My Totally "Off - the - Wall" Colt League Baseball Game Saver Got A Big Hand From The Paranormal World In 1965!

Malaria_Kidd IV

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1965 Owensville, Indiana⚾

Strange but true! This play of mine is not one you will ever see if you live where baseball is played with close cropped grass or Astro Turf.


This went into the dark pages without one comment at Daily Snopes!:mad:

Not one of my fav web sites BTW!:smirk:

My thread was 'Off-the-wall sports plays seen or done'. I put it in Sports, but the manager moved it to Amusement Bark. The owner of that big site is a tad odd.

Since it was moved I thought it was deleted. More than a month later I found it. It was fairly well accepted and had several interesting posts. I quickly said sorry for being late, and thanked the folks replying. They had entered some wild ones! :sunglasses:

I was upfront with all who had replied nicely and I wrote this is my reason for starting that thread; My Colt League baseball play so off-the-wall at age 16!


Picture this; A night time game behind the old school with about 100 folks watching. On topic and do interact with me if you can guess the "paranormal" smack down of this small town's long forgotten all sports story. All answers will get my reply PDQ! :wink:

We had never beat Vendall the "best" Fort Branch, Indiana team being played. We always won over EMGE the other team from the same neighboring town. It was the 6th inning and we led 7 to 6 with two outs. The tying run was on 2nd base. I played first base and prepared to defend against their left handed batter and first baseman now walking up to home plate.

The first pitch was low and he slammed an in bound low liner parallel to the foul line. I moved left to try a catch with my big red Taiwan made first baseman glove. I missed by a foot! :oops:

And now my weird baseball play anomaly begins....:8ball: :baseball: :checkeredflag::gamedie::gamedie:


I turned left over the foul line! I threw down my glove! I pulled out my floppy billfold from my rear hip pocket! I threw off my cap! I headed into right field as fast as I could run! I yelled at the fully capable right fielder, "Danny! I've got it!" Danny was charging the ball and stopped well short in amazement. He stayed put allowing me the still rolling ball which I grabbed with my right hand!

Time out for this note; Our school's custodian mowed the grass all cut around 4-5" with his International Cub tractor. This friction on the ball gave me a chance to catch up to it. But I did not think about that factor. I was mad at myself for missing the ball!

I turned around and yelled loudly, "Jerry!" Our catcher already knew the baseball was coming his way. My eyes were blurry with wind tears from my adrenalin enhanced run. I reared back and threw to home plate around 180-200 feet in a try to nullify the tying run.

The ball was not cut off by Darrell our smart second baseman. It flew shoulder high all the way dead centered into Jerry's unmoving glove placed chest high. He turned to meet the runner. The runner didn't slide hoping a collision would dislodge the ball. A huge dust cloud arose as I watched with clearing eyes. Jerry jumped up holding the ball up high. Floyd our umpire yelled, "You're out!" Also with a high swing of his arm.

As I returned to pick up my dis-guarded items our second baseman Darrell said, " That's three away. Let's go in!" Car horns were honking and there were a lot of smiles in the dugout. I got many pats on my back for that irregular play.

Over time figuring this out I came up with this reason for my anomaly or off-the-wall stunt. It was sparked by being scorned and spiked by their first baseman. Before the many games we played I would speak to him. He would never return the gesture. He got on base a lot, and I really noticed his habit of spiking my ankle with steel spikes. Other players seldom hit my ankle.

I never will forget the look on his face as he walked in from second base. He threw his batting helmet at the dugout fence. We won 9 to 6 after my base hit into Center Field and Gary's two run homer! I hope he remembers that anomaly of revenge to this day. I don't remember his name, but I sure remember that play!! ⚾


MK IV ⚾ Class of 66 OHS
 
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1965 Owensville, Indiana⚾

Strange but true! This play of mine is not one you will ever see if you live where baseball is played with close cropped grass or Astro Turf.


This went into the dark pages without one comment at http://www.snopes.com

Not one of my fav web sites BTW!:smirk:

My thread was 'Off-the-wall sports plays seen or done'. I put it in Sports, but the manager moved it to Amusement Bark. The owner of that big site is a tad odd.

Since it was moved I thought it was deleted. More than a month later I found it. It was fairly well accepted and had several interesting posts. I quickly said sorry for being late, and thanked the folks replying. They had entered some wild ones! :sunglasses:

I was upfront with all who had replied nicely and I wrote this is my reason for starting that thread; My Colt League baseball play so off-the-wall at age 16!


Picture this; A night time game behind the old school* with about 100 folks watching. On topic and do interact with me if you can guess the "paranormal" smack down of this small town's long forgotten story. All answers will get my reply PDQ! :wink:

We had never beat Vendall the "best" Fort Branch, Indiana team being played. We always won over EMGE the other team from the same neighboring town. It was the 6th inning and we led 7 to 6 with two outs. The tying run was on 2nd base. I played first base and prepared to defend against their left handed batter and first baseman now walking up to home plate.

The first pitch was low and he slammed an in bound low liner parallel to the foul line. I moved left to try a catch with my big red Taiwan made first baseman glove. I missed by a foot! :oops:

And now my weird baseball play anomaly begins....:8ball: :baseball: :checkeredflag::gamedie::gamedie:


I turned left over the foul line! I threw down my glove! I pulled out my floppy billfold from my rear hip pocket! I threw off my cap! I headed into right field as fast as I could run! I yelled at the fully capable right fielder, "Danny! I've got it!" Danny was charging the ball and stopped well short in amazement. He stayed put allowing me the still rolling ball which I grabbed with my right hand!

