DUKES FANS: Take Me Out to the Ballgame…
If
you are not
much of a sports fan, and in particular not much of a baseball fan, you
may
not want to read this newsletter. For it is an ode to a style and time
of baseball play
that was an important part of my life. I do not write much about sports
in these missives, but I grew up with a deep love of baseball. I was
born in 1950, and I grew up in a
working class African-American neighborhood in West Philadelphia. Being a
somewhat stereotypical boy, I was a sports fan and from the time I was
around
4, I lived for baseball. We played versions of it in the street and
played
running the bases, half ball, and catching games. I listened to games on
the
radio and eventually got to watch them on this relatively new thing
called 'television." When I was about 9, a couple of the fathers formed a
neighborhood
league, and we played at the fields at 49th and Brown Streets and 46th
and Haverford Avenue. We even got into a few tournaments with teams from other
neighborhoods. I would model my batting stance on my favorite players and try
to stand in the field as they did. I simply loved the sport and engaged in fantasies of being a baseball star.
I was a die-hard Phillies fan then, even as we were losing during most of those years. (The Philadelphia Phillies are, in fact, the losingest single franchise in all of professional sports.) For those of you who either remember or know about the epic end-of-season collapse of the 1964 team, I was one of those fans screaming for the head of manager Gene Mauch. Remembering that season can still almost bring me to tears.
The
sports scene
in the 50’s and 60’s was very different from what it is now. The was no
ESPN,
no talk radio sports shows, and the National Football League was not
really a
big thing yet, Baseball and boxing were the big national sports-there
were even
weekly Friday Night Fights on television. Like most boys from all
backgrounds,
I collected and traded baseball cards, and relished those few times I
could go to
baseball games with my father or with church groups. I was fortunate to
be
married years later to a woman who also loved the game. Watching games
on TV together was something we loved. We had season tickets for
several years and got to go to game 1 of the 1980 World Series, when the
Phillies won their first world championship. I still have a button and
the
program from that game. We also went to game 3 in the 1993 Series when
the
Phils were beaten by the Toronto Blue Jays. And we celebrated the later
success of the team, including their 2008 World Series victory. I am
still a Phillies
fan.
I
have been
reliving and thinking about those days because three of my all-time
favorite
baseball players died, one after the other, in recent months. Lou Brock,
Bob Gibson, and Joe Morgan are three names that stand out among many
from my memories of being a lifelong baseball fan. I have such clear and
vivid
memories of watching each of them play. Each was a superb and
idiosyncratic
performer who had signature moves and flair. Lou Brock was a great
hitter and
base stealer. I have fond memories of watching him working a pitcher for
a walk
and dancing off first base, forcing the pitcher to throw over trying to
keep
him close to the bag. But it was to no avail; he would take that 2 step
start
and be gone. He would make the pitcher so nervous that he could lose
concentration on the batter at the plate; a lot of St Louis Cardinal
hitters owed
their batting averages to Lou being on base in front of them. He was
also the first of the ball players to
make stealing bases an offensive weapon. He could time and design his slides so that he could go into 2nd
base from different angles and even slide past the bag and reach back to touch
it. He played for the St. Louis Cardinals, so I got to watch him frustrate the
Phillies on a regular basis. But he was in several division championships and World
Series games, so I could openly root for him on national TV. And root for him I did.
Bob Gibson also
played for the St. Louis Cardinals, and he was one of the most intimidating pitchers
the game has ever known. He would stand tall on the pitcher’s mound, glowering and
staring at batters before doing that big windup and then uncorking a
rifle-like fastball, a dive-at -the last-minute curve ball, or a hard slider. He was
super-competitive; his wife would not let him play cards with their daughter
because he was too intense. But, Man, could he pitch! And he was a complete player; he was a
great fielder, a great hitter, and a great runner. He was one of the game's most dominant
pitchers in the mid to late 1960’s. He won 2 of 3
games he pitched in the 1964 World Series, won 20 games in a season in 1965, and
pitched three complete game victories in
the 1967 World Series when the Cardinals won the world championship. The pinnacle of
Gibson's career was 1968, when he posted a 1.12 ERA for the season and then
recorded 17 strikeouts in Game 1 of the 1968 World Series. That ERA is the best
in modern baseball history, and the 17 strikeouts is still a World Series
record. Yes, I hated the way he tortured the Phillies, but I loved
watching him in post-season play. His intensity came through the TV screen.
