One of my growing hobbies is researching our family history, and I found a gem tonight while poking around in Ancestry.com: my father’s name in a box score.
Dad never failed to mention that he loved playing “the hot corner,” something I never doubted. Now I have the box score to back it up, on Page 8 of the April, 30, 1938, Uniontown (Pa.) Morning Herald. (I don’t know if this link will work for those without Ancestry.com accounts, but I’m giving it a try.)
Dad batted sixth and played third base for Mapletown High, which lost 5-4 to South Union High in their April 29 home opener in Uniontown.
Dad went 0-for-3 at bat, with two putouts and an assist — and two errors. If only he were here to share a few laughs over that.
What’s also cool about the page is that the box score and game story are directly above an AP story about Dizzy Dean pulling out of a Cubs-Reds game with a sore arm. And in a story datelined not far away in Pittsburgh, the Pirates were rained out against the Cardinals.
I found a second box score from the same paper on May 7, 1938. Dad, still a third sacker, had moved up to fifth in the lineup. He again was 0-for-3 but had one putout and three assists with no errors. Mapletown fell at home, 12-4, to Georges high, which I believe was in Fairchance, Pa.
A year later, Dad next showed up in the paper after enlisting in the Army air corps at Langley Field, Va.
Something to be proud of, despite the two errors. At least he got out there and competed, and had fun doing it.
Bill