Spring Break
Dave's Place - Playing baseball with The Banana Man
David Cordill
Issue date: 9/29/08 Section: Sports
I never really had the talent for baseball.
Now, my second cousin, Bob Allison, he did. He was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1959.
In his 13 seasons with the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins, he was a three-time All-Star. He also made one of the more memorable catches in World Series history, a backhanded sliding grab in left field off the Dodgers' Jim Lefebvre during game two of the 1965 World Series.
I couldn't play like Cousin Bob.
I tried out for the baseball team in junior high and again in my sophomore year of high school. Both times the coaches told me to try out for the track team, which effectively meant I was cut.
But I did play organized baseball for one year - a summer little league stint in Clinton, Mo. If my memory serves me correctly, I wasn't very good then either.
I played first base for my team, which meant I was the fat kid who couldn't play catcher.
Our coaches, The Banana Man and Jumpin' Joel, were two disc jockeys from the local radio station. Both felt it best to put me at that position because even if I couldn't catch a ball, I was probably wide enough to stop any sort of line drive hit near me.
The coaches gave a few players nicknames. This was either because they didn't remember their real names or never knew them in the first place. We had "Peewee" Deskins, Kent "The Big O" Oberkrom and several variations on "Red" for my redheaded brother to mention a few.
They chose to dub me "Slim," which I suppose was fine by me. I'd been called a hell of a lot worse on the playground.
When I started with the team, it became apparent that somewhere down the line I would need a different baseball glove. I'd left the old one out in the rain a few too many times and one day the webbing just sort of disintegrated when I went after a ground ball.
So, my grandpa came to the rescue. He's the same person who rolled up a piece of cardboard and wrapped it up with duct tape for my brother and I when we didn't have a football to play with.
Now, my second cousin, Bob Allison, he did. He was named American League Rookie of the Year in 1959.
In his 13 seasons with the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins, he was a three-time All-Star. He also made one of the more memorable catches in World Series history, a backhanded sliding grab in left field off the Dodgers' Jim Lefebvre during game two of the 1965 World Series.
I couldn't play like Cousin Bob.
I tried out for the baseball team in junior high and again in my sophomore year of high school. Both times the coaches told me to try out for the track team, which effectively meant I was cut.
But I did play organized baseball for one year - a summer little league stint in Clinton, Mo. If my memory serves me correctly, I wasn't very good then either.
I played first base for my team, which meant I was the fat kid who couldn't play catcher.
Our coaches, The Banana Man and Jumpin' Joel, were two disc jockeys from the local radio station. Both felt it best to put me at that position because even if I couldn't catch a ball, I was probably wide enough to stop any sort of line drive hit near me.
The coaches gave a few players nicknames. This was either because they didn't remember their real names or never knew them in the first place. We had "Peewee" Deskins, Kent "The Big O" Oberkrom and several variations on "Red" for my redheaded brother to mention a few.
They chose to dub me "Slim," which I suppose was fine by me. I'd been called a hell of a lot worse on the playground.
When I started with the team, it became apparent that somewhere down the line I would need a different baseball glove. I'd left the old one out in the rain a few too many times and one day the webbing just sort of disintegrated when I went after a ground ball.
So, my grandpa came to the rescue. He's the same person who rolled up a piece of cardboard and wrapped it up with duct tape for my brother and I when we didn't have a football to play with.
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