Wednesday, May 22, 2019

Down Times and The Acres--Baseball Memories

Warning: Baseball Stuff
A Fan Is Born:
Having been born in Wellston, Missouri, (St. Louis is one of Wellston's larger suburbs), I was destined to grow up a fan of the Cardinals. It was inevitable. Raised on the glories of Musial, Gibson, Schoendiest, Brock, Flood, Boyer, White, Ozzie, McGee, Edmonds and, oh, so many more, the Birds on the Bat are part of my inheritance. And to be a fan of the Cardinals is to be a fan of baseball. To the Cardinal fan, applause is given fr...eely to the great plays made by the opposition as well as by our own gang. "The love of the game" they call it. I have the disease--and I'm not looking for a cure.
My favorite Cardinal of all time may surprise you--Julian Javier. You may have never heard of him. He was a marvelous second baseman back in my youth when I, too, was an infielder. A decent hitter, but, more importantly a golden glove. Turned the double play as graceful as a star at the ballet. Had a tag so swift the umpire had to call the runner out even if he got there first. My herol
My favorite park was Sportsman Park. It had its right field porch and homerun-denying screen as lethal as the Green Monster in Boston. Many a day after I had scrounged together enough money by getting deposits from pop bottles, selling insects to the high school girls for their bug collections, delivering the Wellston Journal, or just begging Mom and Pop for a little loose change, I would head to the park for a game or two. Yep, in those days they had real doubleheaders--two games for the price of one! No, really. Two for one. I would take the Cardinal Express--streetcars and then buses--right to the stadium, settle in for an afternoon of baseball behind the screen in right field, get a couple hot dogs (with the best relish-mustard mix ever), and enjoy.
Favorite moments: Clemente calling a ball off the screen every name imaginable (in Spanish--I didn't understand a word he said, but I understood them all), and then throwing a rocket to home completely over everyone--on the line. Moose Skorown (?) hitting a moonshot up onto the roof in right center, Waiting, waiting, waiting, thud. Touch 'em all Moose. Curt Simmons outdueling Hank Aaron. I swear he threw him 10 changeups in a row before striking him out. Joe Adcock of the Braves hitting a shot halfway up the flagpole in centerfield--and still rising. Now, that was a "monster shot." And my favorite memory, Sitting with Pop in my college days in the cookie cutter Busch watching Cepeda launch a monster shot to left. I think other people were probably there with us--but Pop being there is the only one that I remember.
Born to be a fan. A fan of the game and a devotee to the Cardinals. I have been blessed with a rich heritage. Go Cardinals!!!!

Sunday, May 12, 2019

Iris Time 2019

May has come to The Acres.  My favorite time of the year.  Why?  It's iris time!!!!  I love my irises; it's a disease I caught from my Mom.  Iris have always been a part of my pursuit of the beautiful.  At The Acres the dwarf iris come first.  Miniature masterpieces and the tall German iris soon to follow.  Their approach to beauty is to spread out, not up.  And some of them return in the fall.  These days I spend my time checking all the beds to see how many new buds have appeared on the iris.  An addiction I confess.  I fight it by planting more iris every year. =)  Here are some pictures of the little beauties--and a couple of the "real" things that have bloomed so far.  Enjoy.  I do