Old Time Baseball

As anyone who reads this or knows me knows, I love baseball.  I love for baseball falls on the nerdy side (I know, shocking!).  One of my favorite things to do is score ball games, especially when I go to a new ballpark.  I carry at least four sharpened pencils, stick them in my ball cap, and my score book and don't get up throughout the whole game.  I've watched some crazy games and scored most of them.  It helps me remember the game and gives me something to do.  I've scored games at Ranger's Ballpark in Arlington, old Shea Stadium and old Yankee Stadium in New York, Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Marlin's Stadium in Miami, and Citizen's Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia as well as some minor league games and college games.

My mother in law was going though my father in law's old belongings and found something awesome.  She found a program from a 1957 game between the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago Red Sox.  He had been a summer missionary in Chicago that summer and found time to go to a game.  He also scored the game.  By research, I was able to find the game he went to.  It was July 19, 1957.  The Red Sox won 5-2.    He saw four Hall of Famers play that day- Luis Aparicio, Nellie Fox, and Larry Doby of the White Sox and Ted Williams of the Red Sox.  Ted Williams hit a home run that day.  Both teams were pretty good that year, but finished behind the Yankees for the American League Pennant.

It's really neat that he saw Ted Williams hit a home run in person.  Looking over my programs and baseball memories, I've seen a few transcendent players- Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, and Derek Jeter, among others, including David Price in college.

Baseball is awesome and spring is almost here.