Summer Baseball - If you build it they will come

Shidler Baseball Diamond

I get chill bumps thinking about the summer baseball games.  It was a relief from work on the farms and a time to enjoy SNOW CONES especially those cherry ones.  Back in those days I think we only had cherry and grape.  The evening cooled down and the lights would come on while the stands were filling with folks.  Cars were parked everywhere and right up to the fence if you were brave enough that a foul ball would not break out a window.  The entire town came out for the games.

Practice was all over Shidler and the area as each team was getting ready to compete.  Of course I was on the Grainola team and as I remember we did not win hardly any games but we had a great time.  My worst memory was having to face Steve Chrisco as he was the fastest pitcher and then there was AJ Jacques and Jim Whitt who hit about everything thrown at them.  PeeWee Robinson and Joe Center either hit every ball or walked as they was very difficult to pitch to.  I think that team was just stacked with great players.  Now that I think about it if the government controlled baseball we would dumb down the pitching so no one would have an unfair advantage or we would just use a pitching machine to even things out.  Then we would re-balance the wealth of talent by taxing (excuse me but I cannot resist) or taking away the advantage of talent by giving them fewer pitches to hit or making them use one arm to swing a bat.  Yes, lets take away competition by making more rules to protect those who had less talent like my team in Grainola.  I could just about make myself mad thinking like this.

Back to baseball.  I remember my brother playing on a team with Kenny Kelsey, Jimmy Butterfield, and a host of others I wish I could name. Dads were everywhere helping their sons get ready.  I remember Gene Arrington, my cousin, working with Rocky, his son,  who was great at second baseman and I think it was shortstop.  Rocky was quick and accurate while his mom and sis Connie and Steph yelled from the stands.  Now just in case you did not figure this out, Gene, Connie, Rocky and Steph are all my cousins.

But just a couple of side notes here.  I remember Jimmy being a side arm pitcher and was next to impossible to hit.  Also my brother pitched some and in fact had one game with no hits.  I looked up to these guys.  Oh ya, and wasn't the Butterfields the ones who raised all those black diamond watermelons?  Was that the same place that Kenny and Boog and some others borrowed some watermelons from one night?  Maybe not.

Anyway that team went to Chandler for a regional tournament and I remember Lawrence Diehl (the grocery store owner) sponsored that team.  Also Chandler was where they had the baseball camps and there were baseballs everywhere.  Isn't it funny what you remember the most sometimes?  That was the first time I had ever stayed at a hotel and our entire family went.  From there the team went to Elk City where we lost to Elk City who became the state champs.  That also was the farthest I had ever traveled up to that point in my life.  A side note:  I ate my first store bought chicken fried steak there in Chandler and when I was trying to cut it the thing flew off my plate with gravy and all onto my nice pants and shirt.  I was humiliated and ruined for life.

Gosh, I think I could go on forever on those summer baseball memories and I would love to get a few from you.

What did I learn from Baseball in the Osage:

• Winning is not everything but it beats losing all the time
• Because someone else has better talent or is smarter does not mean that they should be penalized.  Tell that to the idiots making the laws.  If you make a law to protect one person you just took the rights of someone else away.
• Character is tested most when the going gets tough - our team had the most character

 Remember this:

• There are three kinds of people
• those who watch things happen
• those who make things happen
• and those who wonder what happened

Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com

 Here are a few comments and memories I got back:

Hi Gary,

Russell Cottle commented on your link.

Russell wrote: "I'll pass along your hello when I see Rick and Linda, Gary. As I remember the 'traveling team' was also sponsered by Bob Divall (after Lawrence Diehl) and the team members varied but at one time included Mark Whitt, Jesse Garrison, Joe Payne, Larry Tucker, Larry Peterson, Don Walker, Denton Snow, and others whose names escape me right now. My youngest brother Randy became the 'batboy' and was even bought a uniform. One of Coach Gay's daughters was the 'ball girl'."

Cynthia Roeder Reese commented on your link.

Cynthia wrote: "No, My Dad is J.D. Roeder. My dad and several of the Phillips Petroleum guys volunteer to coach little league baseball. Denton was one of the players in that league that he coached. We at one time lived in 88 Camp and our next door neighbors were Hank and Vivian Snow so we grew up next to the Snows." 

Hi Gary,

Cynthia Roeder Reese commented on your link.

Cynthia wrote: "Not far from where I grew up and my parents still live near it. Remember riding my bike to the baseball games and hoping to catch a foulball. A couple of times I went and rode my bike back to Camp 66 in the dark."

Hi Gary,

Russell Whiles commented on your link.

Russell wrote: "Denton and I were in the same grade in school. Been a while since our paths have crossed...last I knew, Denton was a post office employee. My own dad, Charlie, was a little league coach for several years, too! Great memories, guys!"

Russell Cottle commented on your link.

Russell wrote: "Brings back a few memories. I played on Lawrence Diehl's traveling team. Delbert Gay was the coach. We were the PK&O league champs several years in a row.Went to Chandler, Elk City, Claremore and Tulsa. Fun times!" 

 

Marcus B. Whitt II commented on your link.

Marcus wrote: "Our Dad, Mark Whitt, coached a bunch of us during summer baseball over the years. He was a major force behind the ball field being redone by Phillips. The ball field that was east of the Moser's place."