I Paid to Play the Game - Hardcoverby Russell Rosen (Author) I was bitten by the baseball bug at age nine while listening to Mel Allen broadcast the 1950 Word Series. I had limited practical baseball experience when I attended a baseball camp in Missouri on a whim at age 18. This experience was a life changer for me. I discovered there was a lot more to baseball than throwing, catching and hitting. I spent a considerable amount of time at baseball camps in Missouri and Florida in the