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PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, November 7, 1989 -- 7 OUR GAME AND THEIR GAME It has always been a source of amazement for me just why the sport of baseball is treated like a holy shrine in the United States, while up here in Canada, it is fashionable, even proper, for a large segment of the population to happily engage in bashing our national passtime, hockey. Several winters ago, while coaching a minor hockey team, there was one youngster on the team who always arrived at the arena alone. His mother would drop this eight-year old off at the arena door, and return an hour or so later to pick him up. : After a couple of months of this, | stopped the boy's mother in the parking lot and asked politely why she or his father never went in to watch the kid play a game. She looked at me and replied. "We hate hock- ey, it's a stupid game. This is Jimmy's first year and we hope it's his last." With that, she drove off. Well, | guess it was little Jimmy's last year in hockey because | haven't seen him at the arena since. Maybe they moved away. Her answer trouble me somewhat. People of course have a right to their likes and dis-likes, but | would have thought that if parents allowed their child to register for hockey, they might at least take enough interest to spend an hour a week watching, if for no other reason than to lend some parental support for an eight-year old. That lady is not alone. There is a large number .of people in this country who hate the sport of hockey, and they are not shy about saying so. I'm sure that south of the border there are many Americans who don't really like baseball all Viewpoint by John B. McClelland that much, but at least the vast majority of them have some respect for the game and its tradition. | used to think the reason why there is such an attitude difference towards baseball and hockey had something to do with the psychological make- up of the people in the two countries. Americans cherish things American, plain and simple. Canadians, even 122 years after Confeder- ation are still not sure what is Canadian and what is not. In America, to hate baseball is almost akin to hating the flag, the oath of allegiance or the Marine Corps. In Canada, hating hockey is fashionable in certain circles. And aside from these reasons, let's face it, go- ing to the ball game is a hell of a lot more pleasant than going to a hockey game, no matter how you feel about the game itself. : Walk into any ball park and whats the first thing that hits the senses: the smell of roasting pop- corn, and hot dogs smothered in fried onions. Walk into a hockey arena and even the lobby smells a bit like a locker room, kind of stale and foldy with just a hint of old exhaust fumes from the amboni. Take your seat in the ball park and look down at the field. The eye sees a blend of pastel greens and browns. Look up and (on most days) the sky is bright blue with perhaps a whiff or two of fluff clouds. Very pleasing to the senses. Sit back, roll up your shirt sleeves, feel the hot sun on your face, hot dog in one hand, cold beer in another, and you've got all the makings of a very enjoyable after- noon, even if deep down you really don't like base- - ball. What do you see in a hockey arena? A glaring sheet of white ice. Look up and take in the view of rusty rafters and a dirty ceiling. Instead of a warm sun on your face, chances are yo.'ll feel a draft and wind up with a head cold. Instead of a cold beer, you sip tepid coffee that's either too weak or too strong. As for hot s, well, it is one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe how come a hot dog at the ball park tastes so much better than the same dog at a hock- ey arena. Even before the game starts, baseball has a marked e over hockey in terms of ambiance. Is it any wonder Americans love the ritual of going to the ball park? The contrasts continue after the play begins. Baseball players look like human beings, dressed usually in cool white uniforms with sleeves rolled 'p and just a flash of colour. Hockey players, wit bulky padding, helmets, face masks, steel blades on their feet, and short pants, look for all the world like aliens from some distant planet. A hockey game is a series of incredibly rapid action which come to a sudden halt when some guy in a black and white striped jersey pierces the air with a shrill whistle. Baseball kind of creeps along at its own pace, blending perfectly with the pace of any hot, lazy summer afternoon. What happens when you leave the baseball park after the game? You drive home with the win- dows down, jump in the pool for a swim, then crank up the old bar-b-q. (Tough life) Turn to page10 Letters to the editor Remember id Ghost Road nice, but is not a treat When? 