Gene Michael

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Saturday, October 15, 1988: World Series, Game 1

At approximately 1:00 PM, I received a phone call from a friend who asked me whether I’d be interested in buying two tickets for that afternoon’s game at Dodger Stadium. He said they were available at face value, but added that I would need to drive to a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport to pick them up.

I said, “Yes, I want the tickets.”

As soon as I hung up the phone, I picked it up again to call a friend who I knew would want to come along. No answer. I left a message on the machine.

I called another friend. No answer. I left a message on the machine.

Another call. Same result.

I don’t recall exactly how many phone calls I made–maybe two or three more. Even though it was a Saturday, nobody was home, and because I didn’t want to be late for the game, I started to leave.

Before I reached the front door, the phone rang.

The caller was a college friend who I hadn’t seen for a few years or so. He had moved to the Midwest, but was in town on business and wanted to get together for lunch or dinner.

I said, “Do you want to go to the game at Dodger Stadium today?”

Knowing  he was (still is) a lifelong baseball fan, I knew the answer before he said yes.

I looked at the clock, knew we’d be cutting it close, so I told him I’d pick up the tickets and meet him at the Stadium.

I drove to LAX, picked up the tickets, drove to Dodger Stadium, met my friend, and on the way to the turnstiles, caught up on general stuff.  I told him the story about not being able to find anyone for the second ticket.

We agreed about the good timing.

1988 World Series–Game 1. Most baseball fans know how this game ended. Gibson hobbles to the plate, hits a 3-2 pitch over the right field wall. Gibson limps around the bases. Dodgers win. People who left in the 7th or 8th inning “to beat the traffic” curse themselves for the rest of their lives.

For me, there’s another unforgettable part of that game’s dramatic conclusion.

As the tension mounted and the count went full, picture a capacity crowd (minus at least a few dozen who got a head start toward the freeways)–shouting, yelling, whistling, screaming, clapping. Oakland’s ace reliever, Dennis Eckersley, delivers the 3-2 pitch. Gibson swings.

One of these days, I’m going to use a stopwatch to see how much time elapsed from the moment of contact–that crack of the bat–and the moment it descended like a crazy dream into some lucky fan’s hands there in the right field pavilion.

However many seconds passed (more than one, maybe close to four) an almost unbelievable silence (quick as it was) replaced the noise. It was as if everyone there–witnessing the almost inconceivable–simultaneously inhaled and wiped the sound away until, just as suddenly, the subsequent release of air launched a collective shout of joyful disbelief that transformed itself into at least a half hour of continuous shouting, yelling, whistling, screaming, clapping, and cheering. As we picked up our programs and left our seats, as we walked down the stairs, out to the parking lot, as we drove onto the freeway, and away from Dodger Stadium that evening, the cheering continued.

Theologians may point out technicalities to dispute the point. Skeptics and pessimists may dismiss the point as trivial or irrelevant in terms of the broader scope of Life on Earth.  But because the memory reminds me how the will to succeed can prevail over seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and that no matter how rarely miracles occur, what I saw in the bottom of the ninth inning on October 15, 1988 showed me that miracles can and do happen. You just have to keep yourself ready for them.  Grab a bat, step into the box, and take your best cut.

Do you have a story like Jim’s? We would love to hear from you! Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Reggie Cleveland

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Our special guest on this episode of Cover the Bases came to us as a friend of a friend, and we are so glad that she did!  She once left a comment on a post here, and with a couple of clicks I found her web site at PerryBarber.com and I knew immediately that I wanted to experience her passion for baseball first hand.

The motivation to have her as a guest was initially sparked by her career as a professional umpire, but as I discovered, her interests, occupations, and experiences run wider and deeper than just that interesting topic.  I also realized that it was more than any single episode of a podcast could contain!  So, I will deliver our conversation in segments and have invited Perry to revisit in the future, maybe we can even get her to give some reviews of the baseball books that she has on her Kindle!

We begin our discussion by diving into her musical background and her relationship with a gentleman who baseball fans should know, Steve Goodman.  Steve was a Grammy winning folk singer who composed the ballad A Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request. Perry shares the story of her first encounter with him and witnessing his immense talent first hand.

It also gives us a chance to discuss her CD, Belle of the Ballfield, which includes her songs Baseball, The Umpire Stands Alone, Down on the Farm, and Stuck on the Wrong Side of Love among many others.  The song Baseball was inspired by George Brett’s assault on .400 in 1983, and was included in a documentary called End of an Era about the New York Giants’ last game at the Polo Grounds in 1957.

We discuss the aspect of “fandom” as it pertains to an umpire.  Protocol and training require that an umpire remains unemotional, but as anyone can attest, there are moments when you can’t help but get caught up in the overall storyline of a great game. She does attempt to draw something educational from the excitement of a particular moment, rather than just getting caught up in it.  Sitting in the stands, it may also provide the opportunity to demonstrate to someone nearby the intricacies of detail that can be easily overlooked.  It is the beauty of the game that provides so much enjoyment on so many levels.

Perry points out the hardest aspect of learning to be a great umpire is the management of the game.  The balls & strikes, positioning, and rules can all be studied and learned, but the challenge of removing the emotion and maintaining control only can come through experience.  Knowing where to set the limits where the players can play the game, but still maintain control of the game is what all umpires must learn.

Join us for Episode Two of our conversation with Perry Barber, when we discuss the moment that she recognized her calling and the influence of her mother, as well as the challenges for women umpires and the glass ceilings that still must be shattered.

If you like hearing about the baseball books we profile on Cover the Bases, it might be time for you to pick up a Kindle from Amazon, so that you can take all the best Baseball Books with you no matter which stadiums you visit.

Let us know in the comments what you think about the Cover the Bases podcast. We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message. We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Willie Davis (R.I.P)

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Jack Billingham

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Tom House

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Ron Hansen

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Jesse Barfield

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!

Ike Brown

Each day we feature something from our collection of childhood bubblegum memories.  For those who remember them, these baseball cards have their own stories to tell.

What does this card bring to mind for you? Please share in the comments!

We would love to hear from you. Send a Tweet to @baseballisms with a quick message, send us an email or visit our Upload page with a video message.  We look forward to growing a community of fans interested in the poetry of the game of baseball!