Shoot the Gap: It’s Not Just a Strategy, It’s an Attitude

By Jim Anaple

Since he was five years old all Tyler Kincaid really knew was baseball from when his great-grandfather gave him a 1920’s era baseball glove and he began to use it. By the time Tyler was in his late thirties baseball was still, for the most part, all that he had known. But now, sensing his playing days were coming to a close Tyler began to search for what life had in store for him next.
Tyler then found himself in the small town of Cummings Hicks where he was playing for this city’s minor league baseball team. Little did he know that the town’s mysterious past and an unlikely source would help provide him the answers he was looking for, by learning about some of baseball’s most unusual history and anomalies.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 11, 2018
• ISBN: 9781984527295

Jim Anaple

I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and my first interest was baseball. Baseball became a part of life almost by default. Aside from having our hometown Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers were just a short drive to the north, the Cleveland Indians were to the east, and with extended family to the south in Cincinnati, not to mention having the Atlanta Braves’ national telecast available too, it was rather easy to find a game. There was also three parks within a ten-minute bike ride from where I lived, so the opportunity to play was always there. Further, a friend’s father just down the street was always up for starting a game of rundown or “pickle” in the street or in his driveway. Thank you, Mr. Koeniger! I think my father took me to my first Detroit Tigers game when I was around seven years old, and you talk about being in awe! Tiger Stadium was quite an amazing place to be. It was double-decked all the way around, with the upper deck coming out even with the lower deck, so it was like being in a baseball universe for a seven-year-old. One thing I always noticed from very early on at Major League Baseball games was all of the talking. Before the games, players would stand and talk in the outfield while running as part of their warm-up. When a runner was on first base, he would talk with the first baseman. The first baseman would talk to the first base coach, the third baseman would talk to the third baseball coach, and the talking at home plate between the batter, catcher, and umpire seemed endless at times. As a youngster, and even now, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about. So in part, that’s what influenced this story.

Book preview

Shoot the Gap

It’s not just a strategy, it’s an attitude`

Jim Anaple

Copyright © 2018 by Jim Anaple.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2018905571

ISBN:       Hardcover       978-1-9845-2731-8

                 Softcover         978-1-9845-2730-1

                 eBook              978-1-9845-2729-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

While the characters in this story are fictional the historical references to baseball are true.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 10/30/2018

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CONTENTS

Contributions And Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1    Street Stadium

Chapter 2    The Diamond Club

Chapter 3    From The Heart

Chapter 4    Essentials

Chapter 5    Lace ’Em Up

Chapter 6    Crow Hop

Chapter 7    Od XXVII

Chapter 8    Pass With Care

Chapter 9    Hey Deuce

Chapter 10    Cast Off

Chapter 11    Cellar Dwellers

Chapter 12    W

Chapter 13    August 19

Chapter 14    Nicole And Dime

CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks: To my parents, Tim and Edna Anaple, who both introduced to me to baseball at an early age. Mary, Mike, Kayla, Kaitlyn, and Karolyn Billiard. Kathy, Bob, Jonathan, and Brook Middleton. Carol Anaple, Ray and Becky Anaple, Megan Anaple. The extended Anaple family and the Wenzlick family.

Always in the stands: Jeff and Candy Carney & family, Dave and Rhonda McCormick & family, David Wooley, Ron Davis, Melissa Pietsch, Fiona Woon, John Estrel, Rob Moses, Mark and Janet Malinowski & family, Oscar and Brenda Veal & Family.

Off the bench: Michael Anaple, brother and favorite co-spectator at the games. Elena Renteria for her anecdotes of Mazlatlan, Ericka Serrano for her photography and creativity, Rylee Adams for the drawing, Taylor Carney for the abstract artwork. Gena DeGraff for the cover photo. Cover photo is Tyler DeGraff. Also, Eric and Kristin Hunter. Eric is a friend and fellow author who has written several books and articles in the business sector, who always has ideas, and Kristin has such passion for promotion.

In memoriam: Carol Anaple, Glenn and Marie Anaple, Lawrence and Gertrude Wenzlick and Floyd Dock.

During the writing of this story, there was the loss of lifelong friend Dave McCormick. The father of this story is given the name Dave in his memory.

INTRODUCTION

I grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and my first interest was baseball. Baseball became a part of life almost by default. Aside from having our hometown Toledo Mud Hens, the Detroit Tigers were just a short drive to the north, the Cleveland Indians were to the east, and with extended family to the south in Cincinnati, not to mention having the Atlanta Braves’ national telecast available too, it was rather easy to find a game.

