dlhalper

I'm from Boston, and I've been a big fan of baseball since I was a kid. The Red Sox were going nowhere in 1961, even though they had some good players (my fave was pitcher Bill Monbouquette). But what I remember about 1961 was it was the first time we in Boston got to see the Minnesota Twins (formerly the Washington Senators). I remember seeing Jim Kaat (announcers couldn't figure out how to say it: Cott? Cat? Kaht?), Zorro Versalles, Camilo Pascual, and especially Harmon Killebrew-- I read the sports pages faithfully and there was a lot of buzz about him. Were any of you around for that inaugural season? Got any recollections you can share?

First, I'm a friendly media historian, as well as a SABR member. Loved your article Gregg. Beautifully written. My thanks to Jonathan V. Last of The Bulwark who recommended it in his newsletter. It brought back a lot of memories of growing up and being one of the few girls I knew in the 1950s who loved baseball (not sure how I got there: nobody in my family was a fan, but I fell in love with it, thanks in large part to the great play-by-play announcers on radio-- (Curt Gowdy and Bob Murphy). Maybe your daughter WILL be a fan. I was, and still am. One quick point: several folks were saying the expression "have a catch" was wrong and it should be "play catch." Yes and no. Today, it is certainly "play catch." But the dialogue in Field of Dreams is a historical flashback to the era of Shoeless Joe and others, the period from about 1900-1920, and yes, back then, "have a catch" was a common expression. Just thought I'd mention it. Thank you again for such a moving article. Much love from a fan in Boston.