“GR” stands for the George Ranch State Park, south of Sugar Land. Physically, here is how the GR looked to the Houston Babies and the Katy Combine, the two vintage base ball teams that gathered there yesterday under a bright and chilly October Saturday sky to play a doubleheader as part of the Texian Market Days program.
Autumn 2011: Mike McCroskey, Larry Joe Miggins, & Bob Stevens of the Houston Babies smile away on an earlier happy day of vintage ball at the Katy Park field.
Yesterday’s soulful vintage base ball match between two old friendly rivals, the Houston Babies and the Katy Combine, began as a bittersweet mixture of melancholy and joy, with the former first taking its place as our united double team grief over our Babies’ loss of Larry Joe “Long Ball” Miggins to a tragic auto accident on September 14th – and the latter joy finally kicking in and taking over as we played out the day and shared that we had been privileged to even know Larry Joe in the first place.
Until yesterday, Larry Joe Miggins had played first base and some left field in every game of the Houston Babies since their resurrection from 19th century history in
Autumn 2012: Babies teammate Bob Stevens again, this time with the “LJM” initials patch we shall all now wear on the upper right sleeves of our team jerseys in memory of our missing field leader.
2008. Yesterday, the Babies lost their first game without him by an 18-10 count in the 10 AM opener of our doubleheader with Katy. It was also the first Babies loss of the 2012 season.
The Babies just didn’t have it from the start. Playing ball without our Larry Joe was like salt without pepper, shoes without socks, Abbott without Costello, Gehrig without Ruth, Doubleday without Cartwright, or worse, as it most closely was, like nine 21st century guys suddenly waking up to the fact that they had been, up until then, winning at 19th century base ball previously without using gloves – and then, suddenly, finding themselves unable to stop, catch, or throw anything round that was sharply batted or thrown at them through the air or on the ground.
Yep. Bare hands failed. The Babies temporarily had misplaced their mojo – and they missing someone who was irreplaceable – Larry Joe “Long Ball” Miggins.
Meanwhile, the new, improved Katy Combine played vintage ball in Game One like lightning out of a clear blue sky, whacking the ball all over the place and making strategic catches in the field that held the grieving, awful-playing Babies at bay in Game 1.
October 27, 2012: The Houston Babies started the first game of their twin bill with the Katy Combine without a first baseman in honor of their late teammate, Larry Joe Miggins.
The mood-launch into the mire may have started with the pre-game ceremonies honoring “LJM” – but the Babies make no excuses. We had to express and experience the sadness we still hold for Larry’s loss and to allow the game-playing to go wherever it needed to go – for a while.
First of all, all members of the Babies club wore a “LJM” patch on their right jersey sleeves in honor of Larry Joe Miggins. The club also wants to thank teammates Bill and Jo Hale for sponsoring and providing these permanent additions to our Houston Babies game attire.
Prior to the game, both teams were introduced and lined up on the baselines to hear Mike McCroskey of the Babies sing “Our National Anthem.” Manager Bob Dorrill of the Babies then explained that the home team Houston club would play the first out of the game without a first baseman – in honor of our ongoing loss. Bob also spoke eloquently of how much Larry Joe had meant to the whole soul of Babies Base Ball.
The Houston Babies got off to a terrible start yesterday.
Once the first Katy batter was retired on a one-bounce foul tip to the backstopper, Mark Hudec trotted out to the unfilled position – not to replace Larry Joe Miggins, but to play first base for the Houston Babies. From that point on in Game One, the roof caved in. It’s hard to grieve and play catch at the same time.
The Katy Combine is never a team to be taken for granted.
The Babies didn’t “get over” their grief for Larry Joe in Game Two at 1 pm, but they did tap into the gratitude vein of this always extraordinary, but always completely curious experience of human loss by touching base with the joy that the man had brought to all of us every time we gathered to play the game. The bright and blue skies of yesterday themselves were even a reminder of where our heads need to remain anytime that we are challenged by adversity.
The theme is the eternal archetype passage for lessons that finally reach us and resound in our eyes and ears as the great wisdom of human experience. All human pain is trying to teach us something. We either “get” the lessons of our pain, or else, we get to see them again – in some similar form. What we learn from allows us to grow in spiritual wisdom. What we continually refuse to learn from eventually kills us – one way or another.
We all have much to learn from both the life and death of Larry Joe Miggins at age 52. And, as far as I’m concerned, much of it has to do with his gentle, but ruggedly strong character, and his open heart toward everyone he met. All the ways that the human heart and hope light the path for all joyously triumphant endeavor shine brightly as the result of those who bear this message to the rest of us.
Larry Joe Miggins was one of those special people carriers of that flame.
“Ya gotta have heart, miles and miles and miles of heart! – When the odds are sayin’ you’ll never win, that’s when the grin should start!” – Joe Hardy, Washington Senators, “Damn Yankees” and Larry Joe Miggins, Houston Babies.
Babies Limber Up for Game Two.
After Larry Hajduk took the loss for the Babies in Game 1 by 18-10, with some relief assistance by Mike “Piano Legs” McCroskey, the club limbered up on joy in Game 2 and started playing like the vintage ball savants they really are. paced by longtime ace Bob Blair, the Babies took Game 2 by 21-15 to end the day with a pleasant split with the Great folks on the Katy Combine.
Our Blind Tom
We are really drawing close to the Katys. At lunch, with some of our appetites spiking toward the anticipation of barbecue or hot dogs, both clubs got fed at the GR Soup Kitchen. I’m sorry, folks, it may have been great soup, but, my early life experience with soup kitchens has not left me feeling that they are much of a reward. I handled it OK by stopping off at James Coney Island on the way home. No big deal.
WOW!
Bill Hale went crazy with the bat today, going 7 for 10, with 2 doubles and 2 triples.
Alex Schmelter and Zach Hajduk each went 6 for 9 – with Mark Hudec going 4 for 8 and Phil Holland going 4 for 10. – Mark Hudec and Zach Hajduk also both crushed mighty home runs in honorable memory of “Long Ball” as the men who held down his former positions at first and in left. How curious. Thank for the Mojo, Holy Spirit!
Robert Pena went 3 for 7 on the day; Robby Martin made it a 3 for 9 hit day.
Bob Blair was 2 for 6; Larry Hajduk, who also played 1st in Game 2 was 2 for 7.
Mike McCroskey and Jo Hale were both 1 for 3; and Bob Stevens was 0 for 1 in limited action.
The Houston Babies will resume their ongoing long season of vintage baseball in 2013, with the spirit of Larry Joe Miggins flying with us forever from park to park. Stay tuned for further scheduling news, as it occurs.
The Tree of Life is ancient and eternal. We are little more, but none the less, than the latest blossoms of its vast creative energy. – In our language, that means: …….. “PLAY BALL!!!”
Houston, Baseball, & Other Musings.
The Pecan Park Eagle 