I wonder if I could find someone to play catch with for 365 days.” “This sounds like something dumb I would try. This sounds like something I would do,” Scukanec said. “I started thinking: This is really cool. He played catch every day for a year, documented all of his engagements, and wrote a book. I fired up an episode,” Scukanec said.īy chance, that episode highlighted Ethan Bryan of Springfield, Mo. “I came across this podcast called The Baseball Bucket List. He got home and was searching through Twitter, trying to find something - anything - that wasn’t negative about baseball. I was driving around, listening to all the negativity. At that time, the season was in jeopardy. Then … Major League Baseball announced that opening day would be postponed. Scukanec had all of those feel-good emotions that rush through a baseball fan in late winter as spring approaches. The Mariners were actually going to be good. His favorite team was supposed to be good. His favorite sport was in a labor dispute. It is tough to imagine him in a bad mood.īut a year ago, he was frustrated. One of those guys who initially likes everyone he meets. A big, former football player with a gift for gab. John Scukanec comes off as a teddy bear in person. “I just felt like I had to be a part of it,” was the answer.Ī part of what, though? What is this? How did this happen? Seriously, what’s the catch? One man drove from Eugene, Ore., played catch with Scukanec for 40 minutes, and then drove home. “Otherwise I would have played baseball all day long.” “People ask me why did you play football? Because I’m 6-6 and 300 pounds and I was good at football, and I can’t hit,” he said. He starred in football at Mountain View High School (Class of 1991) before excelling at Washington State. Scukanec is not exactly a stranger to the spotlight, although he never envisioned becoming semi famous for this project. I’ve played with a bunch of people who have never played catch. “I’ve played with people who haven’t played catch in 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, 65 years. “In 348 days, I’ve played catch with more than 500 people,” Scukanec said just hours before the start of the Super Bowl. John Scukanec of Washougal is playing catch with someone - family, friends, strangers who are no longer strangers - every day for a year.
On Sunday, this reporter and John met up at Crown Park in Camas for Day 348 of Scukanec’s quest for Catch 365. Every day is the same - let’s play catch - but every day is different. A passionate baseball fan, Scukanec just wants to toss the baseball around with someone, anyone. Photo courtesy Jenny Valenciaįor now, Scukanec is nearing the completion of a goal he set for himself in March of 2022. Tuesday will mark the 350th day that John Scukanec of Washougal has played catch with someone in his quest to play catch every day for a year. John Scukanec certainly hopes so, anyway. Washougal’s John Scukanec, a baseball romantic, never envisioned how big his mission would become, with people from all over the country asking to play catch with him
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