What Baseball Means To Me by Daniel Foote

By Daniel Foote:

The crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the different smells of the ballpark are all things that bring back memories of my childhood.

Baseball has been such a large part of my life and a part of me that my first memory in life is being at Wrigley. We were sitting up high on the third base side. I was cheering for my favorite player at the time, Willie Mays. “Say HEY Willie!”

As a life-long Cubs fan, you’d think I’d remember watching Ron Santo (may he rest in peace), Fergie Jenkins (the first Canadian inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame), Billy Williams, Ernie Banks, Ken Holtzman (who missed parts of four seasons serving in the Army National Guard) and the list goes on and on. But no! I remember cheering for the “Say-Hey Kid”.

I remember he was up to bat and I cheered. That’s it! No memory of did he get on base or not. No memory of the timing of the at bat. Nothing! But, hey, I was FOUR!!!!

As a kid, I remember watching Kurt Russell playing for our local Double A team (the El Paso Diablos). Over the years (including some in my adult life), we also saw Tom Brunansky, Brian Harper, Teddy Higuera, John Jaha, Randy Johnson, Lyle Overbay and Gary Scheffield come through here. That’s just to name a few.

We were there the night that Paul Strelzin (“The Strelz”) became the first Public Address Announcer to ever be ejected from a game. The umpires that night were notably bad. The fans and The Strelz were taking it to them. Just giving them grief over every bad call. When Strelzin started playing “Three Blind Mice”, the home plate umpire had enough, and he pointed toward The Strelz and made the sign that he was ejected. Everyone laughed, even Strelzin.

However, he was serious! He stood on home plate and waited……and waited……and waited. Finally, he talked to the Police, and they went up to the booth to get Strelzin. As he was being escorted out, the fans were giving The Strelz high-fives and patting him on the back.

That was when the crowd REALLY started in on the umpires! Even if the call was correct, we started singing “Three Blind Mice”. But I remember wondering why everyone was yelling at the home plate ump even when he brushed off the plate!

Now, many years later, El Paso has the Chihuahuas. Triple A baseball has arrived, and I get to be exposed to a “higher” calling of baseball. After seeing Everth Cabrera, Travis Ishikawa, Jake Marisnick, Andrew Cashner, Cameron Maybin, Randy Wolff, John Buck, Tony Campana, Xavier Nady and many other former Major Leaguers come through here last year, I am EAGER to see who we get here this year (and for years to come).

As I’ve gotten older and have kids and grandkids, baseball has evolved from a game I loved to play, to a game I love to go and watch. There are certain things that I pay more attention to now.

I watch how players do little things, like bunting. I was never any good at it, but I understood WHERE the ball should land and stay, to get the runner to advance and the batter to first with at least a CHANCE of being safe.

I watch how players use (or don’t use) the cut-off man. I was often in trouble for NOT using the cut-off man. It’s interesting to see a player with a good arm, use the cut-off man and then watch someone who’s arm is not as strong, through from the outfield to home plate.

But mostly, now when I go to the games, I take in all of the sights, sounds and smells of my childhood. Baseball has become a game of memories. Every time I am at a game, I remember something.

It may be how I played a certain position (I played everything EXCEPT second base) compared to how a player on the field is playing it, or it may be something that happened at a game (arguing balls and strikes with the ump, who happened to be my dad – did NOT go well, I was ejected).

I watch parents with their kids and wonder who’s having more fun, the parents or the kids? Either way, they’re making memories that’ll last a lifetime! What’s better than that? Nothing!

So let’s PLAY BALL!!!