, baseball on the radio was a regular summertime memory. I also remember him having the ballgames on when he would work out in the garage - the game on the radio and the Lucky Strike smoldering in the ashtray. I also remember how he used to sit in front of the TV for the games too with the lights off and the sound turned down.
The two years in the early 70s that the A's won the World Series, we just about lived and breathed baseball. Julie, do you remember when Dad got us that unfinished furniture for our rooms and you had yours painted yellow and green for the As. I wanted blue and white, having no idea that they were Dodger colors.
The past few years we've been going to at least one Giants game a season. I always make sure I have a hot dog for Dad.
In his later years, I remember how much he loved the San Jose Giants minor league team. He got so disillusioned with the major leagues after the strike in, what, 1984? Then baseball got so much into their big hitters. He just thought that the minor leaguers had so much more hustle and were so much more exicting to watch.
Oddly enough, as mild mannered as Dad was, I'd bet most people would be surprised that for football he was a Raiders fan - given the reputation that Raider fans have now. He was into them back in the Jim Plunkett days. I think he only got caught up in the 49er fever because of their big Superbowl win.
Those are fun memories. I don't remember thinking you were such a bad coach, Mom. William's gutsiness and Ben's resolution to not strike out are so indicitive (sp?) of their personalities! I used to follow baseball more when I was a teenager and the boys were so into it. I liked the Atlanta Braves. But now I don't pay attention anymore.
What a time for me to check out your blog-I too have been thinking about Dad-must be inherited baseball fever. I remember Dad prefered to watch the game with the sound off because he liked the radio announcers better,less useless commentary! Kind of how I feel about Steve Lyons!
I'm rooting for the Tigers however because Dad liked them.
One of my favorite outings with Dad was going to a ballgame-he introduced me to Cracker-Jacks!!!!
By me some peanuts and ...............
When Zane played little league he mostly walked because he was so short but once he hit a double and you'd have thought we won the world series by my reaction!
Sage did not allow me to speak at her games but she carried on her Grandpa's pitching tradition admirably.
What a time for me to check out your blog-I too have been thinking about Dad-must be inherited baseball fever. I remember Dad prefered to watch the game with the sound off because he liked the radio announcers better,less useless commentary! Kind of how I feel about Steve Lyons!
I'm rooting for the Tigers however because Dad liked them.
One of my favorite outings with Dad was going to a ballgame-he introduced me to Cracker-Jacks!!!!
By me some peanuts and ...............
When Zane played little league he mostly walked because he was so short but once he hit a double and you'd have thought we won the world series by my reaction!
Sage did not allow me to speak at her games but she carried on her Grandpa's pitching tradition admirably.
Cute!!
Mom, my team won the championship both years! We only lost one game in two years. However, I did not contribute much the first year so it was probably forgettable. But the next year I guess I grew up enough and after three years of walking to get on base I quit being afraid of the ball. That second year in little league is my proudest year in sports. I even hit an over-the-fence home run.
I would also like to mention the few days I had of sharing baseball with Grandpa are precious. I have a mental photograph of when he told me he saw Babe Ruth in person. It broke my heart to see the sport betray him during the '94 strike and I don't know if he forgave it, but I thought he would be pleased with current trends I read about in Sports Illustrated. The strikers and dopers are retiring little by little and being purged by energetic youth with an old-fashioned love for the national pastime.
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