Little League Baseball

I don't recall exactly what prompted my early interest in baseball, but I remember age 8 playing baseball with Barry in our front yard on Jurupa in Riverside. Sometimes our ball would escape into the neighbor's yard and he wasn't too happy (Mr. Wilson, we called him, after the Dennis the Menace character). Mr. Wilson would sometimes turn on his sprinklers to deter us.

When my dad returned from his one year overseas Air Force duty in Labrador, one of my first requests was for him to take us to a Dodger game in LA. This was summer of 1960. We went to the LA Colliseum and saw the Dodgers win (Frank Howard, Wally Moon, Johnny Podres, etc).

I remember going to see some local Little League games, and I rooted for the Dodgers. I even got a cap and ironed a "D" on it.

When we moved to Fallon, NV, the people on the military base constructed a field and organized some teams for summer of 1961. Barry and I both played. I was only 9 but I think I was one of the better players. We played two seasons there. One year I played for the Falcons, and the other year the Mounties. Here are some photos from that era:

We moved to Riverside and the Little League was much more competitive. We had to try out for teams, and I made the cut and played for the Braves (I think for both seasons, aged 11 and 12). In fact, I made the all-star team both seasons and participated in post season play. Our dream was to win all the way to Williamsport, PA, for the Little League World Series. We never came close. Here are photos from that era:

I have a couple of old Little League trophies in the closet, but here is my prized momento--my all-star cap with participation pins (and some moth eaten holes).


Good times, and the beginnings of life long athletic pursuits!