Despite winter weather, thoughts of spring training arrive

www.jacksonvilleprogress.com From the Booth - By Rick Watson

Words like "snow" and "sleet" are in the forecast for some portions of North Texas, so why not think of spring training?

I know, there are state high school basketball playoffs going on. The Region 14 basketball race is in the home stretch, and isn't it wild?

That is all covered so well by the rest of your JDP sports page, I thought maybe we could talk a little baseball. Often, some of you E-mail me, call, or just visit.

Would you share some of your favorite baseball thoughts? Some of you remember back to the Jacksonville Jacks. My friend, Merv Dawson has often talked about the days when J'ville had a pro baseball team. That was before I came to town, but maybe some of you have a memory of that time that is special. Or maybe the old Dallas and Fort Worth minor league teams. Bobby Bragan was a big part of baseball in the D-FW area, and I once had a chance to have lunch with him. It went about four hours and I still didn't get enough of his great baseball stories.

How about the Houston Colt 45's? We went to a game at the old stadium to see the Cardinals, and Stan Musial in his final swing through the National League. I think fans enjoy reminiscing about any sport, but baseball seems to have a special hold on people.

I still remember the first time I walked into what was then Briggs Stadium to see the Detroit Tigers. Even before you walked up the ramp to the seating area, the smells came over your senses. You could sort out hot dogs, sauerkraut, various drinks, popcorn and more. But mixed in was fresh cut grass, and something you could only identify as "old stadium smell". Very pleasant, but very distinctive. The Tigers had been at Trumbull Avenue since the early 1900's.

It was the odor of history.

Walk up the ramp, and through the portal to the seating area, and the first glimpse of the field was literally breathtaking. The grass was greener than any green. The seats, all painted a deeper green. The walls and the signs completed a mosaic that was almost cathedral-like. The Tigers taking infield, leaning on the rails talking to fans, running in the field, were dressed in the most perfect white, with the blue and orange trim. I think for a fan, the first time you see a major league park remains the fondest memory.

That day I saw Joe DiMaggio hit a home run. I saw Hal Newhouser and Whitey Ford pitch. But the all-encompassing first view of the inside of a major league ballpark tops it all.

As years went by, fortune often touched me. I have seen Ted Williams homer. Roberto Clemente just play ball. Ernie Banks at Wrigley Field. I have laughed in the Astros locker room with people like Biggio, Bagwell, Richard, Ryan and other stars that also happen to be very nice people. I have eaten in the Astrodome pressbox with Don Drysdale, Duke Snider, and the diminutive story teller, Donald Davidson. I once had dinner with Yogi Berra, and it was like I had grown up on The Hill in St. Louis, with him, Joe Garagiola and the rest of the gang.

Spring training brings back so many memories. The one piece of mail I look forward to each year, more than any other, is "The Sporting News" spring training issue. I remember playing in the spring. The first workouts when the weather and the gloves are fresh. Everyone on the team thinks "this is our year." It may be the purest feeling in sports. I liked being 13 and of all the hits you got that season, the first one over the hedges and into the coal yard was always the best. I liked the first workouts in high school and college, before the reality of the season set in. Before I found out there were pitchers who lived in a different world than I inhabited.

It was even better than getting traded from a sixth place team to a first place team (although that is one of my best in season memories). Got a favorite from playing...watching...listening? I hope so. It is a little early I guess, but it is time for those spring training dreams.

Rick Watson is sports director for eight area radio stations, including KEBE 1400 AM and KLJT 102.3 FM, where Indians football is broadcast. Watson can be reached by e-mail to rickw@wallerbroadcasting.com.