1965 Age 13
It was 1962 when 3 American guys came to our local sand lot while my friends and I were playing Cricket in North Innaloo, Perth, Western Australia, the suburb where I grew up. They had all of this Baseball equipment with them. They were from the “Giants” organization and were out to promote Little League Baseball. I had been playing Cricket with the other kids in the area for years and soon we all converted to baseball. Two totally different games but Baseball gave every kid a more hands-on experience during the game. We ended up having 4 teams in our area. The teams were all named after American Indian tribes: Sioux, Apache, Kiowa and Shoshone. I remember it was so cool having a uniform and all the gear. I was 3rd base then in right field for the Sioux. I remember bringing home a template to place over a white T shirt and then “apply with iron”. Very cool to do this as a kid. I played until I was 15 but after that there was nowhere else to go and play. The end of the road for my baseball career. I outgrew playing Baseball but will forever be a big fan.