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 23, 1944 News was received by Mr. C.C. Jeffrey stating that a train had been wrecked at Hortense, Georgia. This was the train the Jeffrey-Harris party were on making their way to St. Petersburg. Sgmn. Gordon MacMaster, RCCS of Vimy Camp, was a weekend visitor with his mother, Mrs. J.P. MacMaster. Gnr. Merl Dowson, of Debert, N.S. spent a few days with his wife and son at the home of Mr. and Mrs. F.E. Reesor. The boys of the Cadet Corps are going to get uniforms at the high school. The Port Perry High School War activities include the pur- chase of a 1945 subscription to the Readers Digest for each of our ex-students on active service. The list of active service at present totals 67 ex-students. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 25, 1954 At the Junior Farmer Inter-County Livestock Judging Com- petition at the Royal Winter Fair, Walter Kerry of R.R. 1, Port Perry, was high man in the Sheep Judging Competition and received a gold medal from the Royal Winter Fair. A gospel bus is parked on the lawn of the Port Perry Bap- tist Church. This bus accommodates a group of young men, all Bible students from various parts of the U.S., who are holding special meetings in the church all week. The bus is spendidly equipped for sleeping, eating and preparing meals. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 26, 1959 Mr. J.J. Gibson was returned to office of Reeve by acclama- tion for his fourth term. The office of deputy-reeve will be held in Port Perry for the first time. Tom Harris, native son of Port Perry has that honour. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, November 26, 1964 Beare, President of the Port Perry Lions Club, presented the Port Perry Ball Team's Captain, Dale Beare, with a trophy donated by the Port Perry Star, at the club's annual dinner meeting held recently. Mr. and Mrs, A.C. Heayn of Port Perry, celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary at home of their daughter, Mrs. D. McTaggart in Oshawa. Those attending from Scugog Island in- cl eV. Aldred, Mr. and Mrs. R. Milner, Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Fralick and Mr. and Mrs. S. Chandler. Mr. and Mrs. Hilton Turner of Brandon, Man., are visiting Holtby relatives in this area. Mr. Turner visited Scugog Head (Tum to page 8) To the Editor: I seems appropriate to be writing this letter on Halloween since it concerns Ghost Road, but believe me, that road is no treat. Today's headline reads "Body Found on Ghost Road." I travel on Ghost Road five or six times a week and when I found it blocked off by the police on Sunday mor- ning, my first thought was, '"'Pro- bably someone has been murdered down there." It is a sad commentary on the state of the road that I was right. I board my horse in the vicini- To the Editor: Thank you for sending the Oc- tober 3rd issue, and the 17th, they arrived on the 23rd, the original October 3rd isn't here yet. Not a complaint, just stated the mail is not always on time. We have taken the paper so long, I don't remember when we didn't get it, & still check all local news, although a lot of new names appear, some of the older families are still there. My own family moved to Scugog Island in 1929 & I spent 40 years there before our first move, s0 a lot of names are familiar. We left Scugog for the second time in 1985 but still like to hear from friends & the paper fills in on a lot of the building boom, etc. that is going on. We think the Editorial Com- ment is usually "quite right" and read it each issue, as for Peter's column on "Waiting," we find there seems to be more waiting everywhere even if it is just to pay for something. ty of Ghost Road and like to ride there. The ghost doesn't worry me, but what goes on at night does. After the body was discovered, the local residents were asked if they'd noticed or heard anything out of the or- dinary. Most of them said 'No, just the usual screeching of tires, screams, breaking glass and gun shots." This is no exaggeration, I have been at the stable after dark and heard all of this myself! The police are called, but they don't always show up. They do patrol the road a few times on weekend Keep up the good work Keep up the good work and thank you again. nights, but their routine must be predictable, because the road is usually empty when the police get there. Riding down the road, you can get a good idea of what goes on there at night from the disgusting heaps of garbage all around. Cathy Olliffe wrote in a column that Ghost Road is a popular spot for "partying" kids. She is right if the empty beer and liquor bot- tles are anything to go by. Do you think all these under-age drinkers have designated drivers? People also use the road as a dump for all kinds of garbage. This past summer someone dumped two massive sheets of plastic on the road. A local resi- dent saw it happen and followed the vehicle all the way to Oshawa to get its license plate number and Orval Fieay hy reported it to the police. The quil- » Ee (Turn to page 10) Smile For The Day