The Boys Of Summer
"At the crack of a bat, the silence on this sultry summer afternoon was shattered. There were only a scattered few spectators watching this bat-and-ball sport, one that everyone previously knew as "Round Ball", and yet the gathered folks were now on their feet and cheering the young lad who was rounding the bases. His bare feet pounded the parched soil that had been laid bare by the scorching sun, his arms mechanically thrusting with each stride as every ounce of youthful energy was being summoned to get him as far around the infield as he could go.
John had never before struck the ball with such authority and seeing its flight arch high and wide past the opposing team's fielder was quite a thrill. It never crossed his mind that his team mate had already crossed home plate with a go-ahead run for their team. John, with his curly locks flowing in the wind, was firmly focused on rounding the base paths toward that last infield base. Instinctively, he knew the ball could arrive before he did, the look on the third baseman's face said as much. So, for fame or infamy, John leapt in the air throwing his body as close to the guarded base as possible. A sand-like grit covered his face and was sprinkled throughout his hair from his landing and sliding over the base and consequently into the fielder. A gasp from the crowd of observers nearby was the only audible sound until moments later, the umpire noticing the loose ball on the ground, pronounced John as "safe", whereupon the home crowd erupted once more with cheers, a delightful sound that filled the valley."
This is just a snippet from my upcoming book, which covers our nation's history through The Gilded Age.
As you and I know, the months of April and May can be fickle, and not always fair-weather friends for those of us in Northeast Ohio. However, by June, one can be pretty safe in the knowledge that summer has finally arrived and thus also, the enjoyment of our "favorite pastime". My grandfather used to call the Cleveland Indians "morning glories" because by the start of summer, they had usually faded to the bottom of the standings, but not this year!
Here's a few tidbits for the enthusiast compliments of wikipedia. It was as early as the 1850's when the baseball craze hit the New York Metropolitan area. The game was played by the troops serving in the Civil War and then spread across the country thereafter. In 1863, a rule change disallowed "put outs" made by catching a fair ball on the first bounce and by 1869, the first fully professional club, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed and went undefeated against a schedule of semi-pro teams. Then, the National League was founded in 1876, which is around the time of my snippet of opening text. 1884 saw the legalization of overhand pitching and with other minor changes, by 1893, many of the rules for the game we recognize, were put in place.
Imagine this! During the years prior to 1857, the game had no standard distance between the bases and there were no restrictions to the number of players who were on the field at any one time, everyone just ran around until one team happened to score twenty one runs.
There are those of us who live for the sounds and smells of summer, as well as the feeling of its warmth on our skin. Oh, and let's not forget the umpire's barking, "Play Ball!"