That Summer

Chapter One--Fourth of July

CHAPTER ONE

It was hot, 4th of July hot, in east central Alabama as I was stretched out on the red clay, sweaty and dirty from the jamboree that had started at the park that day. Here I was, sliding home body away with my feet sticking out like I was a backward “J”, a hook, hoping I looked like Mays, Mantle, Brock or Wills, but satisfied to be safe. As the red dust settled, I squinted at the umpire and there he was with his arms out like Pterodactyl wings—safe. Thus, ended my team’s second game.

     This play was the end of the five game, 4th of July, baseball, barbecue and politics celebration put on by the American Legion in Dadeville, a town of 2500, which, on this day, was closer to 3500 with the players, their families and the politicians.

     The celebration brought players from all over east central Alabama. Places like Auburn/Opelika, Smith’s Station (now Smith’s), AlexanderCity, Holtville, Beauregard and, of course, Dadeville. The teams all played American Legion Baseball, a league started by those men who fought the great wars and made the country great and played by boys up to about age 17. While, a few regular season games and the play-offs were left, this was the final big gathering and with most of us looking at two-a-days for football in early August, a time to have one more run at carefree fun.

     Each team would play three games in a round-robin with the top two to play a fourth game, so the July 4, celebration would last until about 9 or 10, but nobody cared. This was, after all, baseball.

     Each game would bring its own odd and interesting story and for a bunch of good ole boys it didn’t get any better.