The Journal

Issue date: 4/26/07 Section: Sports

Perabo

It is nearly 1,000 miles from Webster University to the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. It is a trek Webster alumna Susan Perabo made - even though she didn't realize it. It's a trek Perabo tells in her essay "Reaching Home," which can be found in the new book titled "Scoring From Second: Writers on Baseball."


Ever since she was a little girl playing pick-up games with her friends on the streets of Glendale, MO., Perabo, who graduated from Webster in 1989, had dreamed of playing organized baseball. However, one obstacle stood in her way: her gender.


At her parent's discretion, when Perabo did step onto the diamond at the tender age of 10, it was sporting a softball uniform.


While Perabo wasn't exactly following in the footsteps of her hero, New York Yankees' great Lou Gehrig, she was content.


"I was OK with that," she said. I was just happy to play organized ball at all. I was happy to be on a team."


Perabo played softball for several years, but when she reached Webster in 1986, the university didn't field a softball team.


Without softball, Perabo focused on academics. She began college as a media studies major with the intent on making films, however halfway through she changed her major to English.


One day, Perabo was walking through her dormitory when she spotted a flier. That single piece of paper tacked to the wall would change her life.


The flier announced there would be an organizational meeting for Webster's new baseball team that would begin playing for the 1987 season. Perabo decided to investigate and attended the meeting.


"I was determined to see what it was like," Perabo said.


Perabo was one of only 14 people who attended the meeting. She was the only girl.


"Everybody was really supportive," Perabo said. "I don't think they knew what to make of me. I think they were surprised."


All 14 people that went to the meeting ended up making the Gorloks' inaugural roster. For Perabo, the news was exciting. She hung her jersey on the curtain rod above her bed as a reminder that when she woke up she knew she wasn't dreaming. Receiving that uniform was the highlight of her baseball career.


"It was a really, really big deal for me," Perabo said. "It was the first baseball uniform I had. It sort of represented the realization of a dream. This small thing, this uniform from a small, Division-III school was enough. I put it on and stood in front of the mirror and did all those things kids do when they are eight."

Continued...

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