When Baseball Was King--The Gem of Burke

Be still, be very still and listen to the cool summer breeze as it darts around the thick cluster of trees that sit on the green hillsides. Be still, for the breezes are trying to direct your attention to the swaying branches that are beckoning you to listen, listen, and be still, be very still.

There it is, faint and far away, but it is getting clearer and louder in the still silence of the forest. Yes, you can begin to make it out a little better now. It sounds like the chatter of some men. Yes, that is it. It is chatter, and as the sound gets louder and clearer, the dense forest of trees part aside, and there it is in its full beauty, The Gem of Burke, a perfectly cut, flawless, diamond. The men chattering are on the diamond, and there are multitudes of men, women, and children sitting in wooden bleachers yelling, clapping, shouting, and grumbling as a lone man stands in the batter's box. And then, the unmistakable sound of wood hitting ball. The fans in the stands are on their feet and in unison, as if it is a well-rehearsed choir, sing out a mighty cheer as the ball arks, and then sails higher and higher, orbiting into space, and over the outreaching hands of the men in the field. It plummets down on the hillside and the batter races around the diamond at full speed until he reaches safely home.

The game is over, and the fans begin to leave.it has been a splendid summer, and baseball was reigning supreme in Burke. The fans and players thought that it would never end.

Go up to Burke past the power station, and follow the path down to the old park. There is not much left now, but if you are still, very still, and will let them, the trees are just waiting to tell you a story of long ago when baseball was king, and when the Gem of Burke was the queen.