JPPENS

Back in the 50's and 60's I was a kid who slept with my glove, had my Carl Yastrzemski bat by my bed and played sandlot baseball until the snow got too deep and my dreams were filled with being a professional baseball player... Back then girls were not allowed to play on organized teams at all but some of us continued to find ways to play the game we loved with the guys.  By the time I was in high school I settled on playing softball. I was as devoted to it as I had been to baseball and was fortunate to be involved as a player, a coach or an umpire for almost three decades. My understanding of the game of baseball was used in my softball life but I never lost my love affair with baseball. The Boston Red Sox were and still are my team.   Strolling down Yawkey Way when the Sox were hosting the Yankees was a lifetime memory. Sitting in the bleachers about as far away from home plate as possible looking over to the green monster always left me in awe.  I kept an eye on t...