Thursday, June 27, 2013

One Of the Most Beautiful Plays In Baseball

These are the saddest of possible words:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."
Trio of bear cubs, and fleeter than birds,
Tinker and Evers and Chance.
Ruthlessly pricking our gonfalon bubble,
Making a Giant hit into a double—
Words that are heavy with nothing but trouble:
"Tinker to Evers to Chance."

Now, mind you, I was not alive when these three guys played for the Cubs. I was just thinking today about all of the different aspects of baseball. I have a friend, who shall remain nameless ,who played on the 1976 Cincinnati Reds, and during the Big Red Machine days. He said that the big things that he remembers from those years was not the homeruns. No, it was the plays involving defense and timing. He loved the throwing out of a runner at the plate, speed against arm power and accuracy. Or one of his favorites was the catcher throwing out a runner, and remember, my friend played with one of the greatest catchers ever, a man by the name of Johnny Bench.

I got to thinking about how it is the little beautiful, perfectly timed things on our lives that make life so wonderful, so colorful, and so unpredictable. Home runs are great. But, the most beautiful to me is
Tinkers to Evers to Chance


2 comments:

Go Figure said...

Cedar--I totally agree. John Bardelli and I talk regularly about...the old days. Players knew how to slide, wore their socks correctly, and knew how to bunt. It is more fun executing, and watching, perfect inside/outside hooks and spikes high slides, knowing socks and sanitaries were rolled just so, and perfect bunts. We all learned to roll our socks and we practiced and practiced and practiced slides and bunting. In one game Bardelli had seven players bunt...in a row...and all got on! That is the art of baseball! Now-a-days I don't even like to watch baseball.

Cedar Street Kid said...

Yes, GF, baseball used to be an art form. Leon told me that Bardelli was the best coach that he ever had in baseball. I still watch some of it. I have become enchanted with the Pittsburgh Pirates because they sort of play the old fashioned way. They are young and run a lot, steal bases, and pitch. People forget that the homeruns were not part of the early day baseball, Now, there is nothing wrong with a three run blast, but getting on base, moving runners over, scoring, playing great defense and good pitching will win most of your games.

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