Just the Fun Stuff

I’ve never cared much for baseball. It’s a boring game. I’ve always taken a lot of grief for saying that. It’s true, though. You are either sitting the dugout and waiting for your turn at bat or standing in the outfield, scratching your ass and hoping something will come your way.

When I was a kid, there were a couple of elements that I really did enjoy. They were playing catch and hitting flies. My friend and neighbor, Gary Casner, and his older brother, Bill, and I got together occasionally and hit flies. We only lived a block from the high school, so we normally went up and used the practice field. Bill was four years older than Gary and I, so his baseball skills were a lot sharper than ours.

We took turns hitting flies to each other. To make it more interesting, we had two tricks. The first was to catch the call behind our backs. That is, you had to hold your gloved hand behind your back and hope you wouldn’t get beaned in the process. The other way was to catch the ball between your legs. You reached behind yourself with your gloved hand and spread your legs. This could have hurt!

Gary was better at this stuff than I was. Fortunately, we always had a good time, and everyone survived.

Dave Thomas

10/22/2026