Baseball Is Cricket
...In Micklewrights Pasture
Thomas Alfred Micklewright
From England To Argo, Alabama
Baseball Is Crickett or is it Crickett-Is-Baseball ...through these many years the origin of baseball in America has been an arguing point. Did our game of baseball spring forth naturally from this Cricket-Is-English game?
How do we not know our Native Americans are the real group of hard chargers who brought us our game with balls and sticks... with web catching pockets on long sticks and running like an antelope toward the other teams village.
Far be it from me to add to this well debated argument of Baseball Is Cricket or Cricket-Is-Baseball for it was never really discussed or talked about during my years of American Legion baseball or even earlier baseball playing and learning experience.
What really is important is that Mr. Micklewright in the late 1800's left dear Jolly Ole England "The Land Of Cricket" and settled with his young start of a family in Argo, Alabama.
This his playing field, of a well kept pasture, could have been baseball or crickett for all we knew but it never-the-less was in fact the site of many a neighborhood game of baseball as well as football and to my knowledge no game of crickett was ever played on this turf.
His properties included one very beautiful pasture the community used extensivley as their ball playing field. That pasture became a true Field Of Dreams. Baseball Is Cricket maybe yes and maybe no but for sure is was the scene for many games of Baseball and Football.
There are pleasures in life and some of those pleasures linger in our deep buried memory down thru the years. My generation is not the first group who enjoyed playing ball on a field of dreams. Dad and his childhood buddies also enjoyed a ball game or two down in Micklewrights pasture.
If Micklewrights pasture ever enjoyed a game of cricket-is-baseball to add to this Baseball is Cricket and our beginning of Baseball argument it was not passed along during my years of enjoying baseball in Micklewrights pasture.
Clayton Micklewright the youngest son of this property/pasture owner also gained his desire and enthusiasm for sports on a Sunday afternoon playing in this favorite community spot.
Clayton or as my dad called him, "Shine" went on from early grammar school days and playing in his dads pasture and later a star running back as a member of the first football team Hewitt High School of Trussville, Alabama ever fielded.
Micklewrights pasture was a dual purpose playing field boys played football during football season and baseball in baseball season never was it really baseball or was it is crickett?
Clayton Micklewrights exploits as a running back on Hewitts' very first ever football team was a proud product from this field of memories.
For all of posterity I am proud to list the teammates who joined Clayton at Hewitt.
The 1926 Hewitt High School, Trussville, Alabama team roster.
The bright lights of a stadium may never shine down on this playing field but brilliant memories will never dim. More than likely this field will one day be center of attention once again as a parking lot for a large shopping mall.
By the way if you are ever fortunate enough to meet someone who played ball in Micklewrights pasture shake their hand. Invite them to visit a spell for their upbringing and heritage speaks volumes as to their character and being plain down home folks.
The deciding point of Baseball is Cricket folks with a little gathering after Church down in Micklewrights pasture was never an issue.
May I share one other short and to the point story? Training of beginning baseball players one item of importance is to make sure the youngster is well grounded in being able to overcome the natural fright of the ball hurting them.
As a small fry youngster playing baseball in Micklewrights pasture a ball thrown too close hit me square in the back.
Being little I was not seasoned enough to simply back away or fall backwards out from the plate. I simply froze and turned my back to the ball. Bingo it hit just right to knock my breath out.
Never did I ever totally overcome this innate lingering fear. I relate this getting hit with the ball in and effort to impress upon dads and all coaches the need to take an experience which happened in Micklewrights pasture and use it as a teaching thought.
A little natural fear of that ball whizzing in there 90 to nothing is to say the least a little frightening.
Time and maturity with experience on the playing diamond will in due course of time eliminate the biggest percentage of this unnerving fear factor.
If you think the fear factor is not inherent in every hitter stepping into the batters box then just think on this item.
A brush back pitch or high and tight fast ball we call a little chin music is still one of the most effective pitches in baseball and is used without hesitation even in the Major Leagues.
Those hard frightening inside close to the vest still gives pause for the professional seasoned and highly experienced hitter to stand loosely at the plate.
Baseball is Crickett argument is not the high and tight pitch but the experience from the pasture at Micklewrights was appropriate to relate.
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