where did you learn the game of baseball

[QChawks]

saw this on Twitter...

we had the perfect backyard, the outfield bushes were our Wrigley Field Ivy. There is a power line above it so if you cleared that you got a bonus run

 

[WorldSeriesChamps2015]

OP's Mom

 

[The Tradition]

We had a proper baseball diamond in the community where I grew up.

 

[BeepBeepInMyJeep]

Like how to hit the ball? I’ll let you know when I have it figured out. But everything I did learn was ultimately taught to me by Harry and Steve. Ok, pretty much just Steve.

 

[DogBoyRy]

OP's Mom

Me also.
One of her gb’s was where i learned being “on deck” and “batter up”.

 

[GOHOX69]

Harry taught me how to get drunk off my ass. Pass me the Budweiser.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Started playing catch in the backyard before I have memories and kept playing everywhere I could until my junior year of college. First organized ball was YMCA tee ball in kindergarten. First good instruction was Cub Scout softball in Cedar Valley area from 1st-4th grade before switching to actual baseball in 5th grade. Full size infield diamond starting in 5th grade in the local Catholic school league.

 

[QChawks]

We had a proper baseball diamond in the community where I grew up.

what fun is that? Lame

if you aren’t risky hitting the neighbors house you are doing it wrong

 

[86Hawkeye]

By playing baseball.

 

[JohnBasedow]

Back yard and basement. Built a very rudimentary tennis ball batting cage that also doubled as a roller hockey rink in the basement.

 

[LuciousBDragon]

saw this on Twitter...

we had the perfect backyard, the outfield bushes were our Wrigley Field Ivy. There is a power line above it so if you cleared that you got a bonus run

Slump bustin’!

 

[SWIowahawks]

Swinging at pitches on WGN in my basement.

 

[Obviously Oblivious]

Learned baseball from playing with my neighborhood friends growing up and watching it on the weekends via the Game of the Week. I don’t recall ever playing catch with my old man growing up which is sad, but certainly explains why I sucked as a baseball player and probably helps partially explain why my parents eventually divorced. I got my diamond dreams fulfilled later playing softball in my 20s and 30s. Still love watching the game and I always made time to play catch or throw batting practice for my boys when they were growing up. My dad and stepdad served as great examples for me when I became a father. I did exactly the opposite of what they would have done. Sad but true.

 

[h-hawk]

It's a lot more fun to play then watch.

 

[TheCainer]

saw this on Twitter...

we had the perfect backyard, the outfield bushes were our Wrigley Field Ivy. There is a power line above it so if you cleared that you got a bonus run

That picture kind of reminds me of our front yard where my brother and I had some terrific wiffle ball games. We didn't have a true diamond either. It was more of a rectangle, about 45' from home to 1st and 2nd to 3rd, and about 20 feet from 1st to 2nd and 3rd to HP. First base was a small maple tree, 2nd base was a huge old oak tree that had a huge canopy that overhung almost the entire playing field. Third base was the TV antenna tower next to the house, and home plate was a section of the sidewalk where it made a 90 degree turn.

We had all sorts of special rules and ground rules. We played pitcher's hand where if the pitcher fielded the ball before the batter got to first, the batter was out. If it was a force play situation, the lead runner was out. Oh yeah, we had ghost runners too so the trailing base runner (batter) could turn back into the next hitter. If a ball was hit up into the canopy, it was a live ball. If the pitcher/fielder caught it before it hit the round, the batter was out. The ball often would ricochet several times off the branches before it came down so the fielder had to be able to change directions quickly. If the batter tried to get an extra base after rounding first, the pitcher could throw the ball at him and if it hit him, he was out. If he missed, the runner would usually just keep going because the pitcher would have to then go and retrieve the errant throw, which was a live ball. The pitcher could just hold the ball and the runner would only be allowed to go to the base directly ahead of him.

There was Mom's little flower garden in left field so if the ball went into there and stopped, it was a ground rule double. Neither one of us wanted to run into Mom's flower patch after a live ball and risk tearing up her flower patch. That would have probably been the end of that game. There was about a 3.5-4' tall fence in left field which if you hit it over that, it was a home run. Sometimes we would have to hurry to retrieve the ball so the hogs wouldn't get it. Usually you had to hit a rope to go over the left field fence so it wouldn't get too high and get caught up in the canopy. Occasionally we would have the huge Dave Kingman moon shot that would clear, or go through the canopy. There was no fence in right field so we used the end of the sidewalk that went out to the mailbox. If the ball cleared that point in the air, that was a home run. That was probably about a 75 foot shot, again hit on a low drive to avoid the canopy and not get knocked down by the maple tree.

The best rule was that the pitcher was also the home plate umpire who called the balls and strikes. Believe it or not, there weren't too many arguments. Usually the batter would swing at anything close so he wouldn't have to chase the ball down to throw it back to the pitcher since we didn't have a catcher or a backstop.

We had a lot of great games out there.

