My First Professional Ball Game

The first professional game I ever saw was in April of 1946 when I was eleven. At that time I was taking art lessons at the art museum in Dallas' Fair Park. Each Saturday morning I would catch a bus a few blocks from our home in Grand Prairie and ride it to Oak Cliff. There I would take a streetcar downtown and transfer to one going to Fair Park. Afterwards, I would repeat the process backwards.

I think the bus stop in Oak Cliff was only a couple blocks from Rebel Stadium. This day I walked to the ballpark after leaving the streetcar, likely the Sunset car, on the way home from art class. The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox were playing an exhibition game. I remember having a seat under the roof behind home plate. My parents must have been generous that day; after that I was in the cheaper seats.

Luke Appling was likely the only player on either side I'd ever heard of. But these guys were Major Leaguers and I was extremely excited to see them. Sox first-baseman Hal Trosky hit a home run, but at the time I didn't realize what a feat it was to clear the fences in Rebel Stadium. Ralph Kiner likely played but you couldn't prove it by me. I had never heard of him at the time.

I only saw two games there in 1946. The other time was during the Texas League season and I believe we saw the Rebels and the San Antonio Missions. A classmate's dad worked for the Times Herald and he occasionally came up with free tickets to this or that. They invited me along that night.