Take a Leap In Your Life
Al Rosen and What I'm doing on Leap Day
What will I do tomorrow?
I will think of Al Rosen. He was born Feb. 29, 1924, and thus will be celebrating his 21st birthday tomorrow; I'm sure he may enjoy his first taste of legal wine or hard liquor.
Known as "The Hebrew Hammer," Rosen was one of the best Jewish baseball players ever. For a few years, he was one of the best ever period. In 1953, he was MVP, leading the league in home runs, rbis and losing the batting title on the last day, coming that close to winning a triple crown.
He played for the Cleveland Indians. He came to the team the year they started to be good. His first full year with the team in 1948, the Indians won the World Series, the first time they made it since 1920. In 1954, he had a part in one of the most famous plays of all time in any sport: He was on first base in the eighth inning of a tied first game when Willie Mays made his amazing over the head catch of Vic Wertz's line drive. I wonder what he was thinking then.
My father was a Cleveland Indians fan, born a year after Rosen. My father had left Cleveland by the time Rosen made the majors, but growing up I remember my father's stories of how bad the Indians were when he was a child, how painful it was for him to always watch other teams -- generally the Yankees -- and what it meant for him as an adult for the Indians finally to become good. One of the first stories I remember him telling me is of the '48 series second game when the Indians lost because an umpire blew a call on a pickoff play at second base. He's kept several old game scorecards, and I've seen them, one with Rosen's name. And although most of his stories predated Rosen, there's a link there to some of my first memories and some of the memories that have stayed strongest with me. And there's a link there to my father.
So on Leap Day I will celebrate Al Rosen on his birthday, but I will be thinking about my father.
I will think of Al Rosen. He was born Feb. 29, 1924, and thus will be celebrating his 21st birthday tomorrow; I'm sure he may enjoy his first taste of legal wine or hard liquor.
Known as "The Hebrew Hammer," Rosen was one of the best Jewish baseball players ever. For a few years, he was one of the best ever period. In 1953, he was MVP, leading the league in home runs, rbis and losing the batting title on the last day, coming that close to winning a triple crown.
He played for the Cleveland Indians. He came to the team the year they started to be good. His first full year with the team in 1948, the Indians won the World Series, the first time they made it since 1920. In 1954, he had a part in one of the most famous plays of all time in any sport: He was on first base in the eighth inning of a tied first game when Willie Mays made his amazing over the head catch of Vic Wertz's line drive. I wonder what he was thinking then.
My father was a Cleveland Indians fan, born a year after Rosen. My father had left Cleveland by the time Rosen made the majors, but growing up I remember my father's stories of how bad the Indians were when he was a child, how painful it was for him to always watch other teams -- generally the Yankees -- and what it meant for him as an adult for the Indians finally to become good. One of the first stories I remember him telling me is of the '48 series second game when the Indians lost because an umpire blew a call on a pickoff play at second base. He's kept several old game scorecards, and I've seen them, one with Rosen's name. And although most of his stories predated Rosen, there's a link there to some of my first memories and some of the memories that have stayed strongest with me. And there's a link there to my father.
So on Leap Day I will celebrate Al Rosen on his birthday, but I will be thinking about my father.
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© 2009 Created by Julia Scatliff O'Grady on Ning. Create a Ning Network!
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