The author of the most heartbreaking moment in Brooklyn Dodger history died yesterday, aged 86. I'll never learn to love that moment, but the Staten Island Scot has a special place in my memory.
When I was relatively new to the USA, ten years ago, I saw Bobby Thomson and his partner in history, Ralph Branca, at a trade show. They were attracting folks to a research agency's booth by signing photos of the Shot Heard Round the World, so being a good baseball fan I duly lined up. Someone in front of me was explaining to his colleague that the famous home run had won the World Series at Yankee Stadium. I took a moment to correct both errors.
When I got to the front of the line, as they were signing the picture, I mentioned that although the home run happened some years before I was born, it still broke my heart to think of it. Thomson looked up at me quizzically and said, "With an accent like that, what do you care?"
He had a fair point. But I did care, and I do care. And that home run still breaks my heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment