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Baseball season was upon us… All I wanted to do from the fall of 1963 to the winter of 1964 was play baseball for my high school team. Baseball was it for me. Seemed like it defined my life.
Weequahic High School's baseball season started when it was still pretty cold. Sometime around March 15, 1964 could not have arrived fast enough. I would have been there even if tryouts started outside in the snow, or rain or sleet. But they started in the gym, because it was too cold for outside baseball. Just like a lot of other schools in my part of New Jersey.
I recall walking through the corridors of school on that first day of tryouts in baseball awe. I was like a baseball zombie. Was I as prepared as I should have been? Would I hit? How would I look? Would I trip over my laces of my sneakers? I did not want to look bad, plain and simple. After school was when we started the practice. It was time hit, throw and catch.
"Time to get a move on boys. Get the kinks out" I heard Mr Ginsburg say, as he left his office. The coach had spoken. It was time to get serious. The butterflies started flying in my belly. My time to shine was finally here.
The winter is always too long when you prefer to be playing baseball.
So I started playing catch with my friend Mel. I was so excited to have a glove on and playing ball. I remember trying to be serious and smiling at the same time.
After tossing the pill around for a while it was time to hit. We did not have a pitching machine so we improvised. Check this out. The gym at Weequahic High had a regular sized basketball court. On both sides of the court there were two more basketball baskets. From each basket a rope was tied that hung to a height of my gut. A total of four baskets were used for this drill. Attached to the end of the rope was a baseball. Yes the rope went through the middle of the ball and out the other side of the ball. It was my pursuit to hit the baseball into the mat that was positioned up against the wall, under the basket. The ball hung about two feet from the mat and about three to four feet off the ground.
I was nervous as I heard the coach tell us what to do. He told us this exercise was about getting a level swing. Hit a ball into a mat. What if I messed up? Would I be cut in less than an hour of tryouts?
Batting was it for me. If I couldn't hit this somewhat stationary ball - I should start thinking about pitching and forget about hitting. You have got to be kidding with this drill. I hit the ball so hard the sound it made hitting the mat had everyone in the gym looking at me. Boom. I can still hear the sounds reverberating off the cement walls in the gym. My pals patted me on the back. I was relieved. I passed my first test. In 24 hours day two of practice.
awallad
.
Weequahic High School's baseball season started when it was still pretty cold. Sometime around March 15, 1964 could not have arrived fast enough. I would have been there even if tryouts started outside in the snow, or rain or sleet. But they started in the gym, because it was too cold for outside baseball. Just like a lot of other schools in my part of New Jersey.
I recall walking through the corridors of school on that first day of tryouts in baseball awe. I was like a baseball zombie. Was I as prepared as I should have been? Would I hit? How would I look? Would I trip over my laces of my sneakers? I did not want to look bad, plain and simple. After school was when we started the practice. It was time hit, throw and catch.
"Time to get a move on boys. Get the kinks out" I heard Mr Ginsburg say, as he left his office. The coach had spoken. It was time to get serious. The butterflies started flying in my belly. My time to shine was finally here.
The winter is always too long when you prefer to be playing baseball.
So I started playing catch with my friend Mel. I was so excited to have a glove on and playing ball. I remember trying to be serious and smiling at the same time.
After tossing the pill around for a while it was time to hit. We did not have a pitching machine so we improvised. Check this out. The gym at Weequahic High had a regular sized basketball court. On both sides of the court there were two more basketball baskets. From each basket a rope was tied that hung to a height of my gut. A total of four baskets were used for this drill. Attached to the end of the rope was a baseball. Yes the rope went through the middle of the ball and out the other side of the ball. It was my pursuit to hit the baseball into the mat that was positioned up against the wall, under the basket. The ball hung about two feet from the mat and about three to four feet off the ground.
I was nervous as I heard the coach tell us what to do. He told us this exercise was about getting a level swing. Hit a ball into a mat. What if I messed up? Would I be cut in less than an hour of tryouts?
Batting was it for me. If I couldn't hit this somewhat stationary ball - I should start thinking about pitching and forget about hitting. You have got to be kidding with this drill. I hit the ball so hard the sound it made hitting the mat had everyone in the gym looking at me. Boom. I can still hear the sounds reverberating off the cement walls in the gym. My pals patted me on the back. I was relieved. I passed my first test. In 24 hours day two of practice.
awallad
.
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