Boomer Nation

The Civil War brought baseball to a screeching halt for the first year of the war. then, soldiers played baseball in their downtime. The game was taught to those from the Midwest, such as Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.

It turned out to be a catalyst for the Baseball's growth. 

The years between 1845 and 1860 were crucial in creating the foundation of the game that actually became known nationally as baseball.

The Knickerbocker Baseball Club in 1845  created the first 20 rules of baseball. A bit later the National Association of Baseball Players in 1858 added a few more rules to define baseball as the sport destined to become the national game we have today.

It wasn't without a hiccup now and then but most of those rules still apply today, a mere 175 years later. Go figure.

Baseball, the best game of all and the most difficult to play at the highest levels.  And I prove it without a doubt.  A short analysis of a routine major league pitch is all that is needed but a bit of icing on the cake adds to the proof.  

While there's no doubt about it, I couldn't help but wonder where did it all come from? Who decided what?  Civil War? What Civil War?  There's been a lot written, but not so much from a common sense direction.

So, in the first of 6 episodes we will look at what happened in the early 1800s up until 1845 and what impact it has on today's game.  This episode will take a look at the games that slowly but steadily evolved into baseball as we know it.   This is a look at the "stick and ball" games on the East Coast leading up to the year 1845.

Can there beany more evidence or proof that this "slice" of history is the most advanced and productive in human history?   No, not a chance.

On to another great "slice" of American history.

'63 Was a year that went from "Camelot" to reality in one horrific moment.  The country changed, and yes, the world changed.  It went from disbelief.......to denial...to shock...to sorrow......to what happens now.  '64 will be the definition of a turning point and Viet Nam will be at the center. We Boomers know what follows, the darkest chapter in our history.

The '61 Bay of Pigs fiasco seemed to give Russia's Nikita Kruschev enough strength to install offensive ICBMs in Cube. These missiles could reach anywhere in the Eastern US. A toe to toe standoff raised concerns of a nuclear attack. An agreement seemed out of reach until, that is, the US pulled its missiles out of a secret missile base in Turkey. After that, it was not so secret.

In many ways '61 carries on the manner of the Fab '50s.  The economy, leisure time, advances in science, medicine and technology.  Yet, the future looks a bit threatening.  The Bay of Pigs failure, Castro cozying up to Russia, Yuri Gagarin in space, a failed summit in Vienna, the building of the Berlin Wall, and last but not least, continuing buildup of our resources in Viet Nam. Where is all this going?

!960 continued to be a great year, not only "plowing new ground," but also expanding many of the discoveries and innovations of the past decade.  

The 1960 Olympics provided a shocker in the Marathon and a story that will last forever.

"59 continues great progress on discoveries and developments from earlier in the Boomer Era.  We "early boomers" have become teenagers with a voice of their own and a force to be reckoned with.

The 60s will bring a new and different life for us all.

A bit of conversation and conclusions about the Season and the spirit that shows its presence at this time of year.