Have you ever held a glove to your face? A freshly-oiled, brand new Rawlings with the autograph in the heel? Besides hot dogs, peanuts, and Cracker Jacks, I don't know if there's a more distinctive smell when it comes to baseball. Have you ever run onto the field not touching the foul lines for fear of jinxing your entire game? It's the pinnacle of being 'Stupidstitious', but superstitions are omnipresent when it comes to athletes. Have you ever chewed on your glove strings in between pitches hoping that the next ball hit into play was coming to you? It is a healthier alternative to chewing tobacco. Have you ever turned a double play to end an inning to end the oppositions' threat? Have you ever come up with the winning run 90 feet away and hit the game winning hit to send your teammates down the first base line to mob you? Have you ever pitched a complete game at any level and felt the sense of accomplishment when it was over? Have you ever woke up the day after said complete game and couldn't lift your arm, but the pain never felt so good?
If you've answered yes to any or all of these questions, you are now in heaven. Baseball is back. If you aren't playing it any more the next best thing is living vicariously through your favorite players on your favorite teams.
I found it perfect that Wednesday I was watching Field of Dreams, and Thursday I was at my field of dreams in the Bronx. I grew up listening to Messer, White, and Rizzuto. Now I am a part of the network that covers the Yankees. It's pretty heady stuff for me. I was a New Jersey kid who always wanted to play for the Yankees; I guess covering them is the next best thing. Sometimes I am guilty of getting caught up in the moment, and turning into a 12-year-old every time I step on the field, but I can't help it. It's what this team, it's what that field, it's what this game means to me.
One of the best moments in my baseball life had nothing to do with getting the game winning hit, pitching a complete game, or making a great play on defense. The best moment in my baseball life, my "Field of Dreams" moment, was when I coached my younger brother's Little League All Star team. I was 21 at the time, my dad was an assistant coach, and he was 48. He caught on a semi-pro team in his younger years. He has letters in the attic somewhere from the Braves, Mets, Cardinals, and Yankees. They all scouted him while he played semi-pro. He actually tried out at the old Yankee Stadium and hit a home run over the old reserve scoreboard. Unfortunately, dad broke his ankle in three places playing football at Lafayette University the fall before his try out. He still couldn't run at the time, and the Yankees passed. The fact that he was called by the Yankees while on vacation with my mom in Wildwood, to come to a tryout at the stadium is still mind boggling to me.
My younger brother is built like my dad and he was basically born to catch. He caught a lot of games during the season, so during practices I would give him a break from catching batting practice. My dad, with baseball constantly running through his veins, put on the gear and caught the BP that I pitched. I cannot begin to tell you what that feeling was like. Words can't describe it. I was on the mound and staring into my dad's eyes, through the mask, with full gear on. I threw my first warm up pitch and it popped his mitt and that moment has been frozen in my memory ever since. The day generations came together and I pitched to my dad. It wasn't a game. It was only practice, but that is and always will be my favorite memory from being a part of the game of baseball. It's also the reason I cry like a baby at the end of Field of Dreams when Kevin Costner says, "Hey...Dad. You wanna have a catch?" Gets me every time.
I want to hear from you. I want to know: What is your favorite baseball memory? Respond to me here and I will mention it in our next Off the Wall Podcast and I will re-post them in my next blog. Happy Baseball Season everyone! Enjoy it and remember to pace yourself. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from Field of Dreams as I bid you adieu for now.
"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." -Terrence Mann, Field of Dreams
"I never got to bat in the major leagues. I would have liked to have had that chance. Just once. To stare down a big league pitcher. To stare him down, and just as he goes into his windup, wink. Make him think you know something he doesn't. That's what I wish for. Chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases - stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That's my wish, Ray Kinsella." -Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, Field of Dreams
