My dad died last year, perhaps one of the reasons I started digging around in these memories, so he wasn’t around to ask about my first baseball game. Was it the game I remember in 1961? Were there earlier games? What game did we go see in 1961. But then it occurred to me that my old friend John was there, too, and maybe I could find him.
We hadn’t been in contact since high school, at least, and we didn’t run together then. We had last been chums when I was in third grade, when my family moved up the road and I was transferred to a different elementary school. But there he was, on Facebook and LinkedIn. To send a message via LinkedIn I had to be a paying member, I’m not, so I sent a friend request on Facebook, which a short while later was accepted.
I messaged him and we had a brief conversation (my messages are in green):
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Hi John. I hope you’re well these days. Are you living in New York? I’m out in Brooklyn.
I was thinking about you because I’ve been writing about the first major league baseball game I went to see, and I think it was with you and my dad at Yankee Stadium. I was wondering if you had any memory of that? And any details. Most of the details I recalled were in some way wrong.
Of course, it was a while ago.
I think so. I live in the Poconos. My mind is trying to remember.
It’s a pleasant exercise, remembering, but a little chilling to discover none of the details (weather, opponent, who hit homers, time of day) could have lined up the way I remember.
I hear you. My memory is shot.
What was the question again?
My dad died last year and I started to put together stories about the way our lives intertwined because of baseball, that’s how I got onto this. Thanks for letting me know if anything comes to mind.
The other one was the guy who lived next door to me who was a salesman for Topps. He brought us rolls of uncut baseball cards a few times.
I’m sorry about your dad. I do recall those uncut cards. That was fun
Thanks. I remember cutting them with our little child-safe scissors, so each one had a unique shape.
That’s right. Stay in touch!!
Will do!
Chat Conversation End
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