Those who know me now might find it hard to believe,but there was a time when I knew little about and could care less about baseball.
The change occurred while in Miss Amato's third grade when the first time I hit the ball in a gym class game,I ran first to third base bringing ridicule and humiliation upon myself. A few games later,I found myself being escorted home by my gym teacher after striking out with the bases loaded and two outs in the final inning.It was for my own protection after all the threats from my teammates/classmates.
That was in 1964. In 1965,I discovered the New York Mets then known as the clown princes of baseball and my love of baseball began.
I would spend a great deal of my free time alone as a kid. That despite having two brothers and a neighborhood full of children my age.
Spending time alone allowed me to read,listen to the music I wanted to listen to,sometimes write,and on spring weekends there was the New York Mets to watch on TV,but most of all, it allowed me to create..imagine.
One of the things I imagined was my own baseball league. I had my own National and American Leagues. I still remember the teams.. New York Owls,San Francisco Gorillas,Buffalo Royal Kings. There were franchises located in Hawaii ( Islanders),Maine (Lobsters) and South Dakota (Prairiemen)
Hawaii Islanders wore bright green uniforms and the Virginia Rebels wore uniforms eerily similar to those worn by the Confederate Army,however the Rebels' manager was black long before Frank Robinson took a helm in that other major league.
My league expanded into San Diego in 1967,the MLB's Padres didn't come into existence till 1969,and 1970's expansion Miami team was named...you guessed it- Marlins!
Every team had a fully stocked roster. I'd have the names written down. Some names were those from that other league,others came from book titles,movies
There were various ways to play the game. One manner involved using that league's box scores.Another involved matching lineups on the televised Game of the Week.
The third way was to actually play the game myself.In this way,I got to be the play by play man,the organ player and the crowd.
American League games were played in our damp,dark unfinished basement. No one was going to bother me there.
National League games were played in my backyard where depending on the game,my Dog Gyp could serve as an infielder,outfielder or the crowd.
Bats could be sticks,wiffle ball bats or wooden ones with balls being rolled up socks (My mom always wondered why my socks vanished ) wiffle balls or rocks,and yes on a couple occasions,neighbor windows were busted.
My league expanded to three divisions before MLB and had a wild card team first.
Fantasy Baseball before Fantasy Baseball..