There were also three parks within a ten-minute bike ride from where I lived, so the opportunity to play was always there. Further, a friend’s father just down the street was always up for starting a game of rundown or pickle in the street or in his driveway. Thank you, Mr. Koeniger!

I think my father took me to my first Detroit Tigers game when I was around seven years old, and you talk about being in awe! Tiger Stadium was quite an amazing place to be. It was double-decked all the way around, with the upper deck coming out even with the lower deck, so it was like being in a baseball universe for a seven-year-old.

One thing I always noticed from very early on at Major League Baseball games was all of the talking. Before the games, players would stand and talk in the outfield while running as part of their warm-up. When a runner was on first base, he would talk with the first baseman. The first baseman would talk to the first base coach, the third baseman would talk to the third baseball coach, and the talking at home plate between the batter, catcher, and umpire seemed endless at times.

As a youngster, and even now, I couldn’t help but wonder what they were talking about. So in part, that’s what influenced this story.

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to my nephew Jonathan, playing for Central Catholic High School, Toledo, Ohio.

CHAPTER 1

Street Stadium

drawing by Taylor Carney

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T YLER MICHAEL KINCAID grew up in a small-sized middle-class Midwestern town. He was the second oldest of three children. His father, Dave, worked at a local appliance factory, while his mother, Kelly, was a stay-at-home mom. Tyler’s brother, Bruce, was three years older, and his sister, Kaylee, was five years younger than him.

Also living at the Kincaid residence was his dad’s grandfather, which they all called Grandpa Dock, which was Tyler’s grandmother’s father. Grandpa Dock had been living in Florida enjoying his retirement until his wife, Tyler’s great-grandmother, had passed away. Not having other connections to Florida, Grandpa Dock came back to the Midwest and stayed with the Kincaid family.

From almost the very onset, Tyler and Grandpa Dock grew very fond of one another. Grandpa Dock had two things that Tyler grew fond of. The first was a checkers set. At a much earlier time in his life, Grandpa Dock competed in many checkers tournaments and had a lot of success in those tourneys, winning several. By the age of six, Tyler had mastered the rules and some strategies of the game thanks to Grandpa Dock. Even well into his eighties, Grandpa Dock would sit on the floor and play several games with Tyler. It was here that Tyler learned something else, the craft of competition.

At an early age, Tyler grew bored with the traditional children’s board games and even children’s television shows. Checkers with Grandpa Dock showed Tyler what it was like to win, what it was like to lose, and what it was like to lose from making a bad decision.

The second thing that Grandpa had was an old 1920s era baseball glove. This became Tyler’s pride and joy and number one toy. At six years old, he found there weren’t many kids he could go down to the park with and play catch. So he simply found a tennis ball and would throw it off a brick wall, which was the side of his parents’ house, and play it on the bounce off the concrete driveway. Then soon, he would toss it on the sloped roof so that when it came down, he could play it as if it were a fly ball.

Right about this same time, Tyler began to recognize his father’s favorite television show on the weekends and sometimes at night. That was Detroit Tigers baseball. At this time the Detroit Tigers would televise the game from their flagship station in Detroit, Channel 4, and then there was a network that consisted of TV stations in the surrounding region, including Channel 12 when Tyler lived there, but they would only carry weekend games and some home weeknight games.

If the Tigers’ game was not on, Tyler would still watch the NBC game of the week and then ABC Monday Night Baseball with Al Michaels.

At age seven, Tyler met a fair amount of friends at school. One day while visiting a friend’s home, he noticed a square object on the end table. On occasion, his friend’s parents would turn the knob in the middle, and almost like magic more channels would come on the television. Tyler gasped, What is that? The friend’s parents explained that this device controlled the television antenna and when pointed in a certain direction, they would receive the signal from television stations in that city.

Immediately the thought that entered Tyler’s mind was, More baseball! That night at dinner while sitting with Dad, Mom, Grandpa Dock, and his two siblings, while everyone else was talking, Tyler was thinking. Dad said, Tyler, you’re quiet. Is there something on your mind?

Tyler looked up with a big smile and said, Dad, can we get an antenna for the TV?

Dad just smiled a bit, and that weekend he visited the hardware store; and while his father was talking to the salesman pricing antennas, Tyler was in the sporting goods section looking at baseball gloves and trying them on. A few minutes later, Tyler’s father walked by and saw this and made a mental note. As they’re leaving the aisle, Tyler grabbed an orange rubber ball, about the size of a baseball, and asked his dad if they could get that. Tyler figured it had to work better than the tennis ball he’d been using. His dad paid for the rubber ball, and Tyler tried it out as soon as he got home.

