FIVE FOR FRIDAY

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by Holly Horning

Happy Mother’s Day! (Yes, those of us with children are starting the celebration early…)

It is usually on this day that I’ve written my yearly momager blog.  The one that pointed out how moms were so much better equipped to ensure the smooth running of this team back in the days of Ron Gardenhire and Brad Ausmus.

But on a positive note, I can now say that the adults are finally in charge so I retired that blog.  It had a good long run.

But if you think I’m not going to talk about moms on this holiday weekend, you are sadly mistaken.  We deserve recognition 365 days a week, not just 1 dinky little day in May.

So let’s talk about moms.  They love baseball, too!

My mother worked for the legendary Ty Tyson but really picked up her interest in baseball because of me.  I think it started as a survival tactic.

But it entered our discussions almost every day during the season.  And she became a fan.

On this holiday weekend, I look back and remember 5 of the best memories I have of her involving baseball.

1. While my mom grew up with the teams of the 1940’s and those World Series Champions, in the ’70’s she took a liking to pitcher Woodie Fryman.  I think she just liked the name.  At various times though, she would call other players by the same first name. I remember hearing “Woodie Coleman” and “Woodie Brinkman.”

2. Mom would surprise me with tickets to games by hiding them in the books I was reading, under my pillow or underneath the dinner plate.  It was always the very best surprise.  And she never scrimped – she always bought box seats.

3. When Mark Fidrych was pitching, Mom’s boss would let her leave work to drive into Detroit and stand in line for hours at Tiger Stadium to buy tickets to see The Bird.  We both attended that infamous game against the Yankees that was broadcast on national tv.

4. The company she worked for was based in Cincinnati and had strong connections to the Reds when they were known as the Big Red Machine.  Her counterpart in Cincinnati would hear the stories from Mom about my love of baseball and how I followed the Reds (my 2nd favorite team).  Those conversations resulted in her company arranging with the Reds’ players to send me pictures, autographs and even letters.  Pete Rose sent me a long personal note and a charcoal drawing of him that an artist had sketched.

5. Mom was a very elegant and proper woman who was often told she could pass as Ingrid Bergman’s sister.  She always dressed well no matter where she went. At Tiger Stadium, she stood out just a tad, wearing her Ferragamo shoes, tortoise shell sunglasses and toting an Italian handbag.  No sports gear for her! 

At one game, we had seats in the lower deck, underneath the 2nd level.  As it happened, someone above us spilled an entire beer and it rained down in its entirely – all on my mother, her nice outfit and her perfectly-coiffed hair.  I still remember the look of absolute shock and horror on her face as the beer hit her, not initially understanding what was happening. I don’t think I stopped laughing for 3 innings.

Do you have a baseball story involving your mother to share?

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22 thoughts on “FIVE FOR FRIDAY”

  1. Beautiful story Holly, I often wonder a bit about your knowledge and love of baseball and our Tigers. Happy Mothers Day to you and any other Mothers who read and write responses.

    Liked by 13 people

  2. My mother was the baseball fan in our family and she taught me about the game. We had a challenging relationship but that’s what I will remember this Mother’s Day. It’s my first without her – she passed last November.

    Liked by 11 people

  3. One day when I was about eight, my dad threw me a baseball pop-up so high, I lost it in the sun only to have it come down right onto my eye. My dad sent me in to see my mom. Her response – throw a frozen steak over my newly minted black eye and send me back outside.

    Liked by 7 people

  4. Interesting that Holly’s mom liking the name “Woodie”. Especially when you make the connection that “Holly” is a “woody” plant. She sounds like a great mom.

    Liked by 9 people

  5. My Dad used to pitch to me we used an old wooden shed for a backstop. As I grew older I became a pull hitter guess what Mom came after us with her broom as the house window was in the pull field. Happy Mother’s Day Holly

    Liked by 9 people

    • My dad and I would play step ball where one guy would throw a rubber or tennis ball against our bull-nosed concrete step leading up to our front door while the other guy was the fielder protecting who would play in the street. Depending on how you hit the step, the ball would come off it as a grounder or fly ball which you would have to field or it was a hit. But, if you missed the step, your “pitch” would bounce off the porch into the screen door and make a crash sound and if you did that, you knew any second now, my mom would come out yelling at us to quit playing, lol.

      Liked by 6 people

  7. My Mom was totally invested as a fan and I remember two games in particular; the first as my Dad, Her and Me huddled around our set and watched the Bird go 10. The second was my first Tiger Stadium game, when I was around eight, on the Saturday that Denny McClain debuted. I remember how she brought a smorgasbord for us eat. I say Happy Mother’s Day to her memory and a very special wish to our one and only Momager.

    Liked by 9 people

  8. Great memories Holly and to all who wrote stories of their moms. My mom would take me to Fenway Park to see Our Tigers a couple of times each season after we moved to Boston from Detroit and Highland Park. She wasn’t the baseball fan but knew how much it meant to me to see “My Tigers” and Al Kaline. Happy Mother’s Day to all of our mothers living or in heaven.

    Liked by 9 people

  10. Took mom & dad to the Minnesota Twins playoff game in 1987 and had seats in the Tiger Den along the 1st base line. Mom had hearing aids that severely hurt her head because of loud, shrill noises and I had to ask Bert Byleven’s wife (and other Twins wives) if they could stop blowing their rally whistles behind us because of mom’s issues. When Bert’s wife refused, I finally resorted to showing what she could blow and she contacted security police who reluctantly escorted me to an isle to tell me they wished they could do the same thing – mom was happy to see me when I returned to my seat!

    Liked by 3 people

  11. Denny trying to win game # 30, NBC GOTW and Mom came into the room and A’s scored. Mom comes into the room a bit later and A’s are threatening. Mom was forced by us to stay out of the room and lovingly, she does: Denny wins # 30. I miss Mom.

    Liked by 4 people

  13. My mom wasn’t a sports fan.. except for the Tigers – the only sport and team she would watch. She had Alzheimer’s but she still enjoyed watching the Tigers ip the the end even when she didn’t know what exactly was going on. She passed away 4 years ago this month and it’s still a wonderful memory.

    Liked by 4 people

  14. Happy Mothers Day to Holly, also to the rest of you Mom’s and Mutha’s out there. My Mom was a life-long Tigers fan, with an early crush on Schoolboy Rowe. She experienced all four of our World Championships, as a 15 year-old cutting classes from Commerce H.S. in downtown Detroit, the next as a 25 year-old who worked at making airplanes at Willow Run Airport. It all came together in 1984, as I somehow wrangled 4 ducats for Game 5 and she wore out her voice yelling, her arm high-fiving every single person on Trumbull Ave. after the game, and finally, my car horn on the way home. Miss ya, Mom.

    Liked by 7 people

  16. happy mother’s day holly. My mother grew up in st.louis as her father’s family were hard scrabble Ozark farmers. So her teams were cardinals and tigers and Enos slaughter her favorite. as a kid the big red machine was my second favorite team and I hated the A’s. 

    Liked by 2 people

  17. I think Glen Campbell had a song back in the 70’s entitled, “There ought to be a Hall of Fame for Mama’s”, which I agree with. Mama Bandito (miss you mom!) had red hair and fair complexion and so always needed a hat of some kind when sitting in the sun. We went to a Saturday game in the late 70’s and she ended up on TV with the hat!

    Liked by 3 people

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