 

[McLovin32]

The front yard with the neighborhood kids.

Wasted a lot of time. Playing basketball was far more fun and a better workout.

 

[HawkeyeShawn]

At the elementary school 1 block away from my house. It was blacktop with the bases painted on it. It was awesome when I finally got the invite to join the evening and summer games with the older kids. Spring, a Summer or Fall, there was always neighbored kids playing ball. During the summers when we couldn’t find enough players, a buddy and I would play home run derby with tennis balls. When school would start in the Fall, every morning the elementary kids would play softball. We weren’t allowed to bring gloves to school, so we had a rubber ball the size of a softball. Everything was caught bare handed. You knew you were good when you could track down fly balls and make the catch or snag a line drive.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

In everyone’s backyards. The years my town hosted HS softball districts were the best. They didn’t have a permanent fence and would put up an orange snow fence that week. HR Derby time

 

[H4wkfan4life]

Baseball tonight

 

[runkpanole]

My front yard. Short porch in left but had to hit it high. Longer to left. Bases were definitely not equal distance apart. The trick was legging out a single. If you made it to 3rd, you were almost guaranteed to score.

 

[RunRonnieRun]

Dodgertown

 

[joelbc1]

Swimming Pool Park....southend of Pella back in the mid-50’s....
On “game day” we would take big ol’ wooden picnic tables, set them on end and use them as “the wall” to hit homers over.....occasionally, the night before there was a softball game and the “equipment box” might be kept unlocked, so we had access to bases...and chalk! Imagine what a bunch of 8-15 year olds can do with chalk!
We had a couple of different fields we used...those were the good ol’ days of my youth...lots of neighborhood kids..up to 15-20...
The park has since lost its swimming pool...but the city named it after my father after his passing and still exists. It was...and is, as special place for me and my brothers as well as “southenders” of my age...also had a couple of great sledding hills for winter enjoyment! To this day, it is not unusual to run into a comrade from those days in a local watering hole and reminesse.

 

[mcgrawfsu]

Learned baseball from playing with my neighborhood friends growing up and watching it on the weekends via the Game of the Week. I don’t recall ever playing catch with my old man growing up which is sad, but certainly explains why I sucked as a baseball player and probably helps partially explain why my parents eventually divorced. I got my diamond dreams fulfilled later playing softball in my 20s and 30s. Still love watching the game and I always made time to play catch or throw batting practice for my boys when they were growing up. My dad and stepdad served as great examples for me when I became a father. I did exactly the opposite of what they would have done. Sad but true.

Almost the same exact story, although I didn’t suck, but also wasn’t great. I was raw and couldn’t afford lessons and the league I played in was full of Beach riff raff for coaches. Swear to God my favorite coach used to bring a cigar and a six pack to practice. Didn’t play catch with my dad until I was a teenager. My stepdad tried but he wasn’t athletic. I give him a lot of credit for trying though. I used to love the game of the week. I had every lineup cut out of the newspaper to be ready and every baseball card out so I could see the players.

 

[HawCory]

We had the largest yard in the neighborhood by far featuring a gully in the back, so both the neighborhood ball diamond/football field and the neighborhood sledding hill were right outside our back door.

The downside was that it took me 5 times longer than any of my friends to mow.

 

[Ray Kinsella]

A dad and six siblings who loved baseball. We had a huge empty lot directly across the street from our house owned by the home owner right next to it. They were always very generous in letting us play there.

 

[UNIowaHawk]

Does anyone remember the old school home run derby’s they used to show on TV? They were in black and white and had players like Killebrew, Mantle, Mays, etc. If I recall they weren’t played in MLB stadiums and were just one on one I think. I remember watching those after CHiPs, but for the life of me I can’t find them anymore— searched all over YouTube.

 

[joelbc1]

Does anyone remember the old school home run derby’s they used to show on TV? They were in black and white and had players like Killebrew, Mantle, Mays, etc. If I recall they weren’t played in MLB stadiums and were just one on one I think. I remember watching those after CHiPs, but for the life of me I can’t find them anymore— searched all over YouTube.

They were held during Spring Training in a couple of Florida minor league parks I believe.

 

[Nipigu]

In the backseat of my parent’s car...just like everyone else.

 

[runkpanole]

Does anyone remember the old school home run derby’s they used to show on TV? They were in black and white and had players like Killebrew, Mantle, Mays, etc. If I recall they weren’t played in MLB stadiums and were just one on one I think. I remember watching those after CHiPs, but for the life of me I can’t find them anymore— searched all over YouTube.

Yes. Use to watch them with my grandfather. I believe they actually did it like a game rather than the current format.

 

[Chillyhoff]

To right field over the street was a ground rule double.

To my 50’s when I retired from softball I was still a right handed right field hitter.

 

[Moral]

A friends backyard until I put a ball through their neighbors window with my PovertyKid Bunter 500. After that his dad would only let us use pinecones. So we ended up just playing football and basketball.