Later in the week, the antenna was installed, which included the ability to get Channel 4 out of Detroit. Now Tyler was content to get all of the Detroit Tiger games that the network would televise. Tyler then also added that should he want to, in the winter they could even get a couple of Canadian channels to watch hockey.

Summer concluded, and Tyler returned to school, and by October much of his focus was on the baseball playoffs. It was really the first playoffs that Tyler remembered or was old enough to understand. Tyler and his dad watched as many of the playoff games as possible and all of the World Series games. Tyler was even allowed to stay up well past his bedtime to watch the games.

Then the World Series was over, but Tyler believed that even though baseball season was over, it’s not really ever over, at least in his mind. That old flat baseball glove that grandpa gave him still had a spot on the shelf in his bedroom, and weather and daylight permitting, he would still find a wall to throw that rubber ball off of, just so he could field it.

By November, the snow had come. Inevitably the neighborhood snowball fights broke out. At one point Tyler realized this was a great way to practice his throwing, even if it meant the snowball smacking on his friends’ back and chest. He never aimed for the face, and in fact he saw that as a way of working on his accuracy. After a while though, all of the kids, including Tyler, had had enough of the snowball fights. After all, it did hurt, and the body could only take so much until it got old.

The gang then turned their aim to another source, that being buses. They soon realized that throwing at buses from the sidewalk was too easy because, after all, the buses were just a few yards away as they went by on the street. Although, Tyler loved the thump sound. Soon they also realized that throwing snowballs at buses was not appreciated by the bus drivers, the school principal, and even the police.

Then one day when Tyler and about four of his buddies were over at his friend Tommy’s house, an idea occurred. Out back on the other side of the creek behind Tommy’s house, there was a hill, and at the top of the hill you could look straight down on Tinskin Road. There were also shrubbery on the top of the hill to hide behind. Soon it was open season, and the snowballs were flying at not only buses but vans, garbage trucks, utility trucks, and almost any vehicle with size.

This hoopla went on for about thirty minutes until their arms had no more might in them and they couldn’t throw another single snowball with any type of velocity. They all decided to quit, and they grabbed a seat on a snow pile and took off their hats and gloves as they had actually broken a sweat.

The six of them were sitting around talking when what seemed to be out of nowhere they were approached by a heavyset man in full winter gear, and he immediately yelled and said, Which one of you punks threw a snowball at my utility truck? My son was in the passenger seat and had the window cracked, and he got hit square in the face, and he’s bleeding.

Tommy said, It wasn’t us.

Quickly Tyler said, We’re just running and sliding around back here. It could have been anyone. Kids come up here all of the time.

The man said, Yeah, right, but if I ever see any of you guys throwing snowballs again, I will catch you and call the police.

They never threw snowballs at any traffic again.

December came, and Christmas rolled around. To Tyler’s delight and surprise, he got his first modern baseball glove. From the moment Tyler’s dad saw him trying on this glove in the hardware store when they were shopping for the antenna, he knew exactly what he was going to get him. To add to it, he also got a regulation baseball. Christmas was complete for Tyler. He didn’t need any action figures, board games, and even electronic toys. He had his baseball glove, and he was content. That night Tyler took that baseball and placed it in the pocket of his new glove and stuck it between his mattresses in hopes of conditioning the glove.

For the remainder of the winter, Tyler changed his thought pattern a bit, extending baseball season to a year-round sport, just for his world. The thought of playing baseball in the snow and cold with the possibility of ruining his new glove scared him though. When he did play, he continued to use the glove that Grandpa had given him.

In February, his parents got him his first bike when they saw it on sale. It was a red Schwinn with black trimmings. It was the perfect size. He immediately went to the rag drawer and found the softest rag he could find and began polishing the handlebars and rims.

As if his new baseball glove wasn’t enough to stoke his excitement for spring, now he had his first ever new bike to go with it. A couple of days later, Tyler noticed a headline on the sports report of the local newspaper. It read, Pitchers and Catchers Report for Spring Training Tomorrow. Tyler was immediately interested in this. It was a new part of baseball for him to follow. His mother noticed him looking at the paper and interjected, That means they’re starting to practice for the season.

Tyler took the paper and began to read about spring training and then learned that there were practice games—or as they’re called, preseason games. Tyler read on, and then his eyes perked up even more as he’s reading the preseason schedule. Then there was an entry that read, March 10 Detroit at Houston, and next to that, it said, TV.

