Honking for a home run in Baseball

As I have said before I grew up on baseball. We played baseball in the pasture, Mom was on a team, dad was on a team and dad coached a team.  I wasn’t old enough at the time to be on a team but I was a enthusiastic fan.

We would hurry around the farm to get our stuff done enough we could go to town in the evenings and dad would play baseball.  Then after the game we would go home and do chores in the dark.  It was some of the best memories of growing up.

I would embarrass my dad with my yelling and jumping up and down when he did something and I mean anything. I could yell so loud and jump up and down and run in circles.

One day we were hauling hay and it was getting time for the game and we weren’t done yet. We went into high gear and got done just in time to take off for town. Dad did not go to the house to get the pickup we just took the ole hay truck to town. We parked it at the ball game and mom was there with dad’s uniform.

I chose to set in the hay truck cause the horn was so loud and I could honk for our team.  My dad came up to bat…yeah he hit a really good ball and off he goes for first with me laying on that old horn in the truck and screaming run at the top of my lungs. On to second base, horn still going, mouth still going, around third headed for home. Man I did not know I could yell that loud and the horn I was holding down steady by now. Dad went cross home base and looked at me with a dirty look, you can quit honking now he says. Nope I kept right on honking and yelling. He sat down and gave me a dirty look and I could tell he was getting mad but that dang horn was on a roll and I could not get it to stop.  I was frantically beating on it but dad thought I was still honking it.  Finally he started towards the truck. I knew I was in deep trouble as I was not minding and I tried even harder to hit that horn with vigor only a 7 year old can.  About that time here comes one of dad’s team mates that was a mechanic and says “Gene I think the horn is stuck”. I am thinking that Ralph saved my life. Sure enough they get there and can’t make the horn quit honking so dad unplugged it.

Thank you Ralph, my life is saved but I never did get to set in that old truck again. By the way we won the game!