Baseball is the only sport that I've ever paid any attention to. I don't watch it on television but have been to quite a few Major League games to watch the game at the park. Although I grew up in Michigan, I was in the southern part of the Upper Peninsula so we had much more in common with Wisconsin than we did with the Lower Peninsula. Several other states were closer to us than the Lower Peninsula. My cousin, Robert, was a Detroit Tigers fan, but he's the only Tiger fan that I knew. My oldest brother brought me to Milwaukee Braves games often in 1957 and 1958, when I was six and seven, and I can usually still name the starting lineup from those years, and many of the other players, as well. He was living near Oshkosh at the time, which was a little more than halfway to Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Braves were the only team that I considered a favorite team, but I did go to a lot of other Major League games. I've never been to a Tigers' game. I've never been to Detroit. When I moved to California, the Angels were in Anaheim and, since they weren't any good, it was often possible to get a good seat at game time. While I was attending the Anaheim Grace Brethren Church, the church bought a block of tickets so I went to a lot of Angels games. I wasn't exactly rooting for them. It didn't seem like anyone was. Reggie Jackson was playing for the Angels at the time. On the downside of his career, he wasn't playing very well. In fact, he was the only Major League ballplayer who I have ever seen field as badly as I did when I was in Little League. He might be standing there waiting on a high fly, and it would land in front of him or just over his head. When he was at-bat, he was still a power hitter, so he did hit some home runs. But usually, he struck out. In fact, at Angels' games, the traditional song that they would sing before the game ended like this... And it's one, two, three, REGGIE'S OUT, that's the whole ball game. Anyhow, it was the Major Leagues so the games were fun. I just wasn't rooting for anyone in particular. I preferred the National League to the American League, so I went to quite a few Dodger's games, too. But that was further away from me - I could walk to Angel Stadium - and I always felt like I was going to get mugged outside of Dodger Stadium. It did not have the appearance of a good neighborhood.
I only attended one major league baseball game and that was at Yankee stadium. The town's local hangout / restaurant sponsored a Yankee trip every year. Saw Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. The game was a double header and I started to get bored, so I just walked around and remember ending up sitting down next to some guy smoking a stinky cigar. We have a triple A Yankee team in our backyard and I should make an effort to go.
My father was a die hard Yankee fan and started taking me to games when I was 4 yrs. old. He taught me all the nuances of the game and I learned to love it. We had a box at the Stadium and knew many of the players. Babe Ruth was a drinking buddy of my dad's and he gave my grade school their first little league uniforms. I later became a Dodger fan. I thought they were more colorful and fun. Later, when they left, I became a Mets fan and still am to this day. Used to go to their games all the time until about 8 yrs. ago. I am missing baseball like crazy this season..
The Cleveland Indians when I was a kid. The Atlanta Braves back in the 70's and 80's. In both cases it was only because there was a TV station that carried their games. Ted Turner's station covered every single game the Braves played. It was one of those constant things in life, no matter how bad the Braves were, you could always count on them being on TV in the summer, sometimes 7 days a week. lol Never played baseball as a kid and have never been to a game.
I played Little League for one season and part of another but I sucked. Walking and stealing bases was the only way that I could get on base and advance, and everyone would get mad at me when I'd steal a base even though I was successful more often than not. I got on base with a hit only twice and they were both singles, although I advanced to third base on errors one of those times, so it was counted as a single. In the field, I never caught a ball, so I played right field, while the center fielder covered for me. I think everyone was happy when I quit. On the other hand, we played unorganized baseball often, and I enjoyed that. When no one paid a lot of attention to who was on whose team and no one was keeping score anyhow, it was fun.
I grew up in St. Louis Cardinal territory. My dad, my uncles, my cousins, just about everybody in town were Cardinal fans...except me. I was at the age to just get interested in baseball when Mickey Mantle started playing for the Yankees. Mickey was from neighboring Oklahoma so the local paper gave him coverage along with the Cardinals. So I became a die hard Yankee fan.
For the number of years that I lived in So. California, there were two teams I followed, one more closely than the other...…...the Los Angeles Dodgers and California (Anaheim) Angels. Never went to a Dodger game, but do remember the famous infield guys of the 70's-80's, like Ron Cey, Davey Lopes, Steve Garvey. Did go to a few Angel games at Anaheim Stadium, including one when they won the League Pennant. Also, when we lived in Colorado before, wife and I went to a couple of Colorado Rockies games. Will still watch, sometimes, a Rockies game on tv, but don't go to games anymore. Just too loud and crowded.
When kids organize a game, everybody plays, even if you are picked last. We got a football game going once with 12 on one side and 13 on the other playing tackle on a field with many rocks, but we all played.
My favorite baseball team was "The Mudville Nine" from the two Ernest Thayer poems "Casey At The Bat", and "Casey's Revenge", published in 1888. Disney even made a "Story-Cartoon" about both poems! Hal
Oh, somewhere in this Favored Land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, Somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there is no joy in Mudville...mighty Casey has struck out! From the 1888 poem "Casey At The Bat" Ernest Thayer wrote a winner in this one...check it out! Hal
I've lived in Southern California for 75 years and I used to enjoy watching the Hollywood Stars. I have always hated the Dodgers since they came here from Brooklyn. They don't belong in Los Angeles. I always hope they lose every game they play. The Yankees are the world's greatest baseball team, so help me Abner Doubleday! Hal
Good evening to all- There's only one major league baseball team- which one? Why, when you cut yourself, you bleed red- Cardinal red. that's right. the Cardinals are the team. good night to all- Ed
I have a DVD of one of the '57 WS games against the Yanks. Aaron was in CF. I guess Billy Bruton was hurt. Recall that team being a scrappy bunch. Ed Mathews slugged Drysdale with a right hand for throwing at him. Johnny Logan got a piece of him that year too. Recently read that Frank Robinson came into third base with spikes high and Mathews put some extra mustard on the tag. Robinson complained to which Mathews reportedly replied "How do you like this tag?" and belted him in the ear with a right hand. I think Joe Adcock got into a few scraps that year too. '57 Was the year of the Braves. Recall reading back then in one of those old Gillette pamphlets you got when buying a new razor that Milwaukee didn't televise any games, home or away. Hard to believe. Their first few yrs. in Milwaukee, they were tops in attendance figures, at least in the NL.
Baltimore Orioles fan from the get go, 1954. Stadium was 2.5 miles away, easy walking distance. I attended 200-300 games. 1966 rocked. We acquired Frank Robinson, a genuine stud ballplayer, and he won the Triple Batting Crown. I attended about 30 games in ‘66, always managing the same ideal seat, 1st row of lower reserved, right behind the plate. The Robinson boys, et al led us into the World Series that year against the Dodgers with Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale. We whupped ‘em four straight. The bad news was that I missed the WS because of Basic Training with the army. I caught one game on radio. I think that the Birds were in five other WS, winning two of them, but the last game I attended was in 1970.