Father’s Day and Baseball

My Dad loved all sports.  That seems to be the quality that most dads have and pass on to their offspring.  Conversational dinners at our house consisted of rehashing whatever seasonal championships were underway, which players were advancing in stats or being exchanged for other players or in a slump.  The scores of games were dissected with the accuracy of a surgeon even from some of my brothers who might have struggled with math in school.  When it came to batting averages, RBIs, distances of home runs, yardage on a wide receiver catch, points per player on the basketball team, my brothers turned into math geniuses doing loop-de-loops with numbers and spiraling into the universe of relativity regarding the high fly ball and the measured speed of the fast pitch.  My mother was always astounded at this.  She was thinking why can’t they do this in Algebra class?  And gifts for Dad on holidays and birthdays?  Why, of course, ball caps with team logos, T-shirts with team names, books on a given sport or great player, and occasionally tickets to an upcoming game. 

I wondered how best to honor the dads of my readers rather than write a syrupy blog for Father’s Day.  My Dad had been a musician and comedian in his young adulthood so I knew a misty-eyed tribute would not go over too well with him and probably with many of your dads, too.  These men usually prefer to submerge the tears which they will let fall in privacy when the moments are brought into focus and tucked into memory.  Even though my Dad has been gone for 26 years, he is as present to me as if he were cheering for the Guardians in the chair next to me.  I think he would get a chuckle out of what I found centering on humor and baseball. 

So, let’s talk about some of the fun in baseball.  I have selected three players who appealed to my Dad and maybe yours as well and I chose to write about their funny quotes that have brought them as much fame as their baseball skills.  I also like these guys because: 1.  All three served in World War II and two were awarded Purple Hearts.  2. One was a childhood idol of mine having played mostly for my native city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  3. All three are in the Hall of Fame. 

There must be something about the baseball brain that can come up with immortal gems by great players.  Perhaps a psychologist would love to study this.  Let’s start with Ralph Kiner.  From 1946 to 1952 he led the National League in home runs at a pace second only to Babe Ruth.  Most of his career was in Pittsburgh but he played short stints in Chicago and Cleveland.  A back injury forced an early retirement, and he became the broadcaster for the New York Mets.  Some of his gems are: “Solo home runs usually come with no one on base.” “The Mets have gotten their lead off hitter only once this inning.”  In an interview about a former Yankee manager he said, “If Casey Stengel were alive today, he’d be spinning in his grave.”  Referring to a nonverbal player, Kiner said, “Some guys are inwardly outgoing.” Commenting on pitcher Don Sutton he remarked, “Don Sutton has lost 13 games in a row without winning a ballgame.”

Danny Ozark spent his career mostly as a manager who is credited, historically, for putting the Philadelphia Phillies on track for their first World Series which they won in 1980 after Ozark had left the team.  His most famous quote is “Contrary to popular belief, I have a wonderful repertoire with my players.”  About a pitcher he said, “His limitations are limitless.”  Questioned on the morale of his team he answered, “How is morale?  Morality at this point is not a factor!”  And, when losing a must-win game, Ozark countered, “Even Napoleon had his Watergate.” 

The king of baseball gaffes appears to be none other than Yogi Berra.  He even offered philosophical insights that are hilarious like: “You can observe a lot just by watching.”  Or “A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.” Describing a loss, he shook his head saying, “We made too many wrong mistakes.” For a party celebrating an important win he said, “Cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough for six.”  Discussing a prize hitter on the team, he said to sports writers, “He hits from both sides of the plate.  He’s amphibious.”  Talking about the young kids of his day, Yogi disliked coddling and spoiling them as it made for poor athletes.  “I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia,” he said, “Let them walk to school like I did.”

Reflection

These famous men were not afraid to be made fun of in public.  We can all learn some humility from that characteristic.  They were, like our dads, simple men laboring in the rough and raw of life loving what they were doing and loving their families as well.  However, many of today’s famous athletes do not wear their mantel of achievement so innocently.  And sadly, many fathers do not appreciate their role in the lives of their children.  We all need to help dads to be good guys and we can do this by lightening their burdens with support and love and, yes, fun!  Prepare for Father’s Day by praying for your dad if he has passed on.  Ask yourself, what good qualities has your dad imparted to you?  Praise God for that.  Many churches, counties, social agencies have programs that serve the needs of dads who are struggling to make happy families and who have need of any support you might be able to offer. Whether your dad is with you or not, I’d like to extend a wish from the great Ralph Kiner, “On this Father’s Day, we’d like to wish you all a very happy birthday!”