Early Friday morning, I’m leaving Greene County, Missouri and heading to Greene County, Iowa.
I’m going to Rippey, Iowa – population 220 and the home of Walt Anderson Field – to play baseball in the fourth iteration of the Rippey Ruckus.
Rippey fell in love with baseball in 1880, six years before Coca-Cola was invented. In 1940, they built their own field of dreams, Walt Anderson Field, and hosted a town-ball team, the Rippey Merchants. In 2012, after 70 years of high school baseball, consolidations changed the location of ball games and Walt Anderson Field fell into disrepair.
In 2015, legendary Iowa high school coach Mel Murkin moved back to Rippey and took it upon himself to restore the field to its former beauty. With the help of Merle Jackson, who lived across the street from the ballpark, the two spent five years cleaning up Walt Anderson Field.
In May of 2021, the first Rippey Ruckus was played. It was a hit. Pun intended.
About a year ago, thanks to Anna and the Baseball Bucket List, I learned of the Rippey Ruckus.
The brainchild of Bruce Thome and some of his friends, the Rippey Ruckus has evolved over the past few years. It is now a round-robin tournament of five teams over three days.
Bruce, a Twins fan and distant relation to baseball HOFer Jim Thome, and I connected through social media and started talking about the possibility of doing some kind of catch-playing event in Rippey.
Maybe throwing out a first pitch at a high school baseball game.
Maybe a catch-playing fundraiser when the RAGBRAI comes through town.
Maybe actually playing in the Ruckus.
Early January 2024, it was decided: I would be playing in the Rippey Ruckus on his team, the Rippey Demons. The other teams are from Minnesota (2), Chicago, and Kansas City.
Playing four games in three days means my benchwarming skills (and hamstrings) will truly be put to the test.
Thankfully, my arm should be in decent shape. I’ve been stretching and exercising regularly, as well as taking swings at the best quarter cages in the Ozarks.
I have two goals for the Ruckus. To return home uninjured and to play catch with and make a bunch of new friends.
It should make for an epic baseball weekend.
