Baseball, Byrdis, and 1926

This morning I woke up with baseball on my mind. It wasn't on my mind for a good reason. I was thinking about Alex Rodriguez and his 162 game suspension, the history of steriod use in baseball and the effect it has had on some time honored records. I thought about the line from the best baseball movie ever, Field of Dreams. While I cannot quote it exactly the just of the line was that though all our trials and troubles, in good times and bad in America, baseball has been there, our constant companion. That got me thinking about my Grandmother Byrdis Oyler Sutor. She was born in Ohio but spent her formative years and graduated from high school in St. Louis, Missouri. My dear friend Mike is a diehard Mets fan, Pat Johnson lives for the day the Cubs will be World Series champions. I bleed Cardinal red. In 1926 Byrdis leaves her dear parents in St. Louis and comes to Galesburg to attend Knox College. In her early letters home she writes of the lonliness of being away from loved ones, attending classes and finding somewhere to attend church services, meeting new people, making new friends. It is all the things each of us experiences as we venture forth into a new world and try to find our way as adults. What does this  have to do with baseball?

Byrdis writes home in a letter postmarked September 26, 1926. "Isn't it a shame I cannot be home when the Cards win the pennant? How the excitement would appeal to me. I bet you have heard nothing but baseball and fights for the last week, have you mother? Daddy, I should love to see 'world series' with you. When is it? I never see a paper." Good to know college life hadn't changed much. Never sees a paper, wounds like something I would have written in the 1970's.

Byrdis writes home again on October 4, 1926 and makes the following comment. "There is a play score board out on the street so I see the big league games played when I have any time." She lives at Whiting Hall at the time. The Knox County Courthouse is across the street to the south. The Galesburg Public Library now occupies the area to the north. What was there at that time, I have no clue. The area to the west was the home of the old Galesburg High School. Perhaps the score board she refers to was there. It displayed scores and some play by play information. Good job Grandma, stating you see it when you have time. Keep the home folks thinking you are too busy with your studies to pay much attention to trivial things like baseball. Well played Byrdis.

Byrdis writes home again on October 7, 1926 with the following. "I wish I could be home now during all the excitement. They would win the penant the year I was away!"

Byrdis makes her final mention of the Cardinals in this note from a letter dated October 11, 1926. "Yes I hear all about the Cardinals, from my window I can see the scoreboard that shows play by play. They won the World Series too."

So, even in my family, through good times and bad baseball has been a companion. It is why we can be so hurt and offended when those who have the privilege of playing choose in any way to dishonor the game we so cherish. Alex Rodriguez received an arbitrator's ruling that his 162 game suspension should stand. He now threatens to go to federal court to fight that decision. He has detracted from the real news of the week in the world of baseball. The election to the Baseball Hall of Fame by Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas.

The 1926 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals ring.