The following is a song about baseball that I had memorized years ago. I read somewhere that it was written in 1908, and that they use it in games when they have their seventh-inning stretch.
“Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks. I don’t care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team. If they don’t win, it’s a shame.
For it’s 1-2-3 strikes you’re out. At the old ball game.”
This has been a summer of baseball at our house. I have watched more baseball on TV than ever and gone to more baseball games of children than ever before in our lives. It is all coming to a close very soon, so I thought it is a good time to write about the sport.
First, we have been attending baseball games played by children around 5-6 years of age. We love every minute of every game. Whether they are at bat or running between bases. I like watching when the players are out to catch the ball and how they can keep their foot on the base and stretch out enough to catch the ball on the end of their glove. I appreciate the work done by the parents of the players. How dedicated can they get? They stand by each of the bases to encourage the runners to run or stay where they are. They are keeping statistics on what’s happening from start to finish. Their season has to close soon because it gets dark earlier and earlier as fall sets in. And they all have to go to school the next day.
Now, I would like to jump ahead to professional baseball. My first thought is about something I heard about 20 years ago when someone said that “October is the saddest month because that’s when baseball season ends.” I never thought about it being a sad month at all. I thought it was the most beautiful month because of the colors of the trees. But this year is different. I am more on the side of those who will miss seeing baseball games almost every day.
Next, I have chosen one of the professional players to write about. It all started when every time I walked past our TV, I kept seeing the very same player on the screen. That went on about four times before I stopped and asked my husband who that player was on the screen every time I walked past.
He said his name is “Jose Ramirez.” And that started a series of statements as to what a good player he is. Between what he knew, and our older daughter told us, I have learned a lot about Jose. The following paragraph is about his life and his years of playing baseball.
His name is Jose Ramirez, and he is from Bani, Dominican Republic. He is 31 years of age and 5 foot 9, which is short for a pro baseball player. A year ago, he signed a seven-year contract for $141 million. That’s about $20 million a year. WOW.
He has had 1,327 hits, 216 home runs and 202 stolen bases. Five times he has been on the All-Star team, and four times he got the Silver Slugger award for hitting. He is a switch hitter meaning he can hit from both sides of the plate. He rebuilt a youth baseball field on the west side of Cleveland named “Jose Ramírez Field.” He buys baseball equipment for the kids in the Dominican Republic.
He started out as a shortstop and now plays only third base. He will be playing for the Cleveland Guardians through the 2028 season.
If he hadn’t been on our TV screen every time I walked from my computer to the kitchen, I never would have learned anything about him, and so much more than I ever knew about baseball. Good luck to the Cleveland Guardians!
Kay E. Conklin is a retired Delaware County recorder who served four terms. She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a degree in sociology and anthropology.
