Game of catch stirs memories

It was a game of catch on a Sunday afternoon with my blog partner that spurred  interesting thoughts for me. It got me to thinking about some of the just down right intriguing things I have witnessed in my day of watching sports.

This idea came up because we were discussing knuckle balls, as we each attempted to throw them. I once saw Phil Niekro warming up in the old Fulton County stadium, throwing pop ups with another player. 

Strange thing was he was throwing what I will call a "knuckle fly." The thing literally floated about 20 feet in the air and then dropped sort of like a rock on a marshmallow.

I will never forget the first time I saw a pro baseball field, at the old Three Rivers stadium in Pittsburgh. The first site of that green grass after walking through that tunnel still brings a smile. Perhaps the most interesting site of the day was batting practice, and not because of who was hitting. There on the warning track catching flies was the legendary number 5 for the Cincinatti Reds. Any baseball fan of the era knows that was catcher Johnny Bench. Interesting thing was Bench wasn't wearing a glove. Towards the end of his career after thousands of fast balls in his mitt,  I guess his hands were as tough as any leather glove. Shagging near home runs four hundred feet from home plate seemed like no big deal.

Many don't remember George Foster but I remember on that day the Reds outfielder hit a foul ball into the right field bleachers that came dangerously close to my glove.  I also remember an up close encounter with the Al Hrabosky as a young child. I learned a lesson that day,  you should never ask someone with the nickname "Mad Hungarian" for anything. He was just plain rude to the biggest Braves fan in the world.

These are just a few things that come to mind. I guess I was lucky to see so much baseball in person.  Perhaps I will have another story to tell after an October visit to Turner Field this year.