My sister, brother-in-law and I made the first stop on our Fields of Retirement tour last weekend. The Milwaukee Brewers feature a kid each game who shouts the signal to start the game: “Play ball!”
Diamonds without Backstops
St. Louis Cardinals fan
Baseball and softball have been a part of my life ever since I can remember. I don’t remember a time when I haven’t been a St. Louis Cardinals fan – much to my father’s dismay as he is a tried and true Cubs fan. My mom’s dad, however, was a Cardinals fan and so was my sister. I followed her in everything she did, so I became a Cardinals fan, too. We often went on bus trips to Cubs/Cardinals games with Grandpa Rull. Grandpa Rull never knew a stranger, so it was always fun to see what stories he would gather from others.
When it came time for me to play ball – back when girls didn’t start playing softball until they were in fifth grade – my mom was coaching my sister’s team, so, of course, I joined them on the Reds. I don’t remember all the details, but we had an extremely fast pitcher and no one wanted to be the catcher. Thus, Coach Mom designated that position to me. Since I didn’t have a choice, I squatted behind the plate with only a mask – no other catcher’s usual paraphernalia because this was before girls were considered real athletes. This was also before girls received any respect and were thus relegated to “diamonds” without backstops or even a real infield.
Catchers with Chest Protectors
Three championships
So, I squatted behind home plate, put my glove up and closed my eyes. Reasonably, most of the pitches shot by me, which meant I had to get up and find the ball in the bean field behind me. I think I spent more time in the bean field than on the softball field.
Of course, as with any organization, there was a lot of off-field drama. This was my sister’s last year participating in park district ball, so when the Reds ended up season champions, Mom decided she’d leave while she and Denise were on top. That left me to find my way on other teams as there weren’t enough players for the Reds to continue.
I spent the next two seasons with the Cubs, and we managed to win a championship the second season. Then, I moved to the Dodgers for two seasons. In my final year of softball, the Dodgers also won the championship. Throughout my whole softball career, I played catcher. I learned how to keep my eyes open and caught more balls than I missed. The girls teams moved to a real, albeit older, diamond with a backstop, and I added a chest protector to my catcher’s uniform. I learned how to flip off my mask to catch foul tips, and I eventually got strong enough to throw the ball all the way to the pitcher on the mound.
In five years, my three teams won three championships. Coincidence? Definitely! But, I don’t usually admit that; I brag about the teams’ winning because of my participation. Ha! My Dodgers coach – Coach Brown – made a lasting impression and I continued to stay sporadically in touch with her until she died a few years ago.
Eventually, life gave me a chance to be an assistant coach when my niece started playing softball. I got to hang out with her and my sister, as she was the head coach. While my niece was extremely competitive and definitely had a champion mindset, some of her teammates did not.
Ball in All Its Forms
Flip-flops?
Me to one of the players: “I see you have your nail polish. Where is your glove?”
Me again: “Good job bringing your glove. Where are your softball shoes? Flip-flops are not typically the footwear for this game.”
Team member, who is clearly oblivious to the fact that our team is down 20+ runs: “Are we winning, Coach?”
My sister and me: “Are you having fun?” The player excitedly nods yes. “Then, we’re winning!”
Ball in all its forms – playing, coaching and watching – has taught me many things. I gained confidence in myself, I learned how to encourage and support others, and I know how to live fully without needing to be winning by other people’s definitions of winning.
Starting in Milwaukee
Joy-filled first stop
In this season of almost-retirement, I am enjoying time with my family. Our Fields of Retirement tour, which will take us to all the Major League Baseball parks, started at American Family Field. We wore black with lime green pinstriped baseball jerseys with “Fields of Retirement” on the back. Our jersey numbers represent our year of retirement. Mine, of course, is a prediction since I’m not actually retired yet.
We didn’t have our FoR hats at the time of our first stop, but we bought pins to put on them once we get them. I decided I didn’t want to choose which pin to buy, so I bought a “mystery pin” box. You’ll never guess what was in that box. Flip-flops! I guess flip-flops do belong in baseball. Who knew?!?!
We haven’t planned our next stop on the tour yet, but I hope all the stops bring the joy that the Brewers stadium did: we got free sweatshirts honoring the Negro League, we danced to a jazz ensemble on the terrace level before the game started, and we had awesome behind-home-plate terrace level seats.
I have a few more years before my jersey number says I’ll be retired, so we’ll plan weekend trips to MLB parks near us until then. Those East and West coast parks will have to wait for me to join the other two in retirement. However, I’m sure those Fields of Retirement tour stops will be worth the wait.
Sending you the love of the game,
Angela Jane