Readers Remember

I remember the days before Little League. We played ingenious softball games which would work in various situations. One of the favorites was workup. When someone shouted, “Tap for workup,” we would race to home plate and declare a number, in order. No. 1 would be first at bat, No. 2 second, etc. No. 3 or 4 would be catcher, then pitcher, and so on around the field positions.

The idea would be to put the batter out, then everyone would move up one position. If a fielder caught a fly, he would trade with the batter and be immediately up or on deck. Thus went the game, everyone moving up one notch on an out.

The number of players could range from about six to 13 or more. There were other games and variations that could be played with any number of players.

Just think: All these games required no umpires, no parents, no uniforms. Just a bit of space, a bat and a softball!

BILL GIBSON

San Clemente

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The winter of 1935-36 in the Black Hills of South Dakota was especially cold. I remember finding our cows lying on the ground, frozen. The temperature had dropped to 51 degrees below zero. Only those in the barn survived.

A few months later, Congress finally approved paying the World War I veterans bonus. With that bonus, my father bought a beautiful new Montana Green Hudson Terraplane. We rode in that car, towing all our belongings in a horse trailer, to warm California.

EDWARD MULVANEY

Pasadena

In 200 words or less, send us your memories or eyewitness accounts of the 20th century. Write to Century, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or e-mail century@latimes.com. Letters may be edited for space.