I’ve
been fortunate meeting ex-ballplayers.
Luke Appling claimed to have broken up Bob Feller’s Opening Day 1940
no-hitter with what should have been a double down the left-field line; Feller
wondered about Appling’s mental state.
Billy Pierce recalled his surprise in 1960 when a very young and
talented Johnny Callison was traded away while Bill “Moose” Skowron told me I
couldn’t afford the World Series ring he was putting up for sale. I don’t count the time Joe DiMaggio hid
behind a screen at a memorabilia show.
DiMaggio did that to everyone.
The
summer Clare was five, I took her to see Walt Williams, my favorite White Sox
player of all time; Williams was managing the independent Altoona Rail Kings,
who were playing at Lewis University one night in August 1996. We took pictures, and players laughed when
they saw the tiny comic book I brought along of “The Walt Williams Story”;
given its dimensions, the comic probably was put in packs of baseball
cards. Being in the presence of a
big-league ballplayer hardly registered with Clare. She had more fun being chased around the
bases by a team mascot between innings.
Paul
Konerko is my daughter’s Walt Williams.
She grew up watching him, cheered him throughout the playoffs in 2005
and said Good-bye both last year and this.
I wonder what Paulie thinks of the Cubs’ playoff run so far. Winning a World Series must give a person perspective
on things. Oh, oracle, what should we do
in the face of Cub victory? A little louder,
please.
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