n 1908, America’s game got its own theme song. For seven weeks “take me out to the Ball Game” topped the charts. The song has endured through over a century as memorable today as in yesteryear. The song did not become widely played at ballparks until 1934. It became a tradition when the famous Chicago broadcaster, Harry Carey, began encouraging fans to sing along during the seventh inning stretch. The song helped popularize the Cracker Jack snack which is now a staple at baseball games. I doubt the current regime would appreciate the fact that the lyrics celebrate Katie Casey, a baseball mad girl, who preferred rooting for her home team to going to a show. Imagine women’s rights in 1908.
Yogi Berra is an inspiration to most of us baseball fanatics. Yogi was one of the best catchers in the long history of the game. He was part of 10 World Series championships, won 3 MVP awards, played in l8 All Star games, hit 358 home runs and drove in 1430 runs. Yogi was a clutch hitter in addition to his catching skills and played in l4 World Series over his career. Yogi also had a marvelous way of using the English language. I will be inserting some of his wisdom as we proceed through this message. Let’s start with “I wish I had an answer to that because I’m tired of answering that question.” And you could not argue with “he hits from both sides of the plate. He’s amphibious.” If this seems to ring a bell, “it’s like Deja-vu, all over again.”
You hear people say it was a perfect game. I am thinking most often it is because their team won or they correctly picked the spread. Actually, only 24 times in Major League Baseball history has a pitcher and their team retired 27 successive batters; no hits, no walks, no runs, no errors. The last one was in 2023 thrown by a Yankee pitcher, Domingo German. Some of the great names in baseball; Cy Young, Don Larsen, Sandy Koufax, Randy Johnson, Felix Hernandez and Domingo. The first perfect game was pitched by Lee Richmond in 1880. What can go wrong? Superstition has it players never mention a no hitter while the game is in progress. Some say don’t change or wash your underwear during a winning streak, and all players know that you always or never step on the foul line when taking the field. Individual players have their own unusual habits that they feel brings them luck.
The rarest play in baseball is the unassisted triple play, only 15 times in the recorded history of the game has that occurred. Hitting for a natural cycle, a single, double, triple and home run in that order is counted 15 times. Only once did a player hit a grand slam home run batting left and right handed in the same game, the homers yielded a one time only 8 RBi’s in one inning and only once did a player hit three inside the park home runs in one game.
If you follow the game, you likely know about the Mudville 9 and the sad story of Mighty Casey. Casey came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, two outs, and two men on base with his team trailing by 2 runs. A hush came over the crowd as the ever confident Casey stepped up to bat. Confidence is earned by consistently rising to challenging situations. Arrogance is the quality of having an exaggerated sense of one’s own importance or abilities. Casey stands smugly without preparing to hit while the pitcher throws two strikes, the payoff pitch which is expected to be driven over the outfield fence is delivered. A mighty swing misses the ball and there is no joy in Mudville, “the mighty Casey has struck out”.
I am feeling better every day that the Orange Wanker and his hence folks are exhausting their base and alienating most of the country. The mean spirited, vengeful, lack of empathy in pursuit of personal wealth and unearned recognition will be the Achilles heel of our heel in charge. Yogi once said, “Even Napoleon has his Watergate.” He went on to proclaim, “the future ain’t what it used to be.” And the way The Wanker is managing our economy, “a nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.”
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it”. The fork that leads to protecting our individual freedoms, democracy, and the only planet we have.
Mike
Peanuts and Cracker Jacks
