Let's play two
Hey there baseball fans. What a beautiful summer day eh? In the Infamous words of Ernie Banks, Let’s play two. There’s nothing like working around the yard on a nice day and listening to a ballgame on the radio. I always enjoyed hearing the sound of hedge clippers coming from the neighbor’s yard with the sound of a baseball game echoing off our fence that divided our yards. The game was a great way to get a conversation going with the neighbors by simply asking what the score was. That sometimes caused a long pause in the yard work as the conversation would usually go further than the score; to what players were bums and which ones were our favorites. Then it would continue with a story of the last time we were at the ballpark, or better yet, if our kindly neighbor was offered tickets to a game but couldn’t go, he just might offer them to a good, deserving neighbor. Maybe offer to watch their house and bring in the mail when they go on vacation, cuz hey, what are neighbors for?
A nice day at the beach could be made even more enjoyable by bringing along a portable radio to listen to the game. What a great way to spend an afternoon at the shore while having the ball game on and roasting weenies and throwing a Frisbee around.
I know this sounds a lot like those Country Time lemonade commercials, but if you really break it down, summer is a great time of year. It is a time to relax and just let all your worries melt into the scorching summer sun.
More major league teams are starting to have weekday afternoon games to give folks a chance to see the boys of summer. Tailgating at the ballpark is always fun. I have some great memories of my Dad and me getting to the park at 10 AM for a 1:30 game. We would have sandwiches and a big cooler of beer (The sandwiches would sometimes get taken out of the cooler to make room for more beer). We would always be among the first to enter the park and watch the players take BP and infield practice along with shagging balls in the outfield.
When you get there that early, you can walk right down to the front row and get a real good glimpse of the players and watch in awe as they work out in the batting and watch as they go through the double play drill. If you are lucky, you could be right behind players having a catch and sometimes even be able to have conversations with them if you are respectful. With the Fourth of July weekend upon us, it brings to mind that hot and muggy Fourth of July when Dave Righetti pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees. Looking back, the game has been a big part of my life. The older I get, the more I learn to savor every moment of summer, because it always seems to be over as soon as it starts. Life is a lot like summer. I hope that Country Time lemonade commercial runs again this year. Have a safe and happy Fourth of July.
