First matters first. Grasshopper No.3 and Grasshopper No.4 have challenged me in the NCAA basketball pool. Silly guys. After day one of tournament play, Grasshopper No.4 is sucking exhaust.
I have been having an occasional lunch with brother Jerry. The difference in our age is similar to the difference in age between Grasshopper No.3 and No.4 – close to 7 years. Jerry was always the little brother. He tagged along to baseball games to watch Jack and myself play. My Dad was usually the coach. Jerry would sit in our dugouts. As he got older, he became a batboy for our team.
When our Dad (Bucky) died, Jerry was almost 11 years old. He never had Bucky coach his baseball team. Bucky never saw Jerry play organized PeeWee League baseball.
I asked Jerry about his memories of going to “our” games as we were growing up. Most vivid in his mind was a baseball game involving Jack (age 14) and my Dad. My Dad had made a decision regarding Jack’s placement in the batting order. Jack didn’t like it. They started arguing and pushing each other around. Jerry remembers they wrestled and both fell to the ground on the third baseline. I can’t imagine that because my Dad was the one person who could dominate Jack. Jerry thought that my Dad had been drinking before the game. Oh!
Anyone who has played sports remembers certain events or certain personal achievements. Jerry said that at age 10, he played in a youth baseball exhibition at an annual Booster Night promotion. It was held at the city baseball field called Carl Loebe Field. Jerry said he was selected to pitch. He hit a single, double, triple and homerun. I think they call that the “cycle”. I know Grasshopper No.4 has certain shots in basketball he still remembers. I remember a game winning basketball shot beating Kohler when I was in high school. I can still see the basketball swishing through the net as time expired. Jerry says he remembers vividly the home run on Booster Night. He said it was a line drive down the third baseline and because of how hard it was hit, it made it past the pursuing left fielder. It is a homerun that will be pictured in his mind forever.
Jerry was just far enough behind me in years that we didn’t have a lot in common. He had different friends and was just getting into sports when I was graduating from high school. But for a very short period of time, my Dad and his 3 sons shared sports participation.
With each lunch with Jerry, I learn a little. It is interesting to get his perspective.
Enjoy the warmer weather.
Love,
Dad