| Spring was in the air... All I thought about from the | | | | improvised. Now get this. The gym at Weequahic |
| fall of 1963 to the winter of 1964 was playing | | | | High had a regular sized basketball court. On both |
| baseball. Weequahic High School's baseball season | | | | sides of the court there were two more |
| started when it was still pretty cold. Around March | | | | basketball baskets. From each basket a rope was |
| 15, 1964 was the first day of prctice. The first | | | | tied that hung to a height of my belly. Attached |
| day of tryouts could not have arrived quickly | | | | to the end of the rope was a baseball. Yes the |
| enough. The season started in the gym. The | | | | rope went through the middle of the ball and out |
| weather was too cold for outside baseball. | | | | the other side of the ball. It was my job to hit |
| I call to mind walking through the corridors of | | | | the baseball into the mat that was positioned up |
| school on that first day of tryouts in a baseball | | | | against the wall, under the basket. The ball hung |
| haze. I was like a baseball zombie. I kept thinking | | | | about two feet from the mat. |
| about how I was going to do. Would I hit? How | | | | I was nervous as I heard the coach tell us what |
| would I look? Would I trip over my uniform? Hello. | | | | to do. Hit a ball into a mat. This seems pretty |
| I did not want to embarrass myself. After school | | | | easy. But what's the catch? What if I messed up? |
| was where the phase of the daze turned into the | | | | Would I be cut in less than an hour of tryouts? |
| hits and the mitts. | | | | Here is what happened next. |
| "Time to get a move on boys." I heard Mr | | | | Batting was it for me. If I couldn't hit this |
| Ginsburg say, as he meandered out of his office. | | | | stationary ball - I should rest my bat in the bat |
| The coach had spoken. It was time to get | | | | rack for a year. You have got to be kidding. I hit |
| started. It was so exciting. My time to show em | | | | the ball so hard the sound it made hitting the mat |
| all what I had had come. | | | | had everyone in the gym gazing my way |
| I started playing catch. I was so thrilled to have a | | | | Baboom. I can still hear the echoes in the gym. |
| glove on and playing ball again. The winter is | | | | My buddies patted me on the back. I was |
| always too long when you crave to be playing | | | | relieved. I passed my first test. |
| baseball. | | | | Pass this on to someone who you think would like |
| After tossing the pill around for a while it was | | | | it. |
| time to hit. We had no pitching machine so we | | | | |