Things I've Seen

Watch baseball enough, and you’ll see practically everything.  As I just mentioned to someone that I recall Charlie “Paw-Paw” Maxwell playing for the White Sox (and that last happened in 1964), I’ve done a lot of watching. 

There was the time in 1967 at Comiskey Park I saw umpire Emmett Ashford go at it with Frank Robinson; “bait” Robinson would be more accurate, because Ashford seemed to goad Robinson with every at-bat until he finally tossed him.  I have never seen a ballplayer madder than Robinson was that afternoon or an umpire closer to bodily harm.

In August 1974, just as I was ready to start law school, I watched Bart Johnson shut out the Red Sox of Evans and Yastrzemski and Petrocelli and Tiant (his mound opponent that afternoon) on four hits. Johnson bested Luis Tiant, already a 20-game winner, giving up just four hits and two walks.  That boy had great talent but a crappy shoulder.  It was the most effortless pitching performance I’ve ever seen, Mark Buerhle’s perfect game included.

I saw Sal Bando and Ron Kittle hit the ball over the roof in left field; I even heard Bando’s ball hit the roof as it skipped along.  Now, all homeruns at the Cell are by design one-deck jobs, and none has yet to make it out of the mall.  Maybe someday, when we sign Paul Bunyan.

And this year, I’ve seen the Sox turn two triple plays, one around-the-horn and the other a rather unique 9-3-2-6-2-5.  They would’ve had a second around-the-horn, but the umpire refused to call interference even after the baserunner held onto Brett Lawrie’s foot as he tried to make the throw to first.  We will see electronic umpiring, mark my words, but that’s a story for some other time.

Yesterday was another first for me, even as the Sox were swept for the second of three series on this road trip.  Twice in an inning a ball was hit to the back edge of the infield, and shortstop Tyler Saladino both times got the force at third.  In all my years, I’ve never seen that.

But I have seen great starts to the season give way to mediocrity and worse.  A team that once stood thirteen games above .500 is now one game above.  But everyone says what a great clubhouse it is, so it’ll work out, I’m sure.  Or not.