What's summer without baseball?  And is there any red-blooded kid who didn't love playing America's favorite game at the Little League fields by the Summerville Recreation Center?  Or, barring any athletic ability, didn't love visiting the concession stands behind every home plate?

Courtesy of Mike King, here's a photo of Summerville's finest baseball players, circa 1964.

all-stars

Front row (L-R): Randy Thompson, Kenny Howell, Jimmy Lenderman, Danny Allen, Jackie Cash, Don Money, and Wright Wheeler.

Back row (L-R):  Coach Bob Gayler, Eddy Ellenburg, Mike King, Danny Cooper, Ladell Norton, Randy Simonds, Mike Turner, Phil Cavin, and Coach Jack Cash.

Mike King remembers:

"In 1964 the all-star team consisted of 11 and 12-year-olds chosen by the coaches to represent Summerville as the best of the league.  That year Bob Gaylor coached the Giants and won the league championship giving him the honor of being head coach of the all-stars.  Jack Cash was the assistant coach and coached the Indians.

The area tournament was held in Rockmart, but Summerville lost the championship game by one run to Rockmart.

The big reward for winning the league championship was a trip to Engle Stadium in Chattanooga to watch the Lookouts play.  This was in the pre-Atlanta Braves days.

Take note of the shoes worn by the players.  Not many kids had baseball shoes to wear; most of us wore our tennis shoes to play in.

It never was too hot or too cold to play baseball. We were always on a sand lot or in someone’s back yard playing baseball, wiffle ball, or playing sock ball at Harold Mitchell’s house on Oak Street.  We didn’t have computers, video games, or air conditioning to keep us inside."

Copyright 2010 Greg W. McCollum.  All rights reserved.