Joe Morgan was probably
the best fielding and hitting second basemen in the history of the game. He was
the heart of the Cincinnati Reds’ dreaded
“Big Red Machine” that dominated the National League during the 1970’s. They
won 6 Division Titles, four National League championships, and two World Series
championships during that decade. Joe could start rallies by getting a line drive
single or working a walk. He could keep a rally going by taking a walk,
stealing a base, or hitting a clutch home run. And he could stop an opponent’s
rally with a diving stop of a ground ball, a swiftly turned pivot on a double
play, or by making a perfect relay throw to get a runner out at the plate. Morgan
was a remarkably steady and all-around player. He was often in the top ten in walks,
fielding average, batting average, runs scored, and stolen bases. In fact, he is #11 all
time in that last category He
played for the
Reds, but he joined the Phillies in 1983, and it was his September surge
that helped
propel them into the World Series that year (although they lost to the
Orioles)
And Joe had a bit of a swagger but was often smiling. He was clearly
working hard, but he was seeming to enjoy it all. I liked that.
As
we age we lose heroes and memories from our younger lives. Be they
musicians, politicians, artists, athletes, writers or what, they are
people whose presence in the world touched us and made us see something
in ourselves. We lost a number of other great baseball players this
year: Whitey Ford, Tom Seaver, and "Mr. Philly, Tony Taylor, among
others. But these three were ones whose style and intensity spoke to me
about sports and more than sports. As a young African-American during
the heyday of Civil Rights and the Viet Nam War, their clear and bold
presence and excellence meant a lot to me. They presented ways to be in
and to meet the world as a young Black man. So here's to three wonderful
athletes and people who gave me so much joy and were
models-possibilities- of how to be in the world. Yes, it was only a
game. But it was also so much more.
IMPORTANT CITIZEN STUFF:
please take note
CENSUS 2020:
The US Supreme Court ruled yesterday that end date of the census is today, October 15th! So if you have not done your census yet, please do it today! The census is hugely important. The information it
contains helps the Federal government and states decide on things such as voting
districts, grants for Federal aid, transportation and highway funds, and a hell
of a lot more.Please go to Census.gov It does not take long. And please check to make sure friends, family members, and
co-workers have completed the process. Thanks
VOTING
2020;
Monday,October 19 is the PA deadline
to register to vote.
November 3rd is the date of one of
the most important national and state elections in our lifetimes, and it is not too
extreme to say that the history of at least the next 20-30 years of the United
States will be decided by this election. Everyone should be sure they are registered, that they
have a plan to vote, and that they are ready to go. If you are voting by mail,
order your ballot now and get it turned in as soon as possible to avoid any
delays and craziness. And if you are a Pennsylvanian, be aware of the “naked
ballot” court decision. Please make sure you are following all of
your state’s rules about registering, mail in ballots, and more: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2020/state-voting-guides.html
There is also a huge need in states
for poll workers, so if you can do that please help out. And you can get paid
for doing it. Here is a link about it:
GIGS:
THE TWO JOHNS BACK AT THE COSMIC CAFÉ: SUNDAY,
OCTOBER 18: NOON UNTIL 3 PM
The Two Johns-Johnny Never,
acoustic guitar and vocal and John Colgan-Davis, harmonica-return to one of our
favorite places to play and to play safely. The Cosmic Café is a great small
café and beverage spot in back of the Art Museum at 1 Boathouse Row. It features
great sandwiches and salads, beer and non-alcoholic beverages, and a great
staff. Masks are required, tables are set apart, and there are nice views of
the Schuylkill River. Hope to see you this Sunday.
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