The old time opening day. Play ball.

This is the Great Waite Hoyt...1927 Yankees...hall of fame...ohmy.

About now, in the 1950s, was opening day; 152 games, Monday off, Sunday doubleheaders, game times 2 hours 12 minutes.

I was 11. My dad ran Gulf Oil in Southern Ohio (well all of Ohio and part of Indiana and Kentucky...anyway) the Gulf Oil Corporation sponsored the Cincinnati Reds pregame show with Ed Kennedy.  Mr. Kennedy was a guest in our home a lot. I went to the studio one night which seemed out of this world but it was a microphone and a desk. We went down to Crosely Field (with the goat run) and I got to sit in the announcers box with Waite Hoyte. I liked him. I didn't mind his rather rough "off air" language (I didn't know what the words meant anyway). He invited me back to be his "runner" so that was my first job.  I would go to the tickertape (Western Union) and paste the scores for updates between innings.

El Capitan was the the theme to the Reds baseball broadcast.  It's by J. P. Sousa in case you don't know.....and the wappakoneta stuff...every home game a train set out from Sydney Ohio to the Cincy train station and..well Waite would say wapppa konnnnneta   siddddddddney  piquaaa troy...tipp city....like a conductor.