"Take Me Out To The Ball Game"

Last Friday Mom and I were the beneficiaries of four free box seat tickets behind home plate at Franklin Quest Field. We also scored VIP parking across the street from the ball park. We literally did not walk 100 yards from car to our ball park seats.

It has been cold in Salt Lake for the last several weeks and I really debated whether I wanted to give up my nice warm recliner for a shivering night at the ball park. Sensing that I would probably wus out Mom took the only action that would guarantee my attendance. That's right she invited Uncle D and Aunt C. Surprisingly it was quite temperate at the game (we were in hoodies, parkas and wrapped in blankets).

We drank Pepsi, ate Colosomo footlongs, and giggled our way through 3 1/2 hours of great baseball. Aunt C was really jazzed about the game. She told us that when she was a little girl she would go to games with friends in the ward and she loved the old Derks Field.

Perhaps it was Aunt C's memories, perhaps the sights, sounds and smells of the ballpark but as we settled into our seats my childhood memories took over and there I was at the old Derks field when I was about 10 years old. Several times during my childhood summers I remember great times with my Dad, Uncles and cousins at the ballpark.

We would meet at one of the Uncles homes and have barbeque. The hamburgers were the best I ever ate. There was fresh corn on the cob, rootbeer and family excitement. Uncle Joe Nichols was the second husband of Aunt Suzi. Bill Kistler (Nelda) and Ethel Kleven's Father (Uncle Billie) died when they were children and Aunt Suzie married Uncle Joe. He was like all my uncles a very strong, 5'8", railroad worker. Uncle Joe was different. He was a Conductor on the Park City train. That was way up the pecking order from the painters, metal workers and mechanics that made up the bulk of my uncles. He fit right into the family. He loved family and good times (translation Fisher Beer). Uncle Biggie Kleven was different. He wore a white shirt and sold lumber. He was also religious. He was Norwegian (one of the Ecker Hill ski jumpers). He married my first cousin Ethel. They grew up together in Southgate Ward. They lived for about 4 years in the "love shack" (with two little boys).

The Kleven cousins, Ken and Keith were 3 and 4 years older than me. My idols. Whatever they did I wanted to do. They were cool. Keith played the trumpet, well you get the picture. To hang out at Derks with the Uncles Joe and Biggie and the "boys" was really big time. Add to that Uncle Dave, Cousin Ed, Grandpa Pegg, Uncle Wiley, Douglas and my Dad and "game night" was over the top in excitement and anticipation.

We always sat on the First Base side of the park on the first row. All the action was right in front of us. I am sure we saw very little of the game, mostly I remember running at top speed all over the grandstand. We owned the place.

Derks field was much smaller in those days. It was the Pioneer League and we played teams like Ogden, Idaho Falls, Magic Valley (Twin Falls) and several other teams from Wyoming and Montana.

Uncle Dave was the athlete in the family he played semi-pro ball when he was a boy. Uncle Wiley was the Polo Coach at the University of Utah and was an acclaimed "steeple chase" horseman. My Dad loved baseball. If we didn't go to Derks I remember Summer nights at Harmony Park (3900 South and Main Street) watching softball games. Dad and I spent long Summer nights playing catch on the front lawn.

All Summer Douglas and I collected baseball cards, played baseball in the streets, and watched games on TV with our Dads. Uncle Wiley taught us how to score the games and we sat for hours at TV trays arguing about RBI's, strikes etc..

There I was at 62 sitting in Franklin Quest reliving the pure joy of my long spent youth. The night was perfect. When we left the game at 10:00 (The Bee's victory was never in question) we were not ready to "call it a night". So we retired to Litza's for a "family special" and an evening of reliving other memories that we have been telling and re-telling for 40 years.

Family, that's all that matters.