There was preseason baseball on TV, and what made it even more fascinating to Tyler was that the Tigers were playing Houston, which was a National League team. A team they never played in the regular season because they were in a different league. For Tyler, the anticipation now was greater than ever. He now knew when he could watch baseball again for the first time since the World Series ended in October.

The very next day after Tyler got home from school, he went right for the newspaper to read about the opening day of spring training, which only featured pitchers and catchers, but that didn’t concern Tyler in the least. He read a bit of the article, but then his mom asked him to do some spring cleaning in the garage. Tyler said, Ah, Mom. Okay. Grandpa saw that Tyler was a little disappointed and said he would go help him.

Mom said to Grandpa, Okay, but be careful, and don’t lift anything heavy. Grandpa joined Tyler out in the garage, and Tyler moved items from the side of the garage, including the lawn mower, hedge trimmer, and wheelbarrow, which, like baseball, hasn’t moved since October.

Grandpa said, What’s the plan, young man?

Tyler said, I’m just gonna move things and then sweep and then move them back. Grandpa said he’ll get the broom.

There’s a brief silence, and then Tyler asked, Grandpa, what do you remember most about baseball when you were growing up?

Grandpa responded, "Well, I guess the best way to answer that is by saying that it was a time when it was somewhat frustrating to follow the game. Remember when I was following the game, there obviously was no television, and even the information you got from the radio—radio had its limitations.

"What made it worse was that the information wasn’t always accurate. I don’t mean just the reporting but the record keeping. Remember, there were no computers, and about the only way to keep data was to write it down, but then it still wasn’t authenticated.

Tyler, let me give you an example. You know what an earned run average or an ERA is, right?"

Tyler said, Sort of. I know the lower it is, the better.

Grandpa said, Yes, essentially what it means is the number of earned runs a pitcher gives up per nine innings pitched. In 1907 Bill Donovan who pitched for the Tigers went 25–4 and had an ERA of 2.19. That’s a very good ERA, right?

Tyler said, Yes, so?

Grandpa responds, saying, Well, his teammate George Mullin had an ERA of 2.59 but lost twenty games, Tyler! And, what makes it more mind-boggling is that the Tigers won the pennant that year by a game and a half.

Tyler said, Good thing Mullin didn’t lose two more games, right, Grandpa? Grandpa?

Suddenly Tyler looked up from his work, and Grandpa had dropped the broom and was leaning against the garage wall. His eyes were nonresponsive, and he slowly fell on a stack of bagged newspapers. Tyler ran into the house and yelled, Mom, Grandpa fell down!

Tyler’s mother ran out the back door and checked on Grandpa as he’s leaning against the stack of newspaper and said, Grandpa, can you hear me? He did not respond. She said, Tyler, stay with Grandpa while I go call an ambulance.

The ambulance arrived in just minutes, and he’s taken to the hospital. Once at the hospital, Tyler and his mom gathered in the waiting area. Tyler picked up a Baseball Digest off the table, and he was consumed by a classic story about when the Detroit Tigers’ pitcher Denny McLain faced Mickey Mantle at the end of Mantle’s career and perhaps for the last time. While he’s reading it, he turned to his mom and said, Grandpa would love this story.

At that very moment, it occurred to Tyler that things for his great grandfather might never be the same. It had now just sunk in, that Grandpa’s health status was totally unknown. Suddenly Tyler’s heart started pounding. He wasn’t sure if he’d see again the first friend he ever had. He no longer felt like reading and gently placed the magazine down. He just sat and stared straight ahead.

A couple of minutes later, a doctor came out and said that Grandpa was resting comfortably, and while they didn’t know the exact reason for the fall, it appeared that he would be okay. Hearing this, Tyler grabbed the Baseball Digest and nervously asked the doctor if he could keep it because he wanted to show that story to his great-grandpa. The doctor responded, Of course, you can have it.

The doctor then continued to speak briefly with Tyler’s Mom, and then he departed from the room.

Tyler and his mom stopped by Grandpa’s room to check on him, but he’s sleeping. Tyler got a piece of paper and wrote, Grandpa, look at this. It’s a story about Denny McLain. He then got another piece of paper and marked the page where the story began.

That night when Tyler’s Dad got home, they talked about Grandpa’s condition. Tyler was at the edge of the steps listening. He’s listening to his parents talk about what happened today, that the doctor did say there’s no certainty what caused the episode and certainly no guarantee that it wouldn’t happen again.

