Baseball on the 4th of july

[D. Broughman]

Every 4th of July brings back the memories of the games in the back yard. Grampa on the mound which moved according to the size of the batter and the smaller the batter the harder Grampa tried to let the batter hit. A little dribbler in front of Grampa could end up to be a homerun with both teams yelling to help you go in the right direction to make it home and a very happy Granddaughter or Grandson. First base was a small Pine tree that you had to touch to get safe (later you had to get your foot on the trunk of the tree). As you got older you had to watch out for Uncle Tom because he would pull you off base and call for the ball to tag you out but you would be safe after you argued and everyone had a good laugh. Next there was second base it could be an old baseball hat or a paper plate and Uncle Barry might have it in his back pocket when you got there but of course you would have to complain and they would give you third base. Third base was the lounge chair with Uncle Bill who did not play but coached the runner on. Home plate was a rock that was just on the surface of the ground that was to big to dig out.There would be Uncle Harold a big man with a bigger heart blocking the plate but the little ones could run between his legs and touch home and he would laugh and act like he didn't know they could make it through his legs. In the outfield was a speed limit sign that you had to watch out for and the road for cars which everone would watch so no one would get hurt. The better players had to watch out hitting to left field because of the windows in the house. The score didn't matter even though some of the kids would argue who won the game but we knew we all won on this very special day. This is the best baseball I ever played and will never forget. What is your best 4th of July baseball game? D.