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February 6, 2021

Random Musings of A Life-Long Baseball Fan

 

Let’s file this one under, “My have times changed!” and Check out those linen ties!

We all know baseball has seen numerous changes to its basic structure and rules over the years. But here’s something I thought you might get a kick out of. It happened a long time ago.

One hundred thirty-nine years ago this week, the National League sent out a directive stating that its players hence forth were now responsible for carrying their own equipment on road trips, including bats and balls, and even their road uniforms. Plus they were now required to purchase and keep clean at their own expense “two complete uniforms, including the white linen ties which are required to be worn on the field at all times.” I’m trying to imagine who they were using to carry this stuff before this. Mascots? Coaches?

In the featured photo we see the 1882 New York Metropolitans, members of the newly formed American Association. If you look closely, you can see the required “white linen ties” mentioned in the directive.

Can you even imagine Major League Baseball putting out an order like this today? The pampered, spoiled multi-millionaire  primadonnas who make up the current cadre of players would likely just laugh it off. Given such a mandate, you can imagine them saying something like: That’s great, I’ll pass the information along to my chauffeur. “ 

How did you become a fan of your favorite team?

I’ve often thought that there’s a reason we all cheer for the teams that we do. Someone, perhaps a father or a mother, a grandfather or grandmother, a favored aunt or uncle, another sibling, played a significant role in just how we view the game and who our favorite team is.

In my case, it was my grandfather who was a life-long Cub fan. If you read my previous blog, “A young Kid Meets Rogers Hornsby,” that’s him, Lou Livacari. I still have vivid recollections from the mid-1950s when I was about five years old. He would to come to our house for Sunday dinner. Afterwards, I’d often be sitting on his lap in the den watching Sunday double headers on the old back-and-white TV. I can still remember him saying: “That’s Ernie Banks, he’s real good. Why you’d have to go back to Honus Wagner to find a shortstop like him.” Gosh those are fond memories…

Sure enough, because of him, I had the Cubs firmly engrained into my young psyche, and there was never any chance to turn back. Little did I know at that tender age what I was in for being a life-long Cub fan! I’ll bet most of you have a story similar to mine. If you’d like, please share your story here.

I love the “Old Game” better than today’s game

Even though I’m a life-long baseball fan, I find myself falling away from today’s game. As each year goes by, it seems I lose a just a little more interest. Now when I watch a game, I usually have the sound down while I’m doing something else. Occasionally, I’ll look up to see how the game is progressing. I barely read the sports section anymore and I’ve tuned out sports talk radio. Is it the astronomical sums of money involved? Is it the new reliance on these crazy advanced metrics—most of which I have no idea what they mean and have no desire to learn—taking the spontaneity out of the game? Is it the way the game has evolved, the homerun or strikeout approach, coming at the expense of “small ball”? Maybe it’s all of these put together; but for whatever reason, I’ve found myself having have much more interest in the old days of baseball than today’s game.

I’m especially nostalgic for the era in which I cut my teeth, the 1950s and 1960’s. To me, those were the good old days with all the great players and great personalities. Back then, they played for the love of the game and often had to find off-season employment to make ends meet. I find it real hard to get excited about this current crop of spoiled, pampered, multi-millionaires.

To employ a worn-out old phrase, “They don’t make em’ like they used to.” So popular was the game back when I was a kid that I remember school days coming to a halt when the (afternoon) World Series games came on. The school principal allowed us to listen to the games over the intercom system. Can you imagine that happening today?

Maybe you harbor some of the same feelings. If so, feel free to express them here.

Gary Livacari
 

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