ON BASEBALL

 

Dear Susan,

I know you love baseball. I lost interest in baseball when my beloved Brooklyn Dodgers left for Los Angeles in 1958. Then the hated New York Giants move to SanFrancisco the same year. The Cromeys moved to San Francisco in 1962. I tried the Giants at Candlestick a couple of times. I was a tepid fan for a year or two. But it just didn’t take. There was a players strike when they wanted even more money. Prices for tickets and refreshments skyrocketed. Poorer people could no longer afford to go. The arrogant, slouching, rude Barry Bods sickened me. I was at one game where Bods hit two home runs. I still thought he was a thug. 

At Ebbet’s Field in Brooklyn I had seen Jackie Robinson play his first games in 1946. He was booed and hissed, but his gallantry inspired me.

I am glad you and others love the game and the players. The thrills, excitement and the ominous crack of the bat create an almost religious atmosphere. The joy that being in a crowd of fans is elating. The feeling of camaraderie is exhilarating. So have fun, eat hot dogs and peanuts and crackerjack and I am glad that I never look back.

Love,

Robert