Tyler’s Dad, Dave, said, What if he had fallen when we weren’t home? He would have just been lying there and even worse if he had banged his head on the way down.

Kelly said, I know, but what do we do? Dare I say a nursing home?

Dave responded, I don’t like that word either, but we have to strongly consider some type of assisted living facility where there is someone available around the clock.

Kelly said, How do you think Grandpa will respond? How do you think Tyler will respond?

We certainly don’t want to hurt either one. It will have to be a sensitive conversation.

At that moment, Tyler nearly sprinted from the stairwell to argue with his parents, but he stopped, and his nine-year-old brain spoke over his nine-year-old heart. He had no other alternative to give, so he just sat there, and tears began rushing down his face. He returned to his room and got out that old baseball glove that Grandpa had given him. He put it on his left hand and began to use his right fist to hit the inside of the glove. It wasn’t an angry punch but more the punch of simulating a baseball hitting the glove just like infielders do as the pitch is being delivered.

Tyler returned to school the next day and began to dread the conversation with his parents that he knew was coming. He realized though that there’s no sense in avoiding it like he would try to do with a bad test grade. With a bad test grade, he would hope his next paper was a higher grade before his parents had a chance to discuss the previous one. Tyler knew this is life though and it won’t go away. In fact, he realized that he would just assume get it over with.

So Tyler went straight home after school and immediately got something to eat and got right to his homework. He wanted everything out of the way for when his dad got home from work so he could just figure things out. It would be a new experience. This was the first big change in his young life, after all.

Tyler’s dad got home, and he said hello, kissed Kelly, and put his jacket on the back of a dining room chair. He said, Oh good, we’re all here and ready for dinner.

The family sat down, and grace was said by Kelly, and the dishes started clanging. Almost immediately Dave said, Make sure you come straight home after school tomorrow because Grandpa is coming home, and I think it would be nice to greet him, and then we can talk about some things.

Tyler started thinking about how he’s going to have to go through the same mental drama one more time tomorrow that he went through today. But nonetheless, he found comfort knowing Grandpa would be home and that discussions and decisions that would be made, would be made with him there.

At the end of the following school day, he did exactly as he had done the day before. With the ring of the school bell, he fetched his bag and jacket from his hook, left his classroom, and went straight out the school door. Usually he’d walk with a couple of friends and often stop off at the convenience store for a candy bar, but today it was straight home.

On this day Dave, Tyler’s father, was already home from taking the day off to bring Grandpa home from the hospital. Tyler walked through the door, and his parents were already seated, as was Grandpa. He ran right over to his grandpa and gave him a hug, and again tears started to roll down his face. He sat on the ottoman right next to his great-grandfather.

Tyler became aware that the conversation started well before he got home. Dave said, Tyler, we all know what happened a few days ago, and thankfully you were right there. If Grandpa were to fall when no one was home, it could be really bad, and your grandpa could be in real trouble. Tyler’s face at this time was completely covered in tears and red. He nodded his head in agreement.

Dave went on saying, In a couple of weeks, Grandpa is going to be moving into a nursing facility called Cherry Hill. We will still visit, and even on certain days we can bring Grandpa home for the day. Tyler, I know this is very hard for you. I know you’re going to miss him. We’re all going to miss him.

Grandpa interjected, I’m going to miss all of you too. Plus, I’m not sure if they will have anything close to the same type of cookies that I get here.

There’s a moment of laughter and then silence, and Kelly said, Tyler, are you okay with everything?

Tyler wiped his eyes and said, Yes. I don’t want him to go, but I know it’s the best thing. Plus, I know we will go see him as much as we can, and I will promise you, Grandpa, that I will bring a supply of Mom’s chocolate chip cookies because I bet the ones they have there are terrible. All in the room laughed once again as Tyler hugged his great-grandfather.

Kelly said, I have some chili made. Shall we eat?

Dave said, That sounds perfect.

The next day at school, Tyler found himself sitting at his desk with his thoughts racing again, just like the day before. At lunch Tyler’s friend Gary came up and said, What’s going on with you, man? You’ve been quiet all day, even yesterday. Ms. Shruggs hasn’t yelled at you once in two days.

Gary then looked down on Tyler’s desk and noticed a Pete Rose baseball card that was a commemorative card for Rose breaking the all-time hit record. It was given to Tyler by his Uncle Jack. Tyler used it as his bookmark and also a reminder to work like Rose played.

Tyler said, You know my great-grandpa is living with us, right?

