Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Your Sporting Activities

It's Saturday Night again - time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Randy’s assignment this weeks is:

1)  What sporting activities did you participate in as a youth and as an adult?

2)  Tell us in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or on Facebook or Google+.  Please leave a comment on this post with a link to your post.

Thank you to Lisa Gorrell for suggesting this SNGF topic.

Thanks, Randy for choosing my topic. I don’t know if the timing is good or bad. This week’s 52 Ancestors category was Sports and I wrote about my two grandmothers, grandfather, father, and my sporting activities. I only wrote a little—just what I had a photo for.

My first sport I remember playing was softball. There was a field two doors down from our house called Bertinoli’s field, as the family across the street owned the land. Later, when I was older, I realized it was just a small lot. But we were little—the oldest maybe 10, and only occasionally would anyone hit the ball over the freeway fence. Of course someone would have to climb the fence to get the ball—we only had one!

I played softball/baseball (don’t remember what kind of ball we used) in 4th grade with the boys during recess. I was the only girl. I loved baseball. I collected baseball cards. I watched the Giants on television. My grandmother (Nana) and my dad loved the Giants, and so did I. I liked playing infield, probably because I didn’t have to throw the ball so far. I was pretty small and didn’t have a lot of strength.

In 7th grade, my mom signed me up for an after school softball team. I remember practices were at the local elementary school, but not much about the actual games. I did play on a real team when a senior in high school on a youth league team. I played mostly short stop.

My favorite players on the Giants were Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Chris Speier, and later Mike Krukow, Johnnie LaMaster, and Joe Morgan.. My friends and I went to Candlestick Park and we could go to Ladies Day and sit in the bleachers for 50 cents. But often we bought box seats to sit up close. We used to go early to watch batting practice and get autographs. I have a small autograph book with lots of autographs.

In the 70s when the Big Red Machine was winning championships, my friend, who was born in Cincinnati, rooted for the Reds. I would, too. It was fun supporting a winning team and Johnny Bench was my favorite. He wrote a book called Behind the Bench and I got him to autograph it for me.

In college, I tried other sports in P.E. classes: tennis, volleyball, and badminton. I played one season on the softball team my freshman year and on the badminton team on my senior year. Playing sports was hard when my science labs were in the afternoons.

I played on a women’s team in Walnut Creek one season, when I was a junior or senior in college. Our sponsor was a pest control company and we were called the Lady Bugs. I played second base mostly. I didn’t play much after I got a job with BART. I worked nights and had weekdays off—wasn’t conducive to being on a sports team. Once a bunch of mothers from my daughter’s pre-school got a team together and I played short, second, or pitched. We were pretty bad!

I’m still an avid fan of the Giants and try to go to at least a half a dozen games per year. I attend mostly with my friend, Beth, but sometimes with my husband and daughters. I’ve had season tickets (15 games) twice, the first during the year the All-Star game was at Candlestick Park (1984), and the last season at Candlestick Park (1999). That was lots of fun

My daughters like to watch baseball, too. They never played softball, but rather focused on gymnastics and soccer. My husband and I knew nothing about soccer but after going to all their games, we got pretty good following the game.

Today, my personal sporting activity is focused on yoga, walking, and occasional pickleball. The sports I follow on television are major league baseball (Giants), tennis, and women’s soccer. 

1999 at Candlestick Park with my daughters

Me and my buddy, Beth

Me and Janice at an A's game

I have many more photos (actually slides) that I should scan. 

Copyright © 2018 by Lisa Suzanne Gorrell, My Trails into the Past. All Rights Reserved.