Time out for this note; Our school's custodian mowed the grass all cut around 4-5" with his International Cub tractor. This friction on the ball gave me a chance to catch up to it. But I did not think about that factor. I was mad at myself for missing the ball!

I turned around and yelled loudly, "Jerry!" Our catcher already knew the baseball was coming his way. My eyes were blurry with wind tears from my adrenalin enhanced run. I reared back and threw to home plate around 180-200 feet in a try to nullify the tying run.

The ball was not cut off by Darrell our smart second baseman. It flew shoulder high all the way dead centered into Jerry's unmoving glove placed chest high. He turned to meet the runner. The runner didn't slide hoping a collision would dislodge the ball. A huge dust cloud arose as I watched with clearing eyes. Jerry jumped up holding the ball up high. Floyd our umpire yelled, "You're out!" Also with a high swing of his arm.

As I returned to pick up my dis-guarded items our second baseman Darrell said, " That's three away. Let's go in!" Car horns were honking and there were a lot of smiles in the dugout. I got many pats on my back for that irregular play.

Over time figuring this out I came up with this reason for my anomaly or off-the-wall stunt. It was sparked by being scorned and spiked by their first baseman. Before the many games we played I would speak to him. He would never return the gesture. He got on base a lot, and I really noticed his habit of spiking my ankle with steel spikes. Other players seldom hit my ankle.

I never will forget the look on his face as he walked in from second base. He threw his batting helmet at the dugout fence. We won 9 to 6 after my base hit into Center Field and Gary's two run homer! I hope he remembers that anomaly of revenge to this day. I don't remember his name, but I sure remember that play!! ⚾


MK IV ⚾ Class of 66 OHS
What a great visual you creat in describing the play. I can feel the victory. There is something close to magic at times when playing sports. Thanks for sharing.
 
To this day I relive my "one of fielding play" and our victory a lot Lynne. Your generous reply is greatly appreciated! When no comments in a few alt news forums were the norm.

Magic exists in all sports.

MK II ∆=⚾
 
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Your story reminded me somewhat of an incident I was involved in while playing in the softball league at NASA Langley in the early 80s. I was playing left center field with one out and a runner at third. The batter hit a soft, high fly ball to me that I had time to circle and get into throwing position. The runner at third tagged up and I threw a rope to the catcher....who was not paying attention and caught the ball square in the forehead. Knocked him out colder than a mackerel. Our coach, who also happened to be my boss, was not amused. He told me, "You knocked him out, so now you play catcher."
 
Whoa! What a "one of a kind" sports report about your softball that became a hardball that really was! Thanks Duke for your super "rope a dope" vision today. Bam! ⚾

50 years after my ball park antics I ran into our pitcher that night. Jack is my cousin and retired athletics coach West of Indianapolis, was reminded of my past fielding play. He quickly recalled our win by referring to my throw as a "rope" also!

And until today when I read your word for an extremely fast thrown low, straight and accurate lol softball termed a "rope". Your use of the word in ball sports was only the second time I'd heard it.

Many thanks for your interest here showing we have that same "fire ball" throw to Home Plate in common.

MK IV ∆= ⚾
 
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When Bo Jackson played for the White Sox I once saw him throw a ball from right field 300' or so, to the catcher at a play at home. Frozen rope, perfect strike, no hop.
Bo Knows....
He was a beast.
 
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"Frozen rope", I like that!:cool:

What an "out" it was you saw first hand!:dizzy: The fans applause you recall now must have been deafening for Bo!

Lynne was right on Paintman. "There is something close to magic at times when playing sports."
:trophy::gemstone::heartssuit::openlock:;bg2
Wow! My reply "dry spell" sure has ceased thanks to the dedicated, active membership at PF.net!

Jerry Thompson's chest positioned catchers mit never moved! If my rope would have been in the dirt or over his head my new name would have been Mudd! ⚾ LOL!

MK IV ∆=⚾
 
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My copy elsewhere to paste in the OP was cut off by me too quickly. I can now finish it here.

A few days later Jerry opened the palm of his left hand to show me the red spot from my very hot baseball! I relive my play and recall my fellow team members for a moment during every day and I think you would too.


But one last note as a reminder to all fans of baseball. If you've seen this exact play on a loose infield baseball "run down" please let me know about it here.


MK IV ∆=⚾
 
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I kind of agree with Gary Sheffield that the rule changes have made baseball less appealing. Hitters are giving a pass for striking out if they can hit home runs. Pitch counts and other limits put on pitchers....
I have always found small ball more appealing. The strategy, stolen bases, bunting (remember that?), hit & run....

And also like Gary Sheffield I don't want to come across as somebody complaining about the greatest game God ever created.

Malaria Kidd, great story. I posted an article somewhere in this thread about when Bill Veecke owned the White Sox the first time around. The team was very fast but could do little else. He had the groundskeepers grow the grass way up high to slow down the ball, and they actually shortened the bases by one foot. That way the fast Runners had a better chance of beating the tag out.

There's also another Thread about a baseball novel imagining that all of Bill Veecks crazy stunts happened in 1 season.
The End of Baseball " by Peter Schilling Junior.
The upshot is that when he owned the Philadelphia Athletics in the 1940s there was a contract that he had to put on a winning team. So he hired a Negro League All-Star team as his team. You get to learn a lot about these players and how they lived and what they went through. Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell are all in there.
 
Paintman, I'll be back later as my Manhatten born and raised NYC wife just said "Honey put that thing down and go to bed!"

"Seeyuh!" As Houston's Sam Malone always says it real fast closing his radio shows.:cool:

MK IV ∆=⚾

PS - One of my threads hit a milestone this morning with 120,000 views!
 
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