Trending
Nothing puts smiles on the faces of children than their first trip to a Major League Baseball game. A hot dog and peanuts, along with a seventh-inning stretch, watching the best in the world swing for the bleachers! Nothing sits as close to American sport than baseball. It isn't called America’s Pastime for no reason.
In fact, the entire concept of the game was built from a way for Union soldiers to relax and stay fit during the American Civil War. The Famed New Yorker from a small place called Cooperstown, Abner Doubleday, created the game most revered in this country. It was a simple game, as quoted by the manager of the fictitious Durham Bulls minor league baseball team where he added, "you hit the ball you throw the ball you catch the ball, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes ... it rains."
Many great American heroes have been spawned by this game called baseball. It is the oldest sport continuously played in the United States. There are professional, semi pro, collegiate and high school teams in almost every state and community in the country.
Almost every child in America has worn a baseball glove and swung a bat at a small leather ball at some point in their youth. When I was young and the "boomers" were the prevalent generation, every town was filled with teams from the Little League that was invented in Williamsport, Pa., a mere 200 miles away from where the game originated. On the field with uniforms in the heat of the summer, with the blazing sun as reminder of how nine innings could drain the body of much needed fluids through perspiration was not the only time that children gathered to play the game. In side yards and sand lots children formed up into teams of nine to swat the ball and churn around the three bases hoping to jump onto home plate and further their team towards a victory.
Sometimes kids would play even by themselves, tossing the ball high into the air and running beneath its descent to make a valiant catch. Sometimes these kids would shout out loud the names of their favorite players or call the game in their head as if they were a part of their favorite team in a play by play of a pretend game.
In these types of games, the child's favorite team was always the winner. I once sat in my yard as a young adult watching this very game play out as my neighbor’s son tossed the ball or hit it with a bat. Sometimes the ball was imaginary, and he would run like the wind around the imaginary bases. It was fun to watch these episodes happen in the grassy back yard. As I watched, it reminded me of myself when I would do the same thing except many years before. I was amazed at what skill this boy developed and as he left for college I hoped he would get his shot at making it to "the big show" as baseballers call the Major Leagues. Most unfortunately, he did not get that chance as he died unexpectedly one year while home for spring break. I took note of his love of the game and pushed each of my sons to play at least in their youth.
It was a feeling of time-honored tradition, going to pick out their mitts. It was fun watching their games, my eyes filled with pride as they played. But I noticed that their heroes were not from the diamond as much as it was for me or even my father. It also seemed that our country was moving away from seeing these athletes as real American Heroes. And for what reason did we think they should be? From my youth, many of these great and exceptional athletes were heroes along two lines, their sport, and their military service.
My heroes had names like Willie Mays, and my all-time favorite Ted Williams. There have been many others from (MLB) who wore a uniform during war time, according to Google it has been over 2,000 from a collection of all wartime involving the US Military. More than 5,000 if you include minor leagues. This just represents baseball.
Williams stands out to me because he volunteered during two separate wars and gained prominence as an Ace shooting down enemy aircraft with his own. He would then return to his position with the Boston Red Sox just as if he never left. It's not surprising that these athletes were very successful in their military careers because of the dedication they learned to play a sport they loved in the country where they lived. Perhaps they brought military discipline back with them , applying it to the way they played the game. Could be the feeling of competition on the field was a relaxing freedom from torments of war.
For some, a different sport may be their favorite to watch or play, and all will have great role models to follow for the children of our future, but Baseball remains as the one game or sport that says America. It is a game of learnable skills. It is a game not rushed and it has no time limit other than the falling of darkness, where the game is then held at position and played the next day from where it left off. And most noticeably, it is a game of individual achievement that once completed adds to a team’s position. In baseball, no one person can hide behind the talents of another. Each player must meet their challenge and obtain victory in order to push the rest of the team forward.
As the leaves begin to change in color, and the ambiance of outside activity begins to head indoors, as those leaves start to fall so will be an end to summer, and so will be an end to another season of baseball. But with the coming of a new spring and the sight of new growth, so will it be time to return to the diamond with new prospects for what is still America’s Favorite Pastime. As much as I love other sports throughout the year, I still look fondly on the game of baseball that was taught to me by my father and several neighbors and family friends, who were also heroes in the war they fought wearing a uniform much different than one of a baseballer. So, like Ted Williams, or Willie Mays, they served our country during tumultuous times, survived and returned to this small town area, and enjoyed the relaxing days of summer rooting for their favorite team until the fall of darkness.
Kirk L. Miller, is past commander 2023-24 of the Chautauqua County American Legion, eighth district Department of New York