Gary answered, Yeah, I’ve met him. Supernice guy. He gave me some of his cookies once.

Tyler laughed and said, That’s a big deal because my mom has to hide those cookies from him, so he probably worked to get them!

Tyler proceeded to tell Gary about Grandpa’s fall and his subsequent stay in the hospital and family being forced to move him to someplace where there’s round-the-clock care. He further explained that aside from his parents, Grandpa was all that he’d ever known. He’d always been there, and he was his first friend.

Gary at first didn’t say anything, but then he looked up and said, Let’s play some ball?

Tyler said, Yeah, but where? My parents don’t want me going down to the park because the high school kids hang out down there smoking and stuff.

Gary responded, My parents say the same thing. We can’t really play at my house because everything is so hilly.

Tyler said, Let’s play at my house, in the street. We only get a couple of cars an hour going by.

Gary said with a laugh, Let’s do it, although I guess we can’t slide into second base though. Let’s gather some of the guys and get a Wiffle ball and bat and we’ll be good to go. How about tomorrow after school?

Tyler said, Let’s do it.

That night Tyler went home with a noticeable hop in his step that he hadn’t had since Grandpa’s fall. Kelly took notice and asked Tyler how his day went. Tyler proceeded to tell her about the big game. Kelly thought it’s a great idea, even thinking further that baseball was just what Tyler’s soul needed right now.

Tyler walked out his front door and surveyed the street very closely. Suddenly in his mind his street and the surrounding houses were no longer there. It was now a place called Street Stadium. It was called that because that’s what it was. Baseball can bring out the imagination unlike very few things can. Thanks to this imagination, the rooftops of the surrounding homes were the stands where the fans sat, the games always sold out, and almost every game was the NBC game of the week—and Joe Garagiola and Vin Scully would broadcast from his neighbor’s upstairs window, which was a make-believe press box. There was a patch of blacktop positioned perfectly in the middle of the street, which was home plate. About thirty feet away, there was a crack in the road, which was the pitching rubber.

The bases were right where the curb would meet at the start of a driveway. First base was the corner of Mary and Chet’s driveway, third base was the corner of his parents’ driveway, while second base was placed where two seams in the road conveniently met around thirty feet behind a perpendicular line that ran between first and third. It was as if the city planned on the street being used for baseball. Well, actually Wiffle ball. Tyler believed that with baseball, it’s the pitcher’s advantage because he can make the ball curve when he throws, but in Wiffle ball, it’s the batter’s advantage because the ball will curve after it’s hit!

Another great feature of Street Stadium was that you could play under the lights. There was a streetlight perfectly situated just about even with home plate by the sidewalk. It served its purpose without being in the field of play. Again, it was as if this was planned by the street construction crew. In fact, the city also had placed No Parking signs in the area that made up Street Stadium.

Street Stadium also had a dugout, which was actually his parents’ porch, the same porch that Tyler would bounce that tennis ball off of. Since the walkway was down the middle of the porch, the home team was on the left, and the visitors were on the right. The accommodations didn’t stop there however. There were locker rooms too. There was a tunnel, which was his parents’ driveway, which led to the visitors’ locker room, the garage, and the home locker room through the back door and into the basement of his parents’ house.

If it rained during a game, the players would even have a rain delay and go hang out in the dugouts. The clubhouse manager would bring the teams Kool-Aid and Push-Ups. This clubhouse manager was also known as Mom. Street Stadium didn’t have a tarp, but it wasn’t needed because the concrete playing field didn’t take long to dry, especially in the summer heat.

The teams would consist of essentially whoever wanted to play. There was Gary, Tommy, Monte, Shep, and Clay from down the street and some others from nearby streets and schools. They would pick teams. Two captains were chosen, and the first pick was decided by which captain would hit a pitch the farther, batting left-handed. Gary was the only left-hander, so if he was captain, he would have to hit right-handed.

Gary had no chance at the first pick though because he couldn’t even make contact hitting right-handed, let alone hitting it for distance. This was fine with Gary though because if you didn’t get first pick, you got to be the home team. Generally though, the first pick would be the prize, more so than getting the last at-bat as the home team. The first pick was always Monte. Monte was bigger than the rest, not only because he was a grade older—he was just naturally bigger.

On this day, Shep defeated Gary at the opposite-side Wiffle ball distance contest and was awarded first pick, and as expected he selected Monte. For his first pick, Gary selected a quick and steady hitter from a few blocks over named Spears. The captains continued with their picks until each side had five players on this day.

