Friday, April 08, 2016

It Happened in 1968

I was an 18 year old ballplayer, It would be the final year of my jail sentence served under home arrest with the wardens (you will have to book me for comedy to hear that story). I had been performing Casey since I was 15, but did not think of that as my calling. In the most extraordinary year in American history, I was in my final year of hardball. I was the centerfielder, the leader of the outfield. But in my mind, I was still wondering if I was in fact a fraud. My confidence had soared since early prison days, but now I was the captain of the outer defense for a great team of young men, my schoolboy team. I had played ball with these boys for a decade, since we were all 8 years old and I felt their eyes were on me. I needed something. But what? My warden dad went over some helpful footwork before our first game that season. He had been a great outfielder which took him to the professional ranks in the early 1930's. Casey couldn't help me. He was too busy striking out and making a fortune bragging about it. I needed another power. Enter actor Richard Harris. I knew from the first time I heard the 1968 Macarthur Park that this would be the answer. It opened the floodgates of the power of visualization for me. The medley was soothing. They initially hooked me. I can't say as much for the lyrics. Baking a cake? Never will have that recipe again? What was all that gibberish? But then the lyrics I was waiting for. Waiting for all of my life. "I will drink the wine while it is warm and never catch me looking at the sun." Since the sun is a ubiquitous force in baseball, the words seemed as if they were directed to me and me alone. "I will take my life into my hands and I will use it" Now the words were getting tuck in my throat and the tears were coming. It was at this time that I realized I would do something special in my life. But right now I was wanted in centerfield. I had to wipe away those damn, but precious tears. "I will have the things that I desire---" And in 1968, the year we lost our youth, my senior class, the year we lost MLK, followed two months later by RFK, I went on to play the bes centerfield of my life. And it all started with a song. You can book Casey and his act as seen on Fox TV (youtube.com/stevetarde) by contacting him at 619-807-8827

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