The Rats

Some of you have asked for historical items from my Native background...sure, the brain is a bit foggy now...but, I can go back to about my early teen years and give you this one...it is all true, to the best of my recollection...and sorry, has little to do with the heritage...but it does have reality and a tad bit of humor to it...bear with me...circa 1957-1961...around then...you do the math, and can see that I may have lost a vague amount of exact happenings...

It was the beisbol career of the Horse...as the options of that era, were NOT the glamorous Little League and Babe Ruth leagues of nowadays...no classy uniforms, no sponsors, no cool caps, no coaches...no nuttin'...but a field and a field supervisor...ah, the coach...( to be honest, I did the same job while in college)...I recall we had a league that we played in...maybe a 'C' league...maybe not, that may have been later...

Anyhoo...we showed up to the infamous River Road Park, right behind Shakey's Pizza in Keizer, Oregon...not sure if the pizza place was there, when this all happened...but, it was shortly thereafter, if not...we, meaning the players...there was a gaggle amount of us, that there were to be two teams...one for the older and gasp, better kids...better, meaning bigger and resembling ball players...the 2nd team was for the 'prospects', as they are called in the minor leagues now...I was in the latter...

The first team had all the glory, and were immediately dubbed the 'River Road Vikings'...you see, back then, there were but two high schools in the town...North and South...this was in the North side, thus these elite players got the nomenclature of the high school name...the North Salem Vikings...that was it...and thus, the River Road blokes got it...not sure who picked it out, maybe the players, maybe the supervisor...I dunno...

The 'prospects' were another story...just as above (maybe), the name given to this 'team' was put forth by the supervisor, cuz, who would do this to themselves?...yes, kids, we were the 'River Road Rats'...I kid you not...the rats...thinking back, I am sure glad we didn't have uniforms...as think of the glory of wearing a 'Rat Uniform'...

Anyhoo, we didn't practice...we just played...and after game 1, I do not recall if we won or lost, or even if the supervisor kept score...but, in game 2...it all came apart...we were not doing well, and being the best on the team (ha ha), I asked if I could pitch...in the interim, our catcher split his pants open...recall, no uniforms, just jeans...and he concocted a sweatshirt to cover that area...obviously, I would never forget that...AND, that he never quit talking...laughing and joking and made us laugh...not so much with him, but at him...

My pitching career started and ended right then...I faced 3 batters...now, I will be the first to admit, I was not the flame thrower that some are...AND, I realized that I had no control...did not know that until then...yes, kids, I hit all THREE batters...plunk plunk plunk...think about that feat...it was the only time that I saw the supervisor get off his stool and walk to the mound to send me back to SS...don't remember much after that...

Yet, that was the Rats last game...the season was over...the players refused to show up...just quit...I can recall two of us, showing up for the next game...nobody else...not even the catcher...I'd like to relive something that turned this all around, but that was the sad ending to it...

As far as my career went, I dd play on...but found that I couldn't see...needed specs...after being banned from the infield out to the outfield...could not see the ball hit...for that matter, couldn't see the pitch much either...ha ha, watch the seems...what?...of what?...after my freshman year, I was cooked...thus, I turned to a bigger ball, the basketball...

Thanks for reading...and if you'd like a signed River Road Rats tee shirt, you are outta luck...they never were made...BUT, there is a team in Maine...called the River Rats...you can get one of those, if you'd like...