 

[Big_Palooka]

started baseball summer after 1st grade. This was pre t-ball days. My town started t-ball the year I went up to the next league. We also had 12 of us within 2 years of each other in my neighborhood. So, we would come home from baseball practice and then head right out to play wiffleball. We had 3 different fields (big yards) in our neighborhood so we would rotate fields. We also kept home run stats each summer, this was some serious wiffleball. Then when there were just a few of us available we would play 500, pickle, or fast pitch (this last one is where one of my friends older brother, about 5 years older than us, would pitch tennis balls to us as fast as he could throw). Man those days of summer were awesome.

 

[runkpanole]

Does anyone remember the old school home run derby’s they used to show on TV? They were in black and white and had players like Killebrew, Mantle, Mays, etc. If I recall they weren’t played in MLB stadiums and were just one on one I think. I remember watching those after CHiPs, but for the life of me I can’t find them anymore— searched all over YouTube.

 

[LuteHawk]

In East Davenport, there were two city parks with
a baseball diamond: Lindsay Park and Indian
Springs Park. Both of them were several blocks from
our home. We would round up the neighborhood
guys of grade school age & chose up sides. It was a
lot of fun in the Spring and Summer.

 

[HawkPT]

As a kid, my two older brothers and I would often play with a nerf baseball. The machine shed was our backstop. Four disc blades were the bases. It was usually two of us and our dog, an athletic Blue Heeler named Saba.

If the dog fielded the ball before it got to the road, it was an out. A deflection off his teeth was a one-base error. If it rolled onto or hit the road: single. If it hit the far ditch: double. Over the fence beyond the ditch: HR.

Games were usually low scoring. Nerf baseballs were a blast because they could be thrown hard but also spun like mad. We usually had a few breaks when the dog needed to recover in the shade of a bush.

Great memories.

 

[HawkPT]

Swimming Pool Park....southend of Pella back in the mid-50’s....
On “game day” we would take big ol’ wooden picnic tables, set them on end and use them as “the wall” to hit homers over.....occasionally, the night before there was a softball game and the “equipment box” might be kept unlocked, so we had access to bases...and chalk! Imagine what a bunch of 8-15 year olds can do with chalk!
We had a couple of different fields we used...those were the good ol’ days of my youth...lots of neighborhood kids..up to 15-20...
The park has since lost its swimming pool...but the city named it after my father after his passing and still exists. It was...and is, as special place for me and my brothers as well as “southenders” of my age...also had a couple of great sledding hills for winter enjoyment! To this day, it is not unusual to run into a comrade from those days in a local watering hole and reminesse.

So Joel is Mr. Caldwell's son, huh?

 

[HawkPT]

Yes. Use to watch them with my grandfather. I believe they actually did it like a game rather than the current format.

I remember watching reruns of those. I seem to remember that these were held at an empty Wrigley Field, but I may be misremembering.

 

[unsubstantiated]

Harry Carey and Jimmie Piersall on WMAQ in the 70s. Both were still coherent enough to truly explain the game. They were brutally honest and would mercilessly criticize the crappy Sox players and front office.

I had to farm with my Dad and he listened to country music. I, of course, hated it. Turning the radio to a rock station would never fly, but he would tolerate listening to ball games.

 

[joelbc1]

So Joel is Mr. Caldwell's son, huh?

Could well be...

 

[hawkifann]

Started playing catch in the backyard before I have memories and kept playing everywhere I could until my junior year of college. First organized ball was YMCA tee ball in kindergarten. First good instruction was Cub Scout softball in Cedar Valley area from 1st-4th grade before switching to actual baseball in 5th grade. Full size infield diamond starting in 5th grade in the local Catholic school league.

Baseball was my first love. I don't remember a time when I didn't have at least a plastic ball and a giant red bat at my disposal. Played a ton of backyard whiffle ball as a kid, Little League forever, high school ball. I gave it up after HS, but still took my glove and some balls to Iowa and found friends to throw in the quad.

Where did I learn? Two-fold. #1 was playing backyard games. Had to learn pitch selection, trying to work a hitter and the reverse as the hitter. I also threw tennis balls off my garage playing solo wall ball for hours on end working infield defense, playing with backhand techniques and working on range. I also learned a metric crap ton from listening to Steve Stone call games with Harry on WGN pretty much every summer I can remember.

I've passed the love of the game to my oldest and maybe my youngest (he's 9, so we'll see if it sticks). My middle doesn't love the game, but he does have some appreciation and always wants to know how the Cubs are doing and will sometimes ask to keep book for games when my oldest is playing.

 

[joelbc1]

Harry Carey and Jimmie Piersall on WMAQ in the 70s. Both were still coherent enough to truly explain the game. They were brutally honest and would mercilessly criticize the crappy Sox players and front office.

I had to farm with my Dad and he listened to country music. I, of course, hated it. Turning the radio to a rock station would never fly, but he would tolerate listening to ball games.

They were a dynamic duo! They both were able to get some of the best work out of each other as a broadcast team.