Baseball's sense of history
Local galleries have plenty of stories to tell about baseball and, indeed, American history.
Part of the appeal of being a baseball fan, or even a human being, is one’s sense of place in the world. Because of baseball’s long history, there is so much to explore about its past in books, movies, and museums. Recently I have been surprised at how the sport surfaces when I’m learning about another subject.
On Saturday, the Anaheim Ducks organization invited me to a season ticket holder event at Hangar 244 in Irvine. It’s an events center located at the Orange County Great Park. While Hangar 244 was new to me, I had previously visited the Anatolian Festival of Turkish culture with my parents. I also attended a couple of hockey events at the Great Park Ice practice arena in the past. On this day, I was lucky enough to meet Jamie Drysdale, the sixth overall draft pick in 2020. Despite being injured for much of this season, the Canadian defenseman has a bright future ahead.
This ended up being a very worthwhile trip down the 5 freeway, as the majority of the Ducks roster was on hand to greet fans and pose for photographs. The park’s land was once part of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which ceased operations in 1999.
“Hi, I’m Kevin!” was my introduction to defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. I told him that I had been a fan since his days with the New York Rangers, which seemed to go over well.
Nearby, the Great Park Gallery presented an exhibition entitled Life on the Base: MCAS El Toro. Focusing on the 1940s through 1960s, it presents information about both men’s and women’s baseball teams comprised of service members living at El Toro. In addition, many interviews with former residents have been turned into books that visitors can read.
This was a mission undertaken by California State University, Fullerton’s El Toro Oral History Project. I picked up a volume containing the interview with Gene York. Suddenly I was transported to a time when York witnessed the aftermath of a small airplane crash as a child, which ironically triggered his future interest in aviation. York would go on to serve as a pilot in the Marine Corps and spent some time at El Toro before eventually becoming a commercial pilot for the airline TWA.
In its heyday, El Toro had its own band and orchestra. Visits from celebrities like singer Bing Crosby also helped to boost morale. Speaking to corporals and sergeants, comedian Bob Hope got big laughs by pointing out: “The generals, they stand back and tell you where to go, and you get shot.” Dark humor, perhaps, but the man knew his audience.
The previous week took me close to home where the Fullerton Museum hosted an exhibit of Ansel Adams photography. The focused was his work at Japanese internment camp Manzanar, the result of a regrettable decision by the American government to forcibly relocate people of Japanese descent during World War II. Many of them had been born in America, and FBI director J. Edgar Hoover thought the notion that any of them could be spies for the Emperor was ridiculous.
Adams was not allowed to explicitly address many of the camp’s injustices, but he did attempt to emphasize the dignity of its occupants. I have driven what is left of the Manzanar site, where some residents played baseball to pass the time. The photo below reminded me of the Ken Mochizuki book Baseball Saved Us which I read in middle school.
Even in times of tragedy and uncertainty, the American pastime can be a guiding light. Adams ended up publishing his work in a volume entitled Born Free and Equal. As he noted, Manzanar would for a time become the biggest settlement between Los Angeles and Reno.
Other camps also existed, including one in Topaz, Utah where Japanese-American artist Chiura Obata was forcibly placed. Obata taught at my alma mater UC Berkeley, and his ink brush drawing of San Francisco Bay with Mount Tamalpais recalled happier times. Obata would create plenty of art during his internment and returning to teaching after the war. These were awful circumstances, but it was inspiring to read of his perseverance in spite of them.