The Knothole

One of the more charming images from the early days of baseball is that of little kids, unable to afford the admission price to the ballgame, peering through the knotholes in the fence to try and catch a glimpse of the action inside the park.  Perhaps these kids would be lucky enough to spot one of the early stars of the game, like Cy Young, Cap Anson or Ed Delahanty.  Since its earliest days, baseball has truly been America's favorite pastime.  The draw of the game, with its leisurely pace punctuated by moments of incomparable excitement, is just as strong today as it was then.

I have been an extreme baseball fan since I was 10 years old.  As a boy, I followed the great Baltimore Orioles teams of the late 60's and early 70's, paying particular attention to the stellar defense and timely offense of my favorite player, Brooks Robinson.  My knothole to the action was through the Orioles radio broadcasts hosted by Chuck Thompson and Bill O'Donnell (I lived too far away from Baltimore to pick up their TV broadcasts).  I remember hiding a transistor radio in my desk at school so that I could follow the 1970 World Series between the Orioles and the Reds.  To capture the images of the games, I could rely only on my imagination and the words of the announcers.

It seems almost unbelievable to me how sophisticated the knothole has become.  In this day and age, every game is televised in high definition (often with a late rebroadcast), instant game updates are available on the internet, and highlight shows abound (ESPN and MLB Network), so that it is nearly impossible for a baseball fan to miss anything.  Such intimate access to the game through instant replays of every hit and sometimes every pitch (shown from several different angles) would certainly astonish those kids standing around outside the ballpark in the late 19th century.

My intention for this blog is to provide the reader with different looks at the game of baseball...the way baseball was played in different eras...the way I remember baseball of my youth...the stories, the heroes, the underdogs and the champions of the game from generations past and present.  I want to help the reader peer through the knotholes in the fence of history, and catch a glimpse of baseball's fascinating past using the tools of the present.  I hope you enjoy the view!!