OT: Your Baseball Playing Days

[David R]

I spent a few seasons in the Midwest League for the Braves - threw a 91 mph fastball and not much else but it was good enough to make the All Star Team one year.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by David R

I spent a few seasons in the Midwest League for the Braves - threw a 91 mph fastball and not much else but it was good enough to make the All Star Team one year.

Awesome! I wish I could feel what it is like to throw 90 just once.

[piedmont150]

True Story: 1978...

JV baseball game at Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH. (I was on the visiting team) It was a very memorable game for many reasons. Open field no fence. I was a left handed hitter and cranked a long fly well over the right fielder's head and........landed it squarely on the fly into a baby carraige being pushed by an unsuspecting mother who thought she was evidently well beyond the reach of any hit balls. I motored all the way around the bases and mom was absolutely freaking out thinking her baby was going to be injured. The good news is the baby was absolutely fine and was not hurt. Funny sight seeing the right fielder trying to coerce the lady to get the ball back in play. The bad news is the umpire took my home run away and awarded me a ground rule double. I was not happy and asked the umpire to show me the rule regarding baby carraiges in the rule book.
Still going strong at 53...

[Mike (18colt)]

I wanted to be a major leaguer, play like my idol Pete Rose, but lacked talent.

The good - senior year of high school, I couldn't hit anything. Going into the final game, I had a whopping 3 bunt singles, and nothing else. I hit an opposite field home run hitting out of the 9-hole. Still have the ball 21 years later. Despite a teammate hitting 3 homers that game, the local paper took notice of my achievement.

The bad - same season, I'm on the mound. My catcher gives me the sign for "hit the batter". No problem. I intended to hit him, but grooved it over the center of the plate. The ball hasn't landed yet. The hitter was a guy named Creighton Gubanich. He hit a grand slam in his first MLB at bat, and briefly played for Boston and Oakland. Oh well, control wasn't my strong suit.

Baseball was fun despite its ups and downs. You will miss playing it someday. Softball doesn't really fill the void, but it makes you think it is filling the void. I still have time to master a knuckleball and become a reliever if age doesn't get in the way. Good luck to you.

Mike (18colt)

[bigred1]

Played high school ball with Denny Naegle, used to be something to brag about. lol. Played a little community college ball, only threw in the mid 80s, not good enough for a righty. Ten years ago played in adult league at 35, was a 28 and over league that started as 30 and over, retired after facing ex-Oriole Ken Dixon throwing to ex-Oriole John Stefero and then they lowered the age to 26 and I just couldnt keep up or catch up. Also won the opportunity to be the bat boy for the Orioles for a game in 1983. Cal Ripken jumped on Eddie Murrays back to prevent him from getting onto the field first. Rick Dempsey did not start and had a rotten attitude at the end of the bench and the nicest players, to me, were Al Bumbry and Denny Martinez. Tim

[packs]

Fondest memory for me was my last Little League at bat. I was in the Senior League (15 or 16) and stunk all year. I couldn't hit anything. As luck would have it, on the final game of the season, with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th (we only played 7 innings), I step up to the plate with two men on. My team was down by 1 run. Everything clicked for me and I hit a seeing eye single right over the shortstop's head. My teamate scored the tying run and we won when the pitcher threw a wild pitch to the next hitter.


Another great moment was meeting Mariano Rivera when I was going into 6th grade. This was the summer of 1995. The Yankees had a homestand and the baseball camp I was attending, Frozen Ropes, arranged for a mystery Yankee to come to the camp and meet with the kids. Low and behold that mystery Yankee turned out to be none other than a rookie named Mariano Rivera. He came over and spoke to us for a few minutes about what it was like to be a Yankee and took the time to sign autographs for all of us.

Even then, before he was anything, he was the nicest guy you can imagine.