Tyler was the second pick on Gary’s team, but just as the game was to start, Tyler said he had to meet with one of the fans and raced up to his house. At the doorway was Grandpa, and Tyler opened the door and helped Grandpa to the left side of the porch, the home dugout. He stepped inside the house to quickly get Grandpa a glass of iced tea and then raced back down to the street field.

Quickly, the first game was under way. They played seven competitive innings with Gary’s team winning 7–5. It turned out that the speedster Spears, from a couple of streets over, was the neutralizer for Monte’s power.

There was a game the next day, with different captains and consequently different teams. Over the next couple of weeks, the Porch Games, as they became known, would play about every other night. These didn’t overshadow the day that was coming though, causing such a stir in young Tyler’s gut.

It was Saturday morning, about 9:00 a.m., and Tyler was in Grandpa’s room helping him pack. Tyler was relatively silent, and then Grandpa said, You know, I bet they have an antenna at this place I’m going to. I bet I can get the Tigers game, and maybe we can watch a few together, especially on the weekends.

Tyler said, As long as we don’t have to eat nursing home food. Let’s order a pizza.

Grandpa said, You got it, T. Well, I actually just have three items here. My clothes are in two suitcases, and then this box has everything else. There is one more thing I want to get for that box. I want to go get the coffee cup your mother gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. I’ll be right back.

The box that Grandpa had for his other items was sitting on the bed, completely opened. Tyler noticed a note on the box that had written on it, ESSENTIALS. Tyler wasn’t sure exactly what that word meant.

Curiosity got the best of him, and he began to look in the essentials box, and it was every birthday card, Christmas card, and about everything Tyler had ever given him. He even saved every picture he drew when he was younger. There was a picture of Grandpa Dock and Tyler standing next to the big oak tree in the front yard and Tyler wearing that old ball glove. Then, set just to the side of the box, was the Baseball Digest with the Denny McLain and Mickey Mantle story that Tyler had given him in the hospital. Tyler then put everything back in order.

A few moments later, Grandpa came back in the room carrying a coffee mug that had a picture on it. Tyler asked, Who’s the woman on the mug?

Grandpa said, That’s my wife, Laura. Your great-grandmother. Your mother made this for me, for Christmas a few years back.

Tyler said, I’ve never seen this mug before. How come you never use it?

Grandpa said, Because I’m afraid I would drop it! Well, let’s get this stuff packaged up, and get going before your dad makes me clean the gutters. I don’t do well on ladders anymore, you know? Tyler laughed.

Can you grab that box for me, Ty? Grandpa said. Tyler picked up the box while grandpa carried a brown leather bag. What’s left behind was one final suitcase that Dave would come and get. Grandpa didn’t have a whole lot; in fact only pictures remained aside from clothing and what was used from day to day.

They made their way into the living room, where Dave had a Chicago Cubs game on, and he said, "A great thing about the Cubs is day baseball.

Well, I’ll meet you at car. I’ll get the suitcase out of the room.

The family buckled into the family Buick station wagon and got to the care facility about twenty minutes later.

They walked in and got to the admissions office. Some paperwork was done, and a woman stepped out and said, I’m Nurse Banji. I’m going to give you a tour.

Grandpa leaned over to Tyler and whispered, What the hell kinda name is Banji?

Tyler said, Italian? Grandpa laughed.

They were given a tour of the dining room, the workout facility, a library, a chapel, and then at last, the TV room. The TV lounge was actually much more stylish than Grandpa had expected, with leather seats, ottomans, and recliners. Grandpa said, Excuse me, Miss Banjo.

The nurse said, Oh, sir, it’s Banji.

Grandpa said, I’m just going to call you all ‘nurse’ anyway. Who gets to decide what shows are on?

Nurse Banji said that there really was no rule—it’s either first come, first served or whatever the most amount of people want to watch. Grandpa walked into the room a bit farther and looked closely at the television that was sitting on an elevated shelf. There were also two speakers, on in each corner of the room. Grandpa liked the sound of the game in stereo as it gave him the effect of actually being in the stadium.

The room was then quiet, and Grandpa was just looking forward without expression. He placed his hand on one of the leather recliners and turned around, still without expression, and said, This will work.

The room gave a sigh and a short laugh, and Tyler said to his dad, I thought he was going to tumble over again.

The group then made their way down to the admissions office, where the forms were executed and then signed. Grandpa Dock had a new residence.

