Going Home

Welcome to Balduck

My girlfriend, Meghan, and I headed out for a familiar drive to Balduck, only this time I wouldn’t be playing softball (I play in a league at Balduck Park), and most unfortunately, we would not be stopping at Cal’s for a frosty, post-game beer.

No, today I was on "assignment".

Heading east on 94 and quickly approaching our exit, Meghan posed an interesting question, "So what are we doing? I mean, what are you looking for?"

I answered honestly, with full disclosure: I had no idea. My plan hadn't escalated past turning the ignition and pressing the gas. I only knew two things: there was a story, and I needed to find it. Unfortunately that knowledge only got us slightly past 8-mile.

[More:]

We exited at Moross (7 mile) and headed east. Our first destination was Walgreens for a notebook - I was ill-prepared. Walgreens is on the southwest corner of Mack and Moross, and is across the street from the St. John Hospital shopping plaza.

I suppose the plaza itself would be considered an old addition these days, but I remember when it was first opened. St. John has experienced a stream of changes ever since I was but a wee lad.

After Walgreens we made our way to Balduck by what I consider the back way – from East Warren Ave. we took a right on Canyon, Balduck's eastern border. The park was on our left, and since nobody was behind us, I was driving slowly.

We passed an empty fenced area that, as I explained to Meghan, once contained a makeshift archery range (maybe 3 or 4 hay stacks lined up against a fence). My dad and I would shoot target practice there on occasion – we never hunted – but, we did watch Robin Hood. I never did split the arrow.

Just past the old archery range now is a scattering of soccer nets arranged into playing fields. The grass was cut to a playable length only inside the soccer fields' boundaries. The Eagle Sports Club, which organizes the youth soccer leagues, seems to have the same problem as the softball league I play in here: mow it yourself.

We came to Chandler Park Drive and I made a left, began heading southwest. I pulled over briefly to snap a photo of Balduck’s welcome sign. To my left was the sledding hill -- Balduck’s landmark feature -- and to my right, not too far, is where Dave Debusschere (deceased) -- NBA hall of famer -- played his high school ball.

Every corner of Detroit contains pieces of history. Some is on a national scale. Much more is not, but individuals of a community still embrace it as their own.

Comments, Pingbacks:

Comment from: d.p. [Member]

I welcome "Going Home" finally opening up to other locales.

Balduck - a very nice park indeed. At least it was back in the day. It put Fletcher to shame, which I realize is heresy in some quarters. My Fletcher softball teams routinely made the playoffs and most times the playoffs were held at Balduck. Once I got my drivers license, I also traveled there to play tennis and sled on the hill. I vaguely recall there being some sort of newsworthy altercation or mini- rumble at Balduck in the early 70's (I think). I haven't seen the park since '76 or '77, I guess. Detroit Austin closed in the mid-70's, with some of the kids winding up at De La Salle.

Permalink 10/15/08 @ 12:48