Cute Baseball Story
Song of the day: Take me out to the ball game
Quote of the day: "A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings." ~Earl Wilson (More Baseball quotes)
I played ball. I liked to get dirty. I liked the smell of clay soaked into sweat soaked skin. And that was only the first day I tried out way back in 3rd grade. Yes. You used to have to try out to make a ball team. Back when we were not a sensitive crowd. Back when there was no crying in baseball.
I can recall 3rd grade. Tryouts were up and coming. I'd been practicing with the boys on Juniper street in 29 Palms. Baseball season was the only time we took breaks from playing war and shooting each other up with BB guns. I had run into the 5th grade teacher, Mr Gimby, and he was singing "Take me out to the ball game" and there were a group of kids do-whopping around with him. I watched the whole course of the song. They finished up and he addressed my by common name, "Hey Kid, why didn't you sing along?" I introduced myself and informed him that I just made the team at Knotts Berry Park. Then I drew in breath of deep and blurted the horrible awful truth, "I didn't know the Dodgers had a theme song."
Let me back up a second. I was not stupid by any means. I was in the top of my class as far as brains and common sense went. I watched Baseball and the President on TV and once in awhile Felix the Cat. I'd just never heard the song.
"Well Kid (ignoring I had a name now) it is Baseballs Anthem and not the Dodgers theme song. But we all know the only team that plays good ball is the Dodgers."
I was not one to speak back to adults or grown up's in general. Spanking was allowed in schools, teachers were Gods, and parents were to be listened to and not argued with. I spoke. "I favor The Indians. They played good ball last week." And they had. We had a minor debate about players and stat's and he started to walk away.
"Hey Mr Gimby, will you teach me that song one day?" And he promised to jot the words down and pass them to me at recess if I promised to only sing it with the "Dodgers" and not some ambiguous team in his presence. I agreed.
Now as an adult I think of the song from time to time and you know what? I am an Avid Cardinals fan. Converted from being an Indians fan for over 30 years! To this day the words only sound right in my head with the Dodgers as the team of fame. It is their "theme" song.
The words he wrote down and I memorized were:
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks
I don't care if I never come back
Because it's Root Root Root for the DODGERS
if they don't win it's a shame
Because IT's ONE TWO THREE STRIKES YOUR OUT
in the old ball game!
Quote of the day: "A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings." ~Earl Wilson (More Baseball quotes)
I played ball. I liked to get dirty. I liked the smell of clay soaked into sweat soaked skin. And that was only the first day I tried out way back in 3rd grade. Yes. You used to have to try out to make a ball team. Back when we were not a sensitive crowd. Back when there was no crying in baseball.
I can recall 3rd grade. Tryouts were up and coming. I'd been practicing with the boys on Juniper street in 29 Palms. Baseball season was the only time we took breaks from playing war and shooting each other up with BB guns. I had run into the 5th grade teacher, Mr Gimby, and he was singing "Take me out to the ball game" and there were a group of kids do-whopping around with him. I watched the whole course of the song. They finished up and he addressed my by common name, "Hey Kid, why didn't you sing along?" I introduced myself and informed him that I just made the team at Knotts Berry Park. Then I drew in breath of deep and blurted the horrible awful truth, "I didn't know the Dodgers had a theme song."
Let me back up a second. I was not stupid by any means. I was in the top of my class as far as brains and common sense went. I watched Baseball and the President on TV and once in awhile Felix the Cat. I'd just never heard the song.
"Well Kid (ignoring I had a name now) it is Baseballs Anthem and not the Dodgers theme song. But we all know the only team that plays good ball is the Dodgers."
I was not one to speak back to adults or grown up's in general. Spanking was allowed in schools, teachers were Gods, and parents were to be listened to and not argued with. I spoke. "I favor The Indians. They played good ball last week." And they had. We had a minor debate about players and stat's and he started to walk away.
"Hey Mr Gimby, will you teach me that song one day?" And he promised to jot the words down and pass them to me at recess if I promised to only sing it with the "Dodgers" and not some ambiguous team in his presence. I agreed.
Now as an adult I think of the song from time to time and you know what? I am an Avid Cardinals fan. Converted from being an Indians fan for over 30 years! To this day the words only sound right in my head with the Dodgers as the team of fame. It is their "theme" song.
The words he wrote down and I memorized were:
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks
I don't care if I never come back
Because it's Root Root Root for the DODGERS
if they don't win it's a shame
Because IT's ONE TWO THREE STRIKES YOUR OUT
in the old ball game!
Labels: baseball, baseball song, CARDINALS, Dodgers
posted by Jenn at 11:11 PM
3 Comments:
I had Mr. Gimby in 6th grade in 1977. Of ALL my teachers (k-12 OR college) he was my favorite by far. Highlights of that year include reading "Chronicles of Narnia", the garden in the back, crazy songs from Roger Miller and others, Our first taste of student politics/self-government, and many more things that the "average teacher" could never teach. I wish he could be cloned and teach millions!!! :-)
In Texas now, but still call the SoCal Desert "home"! Thanks for your story!!!
C.J. Gausvik
a year later I get this notification. Thank You for our mutual love of the man. May I ask who you were in Class? I was Jenny or Jen-Jen. Red hair and big blue eyes.
And another year later I realize you asked me a question! LOL I'm not sure if you would remember me. I was a really tall blond guy who was WAY too smart, and didn't make many friends. I hung out with Victor Anderson, and Nicky Velasquez... Also had occasional fights with Husto Candeleria (We called him stinkpot back then) SOME of the kids called me "speedy" because I ran really fast and could spin that merry-go-round so fast - people would fall off. Anyway, nice to hear from you and thanks again for the blast from the past!!! :-)
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