Mother loved going to the ballgames in K.C. My job gave me a chance to go once in a while, and of course that meant mother went also.  We would head for K.C., it was about a good 4 hour drive, and watch a game and come home.  Now we always figured on doing a few other things, but the game was the closer for the day.  I remember one such day.

We started out kind of late, figured on getting to the game at the start which would be 7 PM.  But we had plenty of time to get to Gates and have some Barb B Q. Mess around a bit and hit the ball park. 

For some reason we stopped at the ball park about 4 PM. I got a couple real good seats, almost right behind home plate, on the first base side. The man that took the money said, game starts in a little bit, tonight is a double header.  Gates was out of the picture.  We figured dine on over priced hot dogs. 

The early crowd was slim, but people were slowly filling up around us.  When down the aisle came these two with a couple sack lunches. Their seats were a few rows in front and to see home plate you saw them. 

BEER MAN, yelled a man selling the stuff. Up shot a hand of one of the two. He sold two ice cold ones right there.  In a little while BEER MAN. A hand went up.  He sold two more.  Seemed like about every 1/2 of the inning.  BEER MAN.

The game was not going the way these two clowns wanted it to go.  I thought it was a good game, but "WHITEY, IT IS TIME, GET A PITCHER."  There were other screams of advice for Whitey from these two.  Now that is all they were doing,  just giving advice.  And Beer Man was almost standing in place. He had a couple guys that was in need of a cold one.

Most everyone around us was getting quite a chuckle out of watching those two.. Maybe once in a while one took note of the game.  By the start of the second game, those two had loaded up well, but still no trouble for others, I don't to this day know if either one knew who was doing what. Beer Man was selling beer.

Oh, K.C manager never took  their advice, and still won both games.

Mother, dear mother, she loved going to the games once in a while.  I often wonder, about things.  I think it was something she learned to like.  I remember as a child she never understood it.  She said she got tired of hearing games on the radio. TWO AND TWO. But when I started taking her to the games. It was ever so often. I would get a hint, about let’s go to K.C.  I think she enjoyed the sights, the sounds in person. Bless her soul, how I do miss her and the old ball game.

missourisage@yahoo.com

Tinker and Poo; The Boys Write

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