More than just a game

In the heart of Waynesboro, America’s pastime is still just that, a pastime. The players play to put on a show for the fans and the fans come because they love the team. All come because they love the sport. It’s a family.

All the pressures of life don’t seem quite as important. The seasoned die-hards come to watch the sport they’ve cherished for decades and to tell tales of times past. Those with families come to let their children play their own miniature version of the game and finally get a chance to breathe.

Going to a Generals game is more than just sitting and watching baseball.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Beth Tipton, who is the housing recruiter for the team. “You get to see the same people every year, talk to the same people every year. You get to be outside in the summer instead of inside. The kids catch foul balls and fireflies. I’ve seen some of the same people for 10 years.”

Take Chuck Harris, for instance. Harris has been following the Generals for almost eight years now. Last year, Harris participated in a promotion called 60 Days Around the Valley, created by new Generals co-owner Jerry Carter. Last season, each fan who went to every ballpark in the Valley League in 60 days got a commemorative jacket and also the opportunity to throw the first pitch at a game.

Harris comes to the games because of the atmosphere.

“I get to meet nice people,” Harris said. “There’s nothing better in the world than Waynesboro Generals baseball. I go out and shake hands with all the players after the game — win or lose.”

Tabatha Ounsford and Beverly Henderson, two fans who also earned the 60 Days Around the Valley jacket, were sitting in the front row behind home plate — as close to the action as possible. Both were in their seats before the game started, in the rain, plastic clappers by their sides and at the ready. Both women have full-time jobs, but still have the dedication to the team and the love of the sport to make it to every game. Henderson saves her oh-so-precious vacation days and spends them only on Generals baseball.

“We just like to watch them play, just like watching baseball,” Hendersen said.

“I even went to the games that were canceled, before we knew [they were],” Ounsford said. “That was Winchester.”

Then she smiled and looked over to her friend, “Remember?”

And then there’s Roscoe Poole, a man who has followed the team since the ’40s, owned the team in the ’60s and has played various other roles over the years, and still comes out to every game. Poole recalls following the Generals since “before the War,” and back when they played at Gateway Park before the bypass came through.

“I didn’t know what I was doing, but I got it done,” Poole said of his time with the team.

Poole fondly remembers when Rick Tolley coached the Generals. Tolley later coached football at Ferrum Junior College (now Ferrum College) and Marshall University.

Poole told of how the Valley League was comprised of local players and then gradually became what it is today, with college players from all over the country. Poole didn’t mind the transition. He said if you have a local winner on a team, it doesn’t matter where they play.

“I like sports — doesn’t matter what kind, I like it,” Poole said. “It’s a good summertime sport. You feel like it’s your team.”

To others, such as former owner Jim Critzer, what makes attending a Generals game so special is the camaraderie of the team, the commitment of the fans and the feeling of a community coming together.