Baseball, Summer of 1922- Sepia Saturday #136

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I have posted this photograph before as part of my discovery of the numbers on photographs as a means of sorting and dating them. My father’s cousin, Theodore Page, is ready at the bat while my father, “Toddy” seems oblivious to the fact that he could have his head knocked off when Theodore goes to hit the ball.  The photograph was taken in the summer of 1922, probably at Belle Isle, an island park in Detroit.  The day was an outing for the extended Cleage family.

My uncle Henry loved baseball and often described the game in terms that made it seem like a work of art or a piece of music. My mother’s mother used to listen to games on the radio. I never liked playing the game – I could not hit the ball. I didn’t like watching it, compared to basketball, baseball games seem so long and slow moving.

Another photograph from the same outing. Starting from the left, are two headless women and I don’t know who they are. The little girl is my Aunt Barbara, next to her is my Uncle Hugh, Uncle Louis, Uncle Henry, Theodore Page (who looks like he has a double), my uncle Henry’s daughter, Ruth, who is holding the same ball the catcher is holding in the action shot.  Behind them are, an unknown man, my great grandmother Celia Rice Cleage Sherman, her son Jacob, my father Albert “Toddy”,  three people I don’t know then my grandfather Albert B. Cleage Sr.  In the background are some other people.  I don’t know who they are.

Some other posts about this day at the park:
Albert and Pearl (Reed) Cleage
More information about Yesterday

Click for more Sepia Saturday photos of baseball, cricket and more.

16 thoughts on “Baseball, Summer of 1922- Sepia Saturday #136”

  1. I like the slowness of baseball because I can actually SEE the play unlike basketball which is too fast to keep up with the ball and football which is nearly impossible for me to follow because the field is so crowded with big guys hiding the ball.

  2. There’s a lot going on in this photo. Apart from the stance of the fellow in the middle, look at the cheeky smile of the little boy with the ball and the other young man’s sideways glance.

  3. I’m with you about baseball:
    Is it ever SO S-L-O-O-O-W or what!?!
    But the boys seem to have so much fun,
    maybe we’re wrong about this…
    (not!!)
    😉
    HUGZ
    (Football remains MY game!!)

    1. Some of my most boring moments as a mother have been spent watching small children trying to hit the ball so they can run.

  4. I never liked baseball or softball because I got hit in the eye with a ball during P.E in elementary school. Black eye and broken glasses were not my idea of fun. I also got hit with the ball playing tetherball, but I still liked to play that…. go figure. Loved this picture and enjoyed taking a look around your blog. Very interesting!

    2. I had to look up tetherball as I hadn’t heard of it. A bit like totem tennis, except a larger ball than a tennis ball.

  5. What a lovely photograph! I love the expressions on all three boys, and seriously hope at least one of them was ready to ‘duck’.

    1. I just added another photo from the same day. I think they were on a family outing and the baseball game just happened. That ball looks awful big.

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