How many guys are there? Well, there is Doc and General and Lefty and Spike and Charley, and George and Louie and Warney and Ronnie and Will and you and I and then Earl and Moe and Jack are on way. Ok that makes fourteen and we can let two guys pitch and catch for each team. Ok here they come now.
Lets throw the bat up now. Jack you are a new guy. What we do is throw the bat up in the air catch it coming down. Then the guy who threw it will place any number of fingers touching the top fingers of the hand on the bat of the guy who caught it. Then you work your way up the bat until you get to the knob of the bat. Whoever is last has to have enough fingers on the bat to be able to through it over his shoulder.
If he can’t, the other guy wins and gets first choice of players. Ok? Ok.
Will won the fingers selection and got first choice and the teams were selected with much shouting moaning and groaning.
Since none of us could afford a new ball, we used an old ball wrapped heavily with black electricians tape. At one time, the cover of the long time used ball was destroyed and was therefore bound in tape to prevent the ball from unstringing when hit or thrown.
We had a lefthanders first basemen’s mitt, a catcher’s mitt and six other assorted gloves we passed around while in the field. Sometimes we had to wear right-hander’s mitt when we were left-handed but that was Ok.We also had an assortment of taped bats.
There were no uniforms no spectators, no parents, no refreshment stands, no rest rooms and we used a player for an ump but We Had Fun. We played from around noon, after chores and lunch, until a shout to come home was heard or a smaller sibling came to get us or it got to dark to see the black ball.
The games were always fierce and hotly contested every day. Disputes were quickly broken up and the game continued from day to day with the same players divided differently.
No Pee Wee or Little Leagues, no Williamsport World Series then, there were just we young kids having a great time playing ball.
Raymond Morrow