The group headed out to the car to bring in Grandpa’s belongings and help get him organized and settled in his room. They all gathered and gave Grandpa a hug. Tyler went last, with a tear in his eye, and Grandpa tugged on the bill of the Detroit Tigers hat that Tyler was wearing. Dave said, What’s with this sobbing? We’re fifteen minutes away, and we’ll be here all of the time. We’re not shipping him back to Florida!

Grandpa laughed and said, Well, that’s a good thing. I’m not sure I could take the flight.

The group headed back to the car and returned home without Grandpa. Upon returning home, all went about their businesses, mostly preparing for tomorrow. About a half an hour later, Kelly commented how the house did seem a bit empty without Grandpa there.

The family made some adjustments with life and the house, including some shuffling of bedrooms. Tyler resumed his residence in the family basement, while his younger sister Kaylee took over Grandpa’s room.

Meanwhile back at Cherry Hill, Grandpa had spent the past two weeks listening to the Tigers game on the radio. For as much as he liked watching the action on the television, he also really enjoyed listening to Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey deliver the games on radio. On this night though, he decided to walk down to the lounge area to see if he could negotiate with the other viewers about turning the game on the television.

He entered the room and surveyed the others that were present. He saw seven other people and did a gentle rub on his chin. He walked partway in to look more closely. There were four rows on either side of the aisle; however, the television was centered in the left section, as if the right was for people that really were not interested in watching.

Glancing to the right side, he saw there were two people there, but they’re sleeping. The remaining five people on the left were watching television, but two were bobbing back and forth, about to fall asleep it seemed, just like the other two on the right side. Of the three remaining, one was working intently on his crossword puzzle, and the other two people, one man and one woman, were watching Jeopardy!

The man watching Jeopardy! was in the second row, and the woman was in the front row. Grandpa walked up to the front row and sat one seat away from the woman. Grandpa sat quietly, actually pondering what would be the most effective way of asking if he could turn on the baseball game. After about two minutes, the woman looked over at Grandpa and offered a slow, Hello. You don’t look familiar.

Grandpa then responded, I’m new here. I just move in about two weeks ago.

The woman held out her hand and said, My name is Rosemary Collins.

Grandpa said, I’m Floyd Dock. It’s very nice to meet you.

Rosemary responded, Likewise.

Both looked back at the game of Jeopardy! and immediately host Alex Trebek began the next question. When translated, the full name of this baseball team gets you a double redundancy.

Quickly Grandpa said, Who are the Los Angeles Angels?

All three contestants were silent, as was Rosemary. The time had expired, and Alex Trebek said, Who are the Los Angeles Angels?

Rosemary said, Hold on. What?

Grandpa said, Los Angeles means ‘The Angels,’ so translated the Los Angeles Angels would be ‘The Angels Angels,’ hence the redundancy. I’m referring to when they were a minor league team in the Pacific League.

Rosemary said, Oh my goodness, that’s right. And what’s more is that I actually lived in Los Angeles for a couple of years a long time ago. I went to UCLA.

Immediately, a voice from the row behind said, Go Trojans. Fight on.

Rosemary laughed and said, That is Albert. He, on the other hand, went to USC. Albert, this is Floyd. He just moved in here.

Albert shook Floyd’s hand and said, Welcome.

Floyd said, Thank you. I appreciate it.

Albert then said, "Well, I’m always sure to say it, and there’s a great reason for it. Not too long ago something occurred to me. I think it was when Willie C. moved in and I said, ‘Welcome,’ and he said, ‘That’s probably the last time I’ll hear that. The ol’ doctor said the ticker doesn’t have many left.’ I got to thinking that unless there’s some unusual circumstance like winning the lotto, this is probably the last place we will hear a genuine and meaningful ‘welcome.’

Anyway, I don’t mean to be a downer, and I would really like to talk more, but I have to call my great-grandson who still lives in California, and then it’s time for me to go to sleep. Let’s all have lunch tomorrow.

Rosemary and Floyd almost together said, That would be great.

As Albert left, Rosemary and Grandpa started to watch the Tigers game, this night playing the Cleveland Indians. A couple of innings later, Grandpa said that he’s going to get a soda and asked Rosemary if she would like one. She said, Yes, please. Root beer if you would.

A couple of minutes later, Grandpa returned with a Cherry Coke and a root beer and handed the root beer to Rosemary. She accepted the root beer without saying much, and they resumed watching the game. Grandpa commented, Did you see that, two straight fastballs with the second just a little higher than the first?

Rosemary responded, "Is he setting up for an even higher fastball by going up the ladder, or does he change up with a