The other day I took a walk around the baseball feild at Orange Grove Park right after the rain. I had just rounded the corner behind the third base foul line when the sun made a surprising blast from the outfield, across home plate and right into the stars painted on the dugout pavement.Baseball is so elegant. Even when the park is empty.
12 comments:
My husband will agree with you. Baseball's the only thing that makes him want cable TV.
Beautiful, poetic photo, Laurie.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame immediately came to mind but this is so much more charming. Cool too that the blue and orange/yellow are complimentary colors. I like baseball but find it a bit slow at times. :~)
Yes, even the steroid needles are designer in MLB. ;o)
I shouldn't be a wiseass - what a fantastic photo and post! Little league and minor league ball are actually quite wonderful. And who wouldn't enjoy sitting in the Dodgers outfield on a warm, sunny day eating a dog and drinking a beer?
I'd just prefer Congress deal with more important matters than whether or not A-Roid juiced up. Well of course he did, look at his skull for crying out loud! So did Sosa and McGuire, so did Bonds, so do they all. Now can we get back to fixing the real problems, please? Sheesh!
That looks more pleasant than the dugout at Fenway when I toured it several years ago. Colored stars are much better than tobacco juice!
I noticed that when girls teams play at OG Park, they do organized cheers when the other team is batting.
Baseball is summer, it is poetry of sports. Soon, the season will begin!
"Baseball is so elegant. Even when the park is empty."
A lovely thought--to which I would add, there are few things of such beauty as the poignancy of an empty park or an empty school.
(I've walked the dogs past Orange Grove Park about a million times but never knew there were stars in the dugout!)
The dead and dying leaves scattered over the stars make this shot so poignant. The leaves tell us that the park is empty, and season is over, and the cheers are only echoes.
WAHHH!!!
I've heard of, "Stars in Her Eyes," "Stars Fell on Alabama", "Starry Starry Night", but never stars at a baseball park. Like, Mister Earl, when I think of baseball I think of tobacco juice and also hot dogs. Whimsical though, and a nice touch, and even nicer for you to capture it, Laurie.
I used to live one house away and below a park with a baseball diamond lighted for night games. I was close enough to get diffused light and the occasional sound of the crack of the bat on the ball and the cheering of the spectators. There was something peaceful and comforting about being in the backyard and hearing the sounds of families and friends enjoying America's pasttime. Even with the the current problems in MLB, baseball remains the best team sport. You can be competitive without being huge, at least you could until the steroid scandal. It's the only team sport without a clock and where each playing field is different from the others. Watching a game is far more relaxing and social than the other major sports. Lets hope MLB gets their act together.
Parks are for families and friends to gather. South Pasadena's parks, while not many in number, are beautiful and well used.
Wonderful photo and discussion.
Yakpate, your point about the leaves is well-taken, but then again, isn't one of the most wonderful things about baseball the hope that blooms every spring when teams take the field anew, that makes the melancholy of late October sting a bit less? Well--I suppose that is unless your team is in a small market like the Kansas City Royals, or the Pittsburgh Pirates, or the Cincinnati Reds...but at the Little League level, it still applies!
Awesome post! And some incredible comments I must say.
I love this line:
"Baseball is so elegant. Even when the park is empty."
Hello friends and fellow baseball fans!
Welcome, Michael!
I have a real soft spot for baseball and all its trappings. Of all the sports my father used to watch, baseball was the one we bonded over. I loved the leisurely pace of it, the ballet and grace of it, the social aspect dbdubya mentioned, the way a long period of inaction could suddenly turn into a nailbiting few minutes before someone slid across home plate.
I'm a sucker for baseball movies. I still cry like the first time I saw it when I watch Pride of the Yankees. I will crack up when I think of a young Tim Robbins wearing a garter belt in Bull Durham. I still believe, in a way, that "if you build it, they will come." And if you guys haven't read him, I highly recommend the short stories of WP Kinsella.
Thanks for the great conversation, memories and insights today everyone. Until tomorrow.
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