Into the Night

I brought a fast enough lens that I was able to continue shooting into the evening at Andre Dawson's celebrity softball game. Here we see Bear Steve McMichael ripping a single to left, followed by Dawson's second double of the game, right down the left field line.

Followers of this photoblog will recall that I attended two of Fergie Jenkins' charity baseball games in Arizona the past two springs. Comparing the two events, I prefer seeing the old-timers play with a baseball when possible. The softball feeling is such that it just takes the players an additional long step away from their days at Wrigley Field in the past. The catcher, above, is Gary Carter and he looks lost standing to wait for the pitch to bounce.

Or maybe it was just the pajama bottoms they wore instead of baseball pants.

Wrigley Field Dreams

Back at the Gilbert Arizona softball complex, which gave us a photo in "Yankee Stadium" in the last post, here are two from the scale-model "Wrigley Field." One shows how the bleachers are painted on a panel above the wall, with the famed rooftops across the street included. The paintings are good if not exact and they are not highly detailed. But the idea of building the general atmosphere of the ballpark is excellent. The Wrigley wall is indeed brick with the familiar ivy planted before it. Since this park is only about 15 months old, the ivy planted against the walls has not had time to grow in as yet. My guess is that it will grow in completely and will only make the fine facility better.

Another blog-from-the-road post is scheduled tomorrow. Now is the time for a little rest so more on-the-run fun will be possible tomorrow.

Big League Dreams

If they build it, I will come. I had seen a discussion of a baseball/softball complex in Gilbert, south and east of Mesa and Tempe, so I had to go check it out. Driving on strange streets on a very dark night for only 7:30, I began to wonder if I was chasing wild geese. How would I even know such a complex would be open on a Tuesday night in March? The sense of adventure which just be a streak of stubbornness urged me on.

Big League Dreams has seven fields, and people play there from junior tee ball through youth leagues, adult leagues, and leagues for those of us in the "senior" category. In a large but compactly organized area, the complex also has an indoor soccer arena, a restaurant, a batting cage area and and pro shop. Each field is a scaled-down model of a current or former major league park. Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Anaheim Stadium are joined by Yankee Stadium (recently retired but rebuilt) and Ebbets Field, Polo Grounds, and Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

Each field has a manicured playing surface, concrete dugouts, fully fenced playing area, and comfortable armchair seating. Youth practices were going on, with games to follow, and adult 12" softball games were also being played. In Yankee Stadium, men were playing some sort of scrimmage, so I asked and was given an at-bat. A hard single to left, racing to third on a hit by the next batter, then scoring on a third hit and my first day in Arizona was complete.

Build one of these near Chicago, I told them, and I will have to come out of retirement and play ball again!