AUGUSTA, Ga. – My friend Buck O’Neil, the great player, manager and spokesman of the Negro Leagues, would always ask strangers a question to break the ice: “What was the first baseball game you ever attended?” It was a fantastic question, and it always inspired huge smiles and great stories. See, almost everyone remembers something about their first baseball game. But it’s usually just that: You remember something.
I remember three things from my first baseball game:
1. Gaylord Perry started the game.
2. Don Hood picked off somebody.
3. Oscar Gamble hit a home run.