I played baseball as a young child because my maternal grandfather encouraged me to do so. He went out in the vacant lot south of his house and taught several of us to play ball. In his late sixties at the time he could outplay any of his students. Grandpa and his brothers had been semi-pro and professional players in their youth. The investment he made when I was nine would remain as one of my loves for the remainder of my life.
As an early teen I worked selling concessions at Lawrence Stadium in Wichita. The Wichita team was the AAA affiliate for the Milwaukee Braves. I met and watched future major leaguers as Wes Covington, Joey Jay, Earl Hirsh, and Bob Hazle. The other teams also had future stars such as Harmon Killebrew, Roger Maris, and Rocky Colavito. What a wonderful summer it was!
My grandpa’s brother John lived in Kansas City in the 1950’s. The A’s were not a great team, but hosted some of the great New York Yankee teams of the era. Each summer from about 1958-1962 I spent a week with uncle John and his family. We went to see the A’s lose to the Yankees. The heroics of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and other great Yankees are still alive in my memory. Besides the memory of great baseball I can recall the smells of the time. Hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, and beer filled the air. Soft drinks and cotton candy were everywhere. I can recall the cry of a young man, “Get your lucky number scorecards and lineups.
Finally, my freshman year at Friends University I got to play varsity baseball. Up until this point my participation had been in church league and various youth program leagues. I was a starter at several positions that 1963 season. My greatest lesson was gained from watching the more experienced players. I never saw my dream of professional baseball come true. In fact, after my freshman year my play was limited to city and church league softball. I have fond memories of my years around baseball. None can match those golden summers of youth at the ballgame with my Great-uncle John.
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