Baseball was a big part of my childhood. The longer I study the history of the baseball, the better my perspective of my Dad’s involvement in the game and the reasons his life evolved as it did.
I have come to understand that in 1940 baseball was the only game in town. There was no NFL football. There was no NBA basketball. Television was not a viable source of communication. College sports were interesting, but mostly regional. Baseball was the one sport that dominated the national radio airwaves and promoted heros. Every little community in America could build a baseball diamond and encourage young people to get involved in baseball.
Sports Illustrated recently had an article featuring a young farmer named Jack Swift from North Carolina that aspired to be a baseball player in the early 1940’s. My Dad had the same dream, same time frame! Jack Swift got swept up by World War II. My Dad with 3 children (at the time) was pulled into World War II. When Swift got back from the War, he pursued a pitching career in North Carolina. My Dad had tried out for a major league team before World War II, so when he returned from “duty”, he had given up on baseball as a career. I am struck by the number of young men who had the baseball dream.
The reality of achieving a baseball career was really quite slim. Jack Swift had a “cannon for an arm” and kept trying for years to reach the major leagues. It meant playing “D” ball, Class “C” ball, moving up eventually to Triple A teams. The baseball system was designed to engage lots of talented players who would never hit the major leagues. Jack Swift won 30 games, an unbelieveable total of wins. He actually was a local hero, but he never made the major leagues. He “threw out his arm” by pitching double-headers (18 innings) and volunteering to pitch on short notice. He died at age 44 on his farm.
My Dad always bought baseball “stuff” from Joe Hauser’s Sport Shop in Sheboygan. Joe was a minor league baseball legend, having hit 62 home runs in one year, a record that topped Babe Ruth’s major league record and a record that stood for 40 years. As good a Joe was, he never made the major leagues.
The truth is, my Dad never had a realistic shot at the baseball career. I have come to understand that having a dream is very special and everybody needs to discover for themselves whether it is possible or not. Even when my Dad’s dream failed, I think he harbored a secondary dream that one of his kids might succeed at a baseball career. My Dad spent the rest of his life around baseball, either playing City baseball, coaching or attending baseball events.
For many years, baseball dominated the national sports landscape; 1958 changed all that. A football league called the NFL televised their championship game with Johnny Unitas slinging passes all over the field and Alan Ameche (Heisman trophy winner from Wisconsin) scoring the winning touchdown in overtime. Baseball had a rival: football.
TV has created heros in lots of sports and baseball does not occupy the lofty position that it once did. Alas, baseball is not the only game in town.
Love,
Dad