Back in the mid-1950s the P.A.L. in my town would hold try outs for the little league teams and depending on your age, a kid could go to the stadium about 4 blocks away the same one we always went for the 4th of July events every year.

It’s funny now but when I think back of the names they used for the teams, like the “mosquitoes” the “bugs” and a few other names I don’t recall now any kid that got to try out lined up and had a turn at bat only, I remember getting real nervous as the line got shorter just like, waiting in line for your vaccination shots like I wrote about awhile ago

Anyway my turn came up and I got at the batters box, the kid on the mound wound up his pitch and down it few and a fast ball at that! I had just a second to decide to swing or not but I took my best shot and missed, so I said I’ll get the next one, and I missed that one also I’m like wow! I should have clipped that one at the most and the next swing was the same.

So I stuck out and that’s the only time you got on a team and if you didn’t get a hit at bat it was like, sorry kid maybe next time or next year. But it was fun to play at the try outs and in the stadium at that!

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