Baseball. . . the great game.
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At some point, every spring,
when the heat rises to a certain level, and the smell of a freshly mown lawn blows my way, I think of baseball. That warm weather game of hope and skill and strategy and luck and endurance.
The game of failure.
The slow moving game interrupted with excitement -- like life itself.
I think of beer and hot dogs and mustard and peanuts. Of
Col'beer here,
Cooolers, and
Hotdaaaawwgs, as the concessionaires used to say.
I think of the sound of a wood bat cracking a leather-skinned ball and
seeing that connection before
hearing it. I think of handsome Johnny Callison, Cookie Rojas, Tony Taylor, Richie Ashburn, Pete Incaviglia, Nolan Ryan, and "Julio-Julio" being sung-out from the stands. And Charlie Hough catching a smoke between innings back when an older pitcher could do such things.
I think of the red-capped Phillies, and Connie Mack stadium. I think of Willie Mays, the Say-Hey kid, and basket catches.
When summer hits, and the air is still, I'll hear a distant radio and a baritone-voiced announcer calling the game, and I will think of the nights at the ballpark with my family watching the Texas Rangers. And Pony League games, and hitting ground balls to the boys in the front yard, and . . .
Well, there's just no end to the good baseball memories.
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Texas Ranger's first game is Friday, April 1. Fort Worth Cats first game is Monday, May 9. Due to popular demand, Kincaid's is back selling hamburgers at the Cats' games this year.
First posted 2009. Revised.
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