THAT SOMETHING SPECIAL

Saturday I was working in my front yard. Coming down the street walking his dog is John Onysko. See Tuesday, July 24, 2007 blog. John had given me tickets for the Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game, of which I wrote.

Well, John and I started to chat again about the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he said he was at a Chinese auction, (Are we suppose to say Asian auction or silent auction or what?) Anyway, he bid on a photo of Ebbets Field that was signed by: Duke Snider, Johnny Padres and Ralph Branca and was coming over later to show me.

Back to work I went, toiling when the Lovely Carole from next-door came by to view the work we did in the living room and stairs. Suddenly John shows up with a framed 36” by 48 “ photo that he paid $400 for of the entry to Ebbets Field.

I invite him in and I drool over the photo, so I decide to get my Brooklyn Dodger stuff to show him. For an hour of nostalgic recourse, over a few cups of coffee, we went through the stuff. I showed him my Duke Snider autographed baseball, and collection of books and photos, some of which I got while working as a gift, and some from #1 Son, who gave me the ball and a team photo of the 1955 World Champion Brooklyn Dodgers.

It seemed like we both went back to our childhood once again. I could remember the walk up to the ballpark with my Dad for the first time, the excitement of viewing the field for the very first time, the uniforms of the Dodgers and the score along with who got a hit that night. It’s funny; they were his memories too!

As John went through my stuff, his eyes lit up, the excitement of seeing these items from the past made him very happy. What made me happy was finding someone who shared my passion!

There are fewer and fewer of us left. The love affair with the Brooklyn Dodgers, and that wonderful little bandbox of a ballpark, Ebbets Field, lives as long as we remember. It was a special team, with a special bond with its fans. It truly was the first “America’s Team”, and everything else that followed is just not the same. They didn’t need sexy looking cheerleaders, or bat days or banner day, or any of the other promotions that are held today. A ballpark that held 32,000 people was filled almost every day. And every moment of every day those fans followed every pitch, cheered and ultimately in the end; cried.

Somewhere in Brooklyn, right now there is an empty void, almost as big as the one in our hearts.