Bottom of the First: Riverton

On the east edge of Riverton was the local baseball field. The field was shared by teams and players of all ages, Little League, the Local Semi-Pro team, Club events like the J.C.'s vs A.C.'s and the Local carnival. The dimensions were those of a regular big league field. The outfield wall was about 8-10 feet high and painted green. For Little League games a temporary fence was placed in the outfield, more suitable for our age. Behind home plate were covered bleachers, bench seats, all gray boards with a screen backstop, maybe chicken wire, that occasionally allowed a foul ball to come through.
Little League games were held during the week and the Semi-pro team ruled on the weekends. I asked my Dad what semi-pro meant and his explanation was they weren't paid but they did receive some type of pay so they weren't amateur's. They also had regular jobs during the week. Home games usually drew a big crowd, for a small town. Men hung out, watched the game, drank beer. Kids would play around the area, watch a little bit, or collect pop/beer bottles and turn them in at the concession stand for a nickel. (per load, not per bottle). However, it was a summer pastime in town to find soda bottles and turn them in at the local grocery stores for 2 cents apiece. Usually it was a trade of soda bottles for candy. No, we didn't get rich.
Mainly I just remember going to the games but there are a few memories that stand out. The Riverton team had one pretty decent pitcher that reportedly some big league scouts were interested in. Rumor was the Cardinals were one of those teams. Another memory involves preparing the field for play. There had been a game on saturday and rain overnight threatened to postpone/cancel sundays game. The field was wet with puddles of mud/water around 3rd base and home. Sand was brought in to help condition the infield and kerosene was poured on those wet spots to burn them dry. A lot of effort went in to preparing the field and the game started late, but it was played.
Dad played for the J.C.'s in the JC's vs. AC's games. They were slow pitch softball and always fun to watch. Many of the men involved were friends of Dads or people you saw in the community at church, high school basketball games, grocery store, etc.
One other memory of baseball in Riverton involved collecting team pins from Kitty Clover (?) potato chips. If you collected all 20 team pins you could redeem them for a baseball. This was back in the day of two leagues, American and National, no divisions. Here goes with a list. How many do you remember? Where did they move to? Can you name the "expansion" teams from that list? Can you name the expansion teams since that time in 1962-63? Have fun.

American League:

1. New York Yankees
2. Boston Red Sox
3. Baltimore Orioles
4. Cleveland Indians
5. Kansas City Athletics
6. Los Angeles Angels
7. Minnesota Twins
8. Chicago White Sox
9. Minnesota Twins
10. Detroit Tigers

National League:

1. New York Mets
2. Philadelphia Phillies
3. Milwaukee Braves
4. St. Louis Cardinals
5. Cinncinati Reds
6. Houston Colt 45's
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
8. San Francisco Giants
9. Washington Senators
10. Chicago Cubs

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