"Falling in love with baseball....again"A Blog by Tom Stanley
My love of baseball began as a kid playing for the Little Nipper Giants, with my father as coach and mother as a shack mom. The summers seemed to last forever back then. As a child on the team, my family and I formed friendships with players and parents that have lasted a life time. I still remember the iconic Nipper Maher, sitting on the players’ bench every game, chomping on a non-lit cigar and handing out free advice to the would-be major leaguers.
As a young kid, I took the bus on Moody Street to Newton Corner with friends to transfer onto a bus to Kenmore Square to catch Red Sox games during the magical 1975 pennant run. Bleacher tickets were $2.25. I think I saw every American League team play that year. Jim Rice and Freddy Lynn were my favorites. I can still name every starter from that team.
After the last game of that year, when the Red Sox won the pennant, I remember running onto the field. Before I knew it, I was on the pitcher’s mound and saw the bag of rosin. As I reached to grab it, two older boys flew out of nowhere to nab it before it was in my hands.
I was so crazy about the game of baseball, I even snuck into a World Series game pretending the person in back of me had my ticket. I finagled this under the Right Field Grandstands, the only place at the time that did not have turnstiles. By the time Fenway employees realized I did not have a ticket, I was long gone, my raincoat blending in with the massive, cheering crowd.
Later in the same series, I won a ticket to the famed sixth game. My aunt and uncle had two tickets and put all their nephews and nieces names in a hat. Lucky for me, my name was one of the two lucky ones picked and I sat feet from where Carlton Fisk hit the left field foul pole to win the greatest World Series game ever (game 6). This memory for me as child has lasted a lifetime, and I enjoy sharing it with my two sons.
Fast forward to today...my passion for baseball is still very much alive. As a Warrendale Little League Board member, parent and assistant coach, I see first-hand the joy of the sport. All of the folks involved working together, be it parents volunteering as coaches, the enthusiastic field crews, the cooks and the shack moms and dads. Young boys and girls are learning the importance of teamwork through the sport of baseball and dreaming of making it to the big leagues someday.
Through my involvement with my children in Waltham’s baseball leagues, I have fallen in love with baseball again, just as I did as a young kid. I especially enjoy the excitement of the inter-city tournament with the Waltham Youth Baseball League (formerly Nipper and North Waltham Leagues).
My family and I also really enjoy spending time watching future big leaguers in the Cape Cod Baseball League or visiting a Lowell Spinners, Pawtucket Red Sox or Portland Sea Dogs game.There is nothing better than taking in a game of baseball with my family, being outdoors on a warm summer evening.
Whether you are volunteering, coaching, working or simply watching the game because you enjoy the sport, baseball brings communities and families together in a way that makes you feel young again.
Tom Stanley
