The Old Timers Vanish

More and more, I escape into the past.

I'm only in my mid to late 60's but I find myself wandering the aisles of my memory, pulling open filing drawers, taking out folders with memories.  Memories of what I did, where I went, where I lived.  Lingering through the folders,  Regretfully, putting them back in the drawer.

Today, it's baseball.

I remember some of the players of my youth and teenaged years.

Tom Seaver

Don Larson (the only man to pitch a World Series perfect game)

Whitey Ford

Lou Brock

Horace Clark

Jimmy Wynn, the Toy Cannon

Al Kaline

Joe Morgan....

And I think of my two lifetime trips to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York (pictured above in 2014).

Then, reality intrudes.  So many former major league ball players died this year (including all of them named above). Five Hall of Fame players passed away in the last six weeks.  The latest one was Joe Morgan, possibly one of the greatest second basemen of all time, dead at the age of 77.

The old timers are vanishing before our eyes, we middle aged (and older) current or former baseball fans.

When will this year end?

It made me remember the one game, not quite an old timers game, I went to at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, New York, where I got to see Bob Feller pitch at age 90.  Then, he died a bit over a year later.  In rereading this post, I realized that I had actually seen Whitey Ford at a minor league game in Binghamton, New York back around 2008.  Ah, memories....

The following is taken from that 2009 post.  I hope this is the last time I blog about baseball for a while.

It's funny....I go to a Fathers Day game for Fathers Day and....neither of my parents were baseball fans. As a result, I grew up in the Bronx, and never once visited Yankee Stadium. I don't know exactly how I became interested in baseball, but (this was before it was OK for girls to enjoy spectator sports) I used to get a lot of "you sure know a lot about baseball for a girl" comments.

Actually my technical knowledge wasn't and still isn't all that good. I can't tell you, given a certain scenario, if the batter should bunt, try for the sacrifice fly, if the man on first should try to steal, or what. I just always loved to watch good baseball. I was always the last one picked for softball, so I never even dreamed about playing, back in those pre-Title IX days.

But...my Dad used to take me on Sunday afternoon walks during the summer. It got both of us out of our hot apartment, as we walked and walked. He used to love to go to houses under construction to watch them go up. It fascinated him. I would tag along, with my transistor radio, and listen to the Yankees ballgame. These walks are a very fond memory for me.

That was many years ago, and my Dad passed away in 1986.

Too bad no old Yankees from that 1960's lineup were there in Cooperstown (although I did get to see Whitey Ford once in Binghamton) but here are some pictures of players at the game. And, THANK YOU, BALLPLAYERS, FOR COMING. It was so refreshing to see ballplayers who wanted to be there. And, I know you had a good time too. So much so that Bob Feller has already announced that he plans to return next year.

By the way, I still don't know who the people were who rode in the "Yankees" car, including the gentleman with the Mickey Mantle uniform who looked so much like him. I have a picture, but there are spectator faces in there so I don't want to post the photo.

And, now for the photos:

Here is Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson and pitcher Jim Hannan: (both from my era)

This picture was taken seconds before a mob of children and adults followed Brooks Robinson. blocking my view, to get his autograph.



Here, from the back, is George Foster: I sure would not have been rooting for him when he was playing for the 1970's Big Red Machine.















This picture was taken after the game: the players in "camouflage" uniforms were Military all stars who played alongside the old timers.

I wish I had a good seat to capture all the clowning around. And, Doubleday Field folks, just a hint-the PA system where we were (all the way in the hinterlands) rivaled the 1970's PA systems in the New York subway for incoherence.  

And now....I need to escape into my memories once more. 

Please, time....