Take me out to the ballgame......

Behind Home Plate
Entrance to Ball Park

This is the entrance to Luther Williams Ball Park in Macon, Georgia where I grew up. It is the second oldest minor league stadium in the country. It was built in 1929 and it is the home of the Macon Music, but today I will reminisce about the 1950's when it was home to the Macon Peaches.

During that time my Daddy had season tickets. Our seats were the best in the house, directly behind Home Plate. The seats were the old uncomfortable wooden kind that folded up and had no padding whatsoever. His initials, JHH, were stenciled on the back of the seats, so everyone knew who those seats belonged to. The first picture is directly behind Home Plate and the view that we had during the games. When a fast ball went over the plate, you could feel the breeze. That's how close we were.

Mother hated baseball, so Daddy would take me. Yes, from the time that I was about 3 years old until I left for college at age 18, I was at Luther Williams Baseball Park at every game with my Daddy. This was a different time and a bygone era where you did not have to worry about your child not being by your side at all times. I was literally let loose in that park when I got bored with the game. I would visit all the concession stands, visit the ticket booths, and visit with other fans.

I loved peanuts. Daddy would buy the bag, shell them, take off the red hull (I didn't like that) and feed them to me one at a time. Was I spoiled? Rotten probably just begins to get close! After the game was over, he would make a round of all the concessions and pay my tab. Such was life in a small town. We knew everybody there and they knew us. Something that I miss in today's world.


In addition to having one on one time with my Daddy and sharing a sport that we both loved (I learned to because of all the time we spent there), I got to see some pretty famous baseball players at the beginning of their careers. Pete Rose for one (1962) and Tony Perez (1963 and a Hall of Famer) and many others that went on to the "Show".

These are memories that will never fade. One regret that I have is that Daddy's health failed before I could get him to Atlanta to see a National League team.

Here I am just a few years ago sitting in the very seats that were ours.

So, it's one, two, three strikes you're out

at the ol' ballgame!