The game of baseball is full of moments which are filled with many strange and sometimes oops! I'm sorry. The playing field is a place where sometimes it's action with humor and sometimes it is serious circumstance. First and foremost I have often been told by coaches when on that ball diamond be alert and heads up all the time. This caution and method of play is the only way to stay in a game. Mike Bryan was a feller who stood about 5 foot 8 inches and was a baseball pitching machine. He could turn a baseball loose and it would literally hum as it whistled home plate bound. I do think our coach considered Mike the Ace on our team with some very good pitchers from which to choose. Mike always received his share of starts along with Hal Gwin, Sherman Forehand, Ed Massey and Joe Faucett. Mike was the only one of this group of fine twirlers who after high school ball played on a college scholarship. Mike enjoyed some fine and enjoyable playing of baseball with the Mississippi State Bulldogs down in Starkville, Mississippi. He possibly also enjoyed baseball along with Dicky Wages in the deep south heat at Itawamba Junior College down near Fulton, Mississippi. Do you really want to know how a pitcher was knocked from the game before the game started. I'll make it short and to the point because it still causes goose bumps this Oops! I'm sorry. When a starting pitcher for a game takes the mound he is allowed so many pitches to warm up from the mound. On the last pitch of these warm up tosses the catcher throws to second base as if an imaginary runner is stealing. The pitcher knows the throw is going and he is suppose to step from the mound to the left or the right. The catcher throwing that perfect peg to second the ball travels right where the pitcher would be on that rubber. Mike momentarily forget this little get out of the way thing and the catcher Bill Goodwin turned that ball loose before he realized Mike was in the target zone. There was no way Bill could call that ball back before "Bonk" it caught Mike in the back of his noggin. Lucky for us all Mike was not hurt seriously but being a little woozy coach had to send in a relief. There it is folks our pitcher knocked out of the game even before the umpire could cry, "Play Ball." Batter Up! Let's Play Ball... |
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