At times it was hard to recognize the game I've played since I hit my first wiffle ball. The sights, smells and sounds of Growden Field evoked a medley of stories and characters from books like W.P. Kinsella's "Shoeless Joe" and Ken Burn's "Baseball "to movies like the "The Natural "and "Bull Durham". As I watched the action unfold from the first base bleachers, I half expected to see some old timers appear magically from the center field fence
Disorientated at having to pay only five dollars for nine-innings of baseball, I walked toward my seat while admiring the half-light of the pink Solstice sun still a few hours from settling down. While some of the players warmed up their arms, others were busy raking and watering the infield. There were more families and children than I'd seen before at a ball-park. Though I was in the "cheap seats", I was just thirty paces from the field and could clearly make out the expressions on the players' faces.
Jazz seeped out from a loud speaker by the press box before play and in between innings. Fifty feet above the field, the rectangular press box looked like a primitive cousin of the 90's sky box; minus a thick layers of glass, ten inch televisions screens and company endorsements. In about the fifth inning a foul ball rocketed off a Goldpanner's bat, cracking against the old blue box and then dropping lamely to the concrete below, where children eagerly swarmed upon the precious souvenir.
The Goldpanners took an early lead, picking up five runs by end of the second inning. As the evening light grew faint, Goldpanner's starting pitcher, Greg Jones, would strike out 12 Grizzles and secure a shut out for his team. By the fifth inning, Ryan Soules sent a ball over antique Pepsi billboard in right-center field, to give his team a solid 8-0 lead.
The crowd at the 91st Midnight Sun game was prodded to life by a group of 57 ninth grade science students from Marshall, Michigan who had arrived with a lot of energy. Mid-way through the game, the Michigan crew managed to transform a ripple into a small wave that ignited the crowd of several thousand people. I never thought I'd see a wave at a sporting event in Fairbanks.
Though the game reminded me of older era, it also brought me closer to understanding the appeal of the game today. No doubt, my perspective may be sharply different from your own.
Baseball thrives as an American ritual. No matter where you go to watch a game, Growden Park, Yankee Stadium or at any Little League field across the way, there will always be players and coaches out roaming around the field, brushing off the white bags, taking batting practice or just limbering up before the start of a contest. For the fans, there is the anticipation of a close contest, the chance of snagging a foul ball and the camaraderie amongst the crowd.
Before long, players will line up along the first and third base-lines and will place their caps on their chests as they turn earnestly toward the flag. Soon afterwards, the pitcher will stare down the first batter, as a fans wildly root for their team. Some children will grow giddy and play in their seats knocking over beers while throwing peanuts at one another. Others will watch intently and imagine themselves on the mound or out in center field. In between innings, friends and family will catch up with one another and talk about their new jobs, their plans for the summer or the fish they caught last week-end.
Often the game can become a side-bar to the action in the bleachers. Some will stray from the strike/ball count and decide that they have been working too hard lately, or wonder if they have been worrying too much about the bills for the house, the car or their children's education.
With the crack of bat, all gazes will focus on the moment, and on the seams of the ball heading into the seats. Hats will be flipped and raised; eyes will be squinted. The foul tip momentarily becomes as good as gold. As the ball plummets toward earth, the batter will coolly wipe the sweat of their brow and prepare for the next pitch. Fans will scramble back to their seats and applaud as a young girl shyly pulls the ball out of the webbing of her new glove.
A baseball game is one of those experiences that brings people together and triggers universal emotions that can be shared well after the time spent at the park. Whether it's your first or fiftieth time at a game, baseball offers you an opportunity to kick back and participate in a pastime that has survived the test of time, our ever changing culture and now the Last Frontier. If you get a chance this summer, go root for the home team.
©1997 Eion Bastable
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