January 22, 2021
I grew up in a time and place where we had to find our own sources of entertainment during summer vacation. Computer and sports camps were not on the horizon. We spent more hours than I care to think about playing an indoor baseball game using baseball cards and dice. Similar to fantasy leagues today, we would initiate each season with a draft. There were only three of us, but we all wanted either the first or second pick. That would mean picking either Willie Mays or Hank Aaron first, and then “settling” for the other. It was a toss up between Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, and Frank Robinson for the third pick. I, like everyone else, looked forward every year to the All-Star game because that was the only time you got to see these great players in action.
One of my first memories of baseball was of the 1957 World Series between the Milwaukee Braves starring Hank Aaron and the New York Yankees with Mickey Mantle. World Series games were played during the day, and I would conveniently get “sick” every October so I could stay home and watch the games. Milwaukee beat New York in seven games on the strength of Hank Aaron’s bat and Lew Burdette’s three complete games. This followed Aaron’s MVP season. Everyone remembers watching TV when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record. An era is passing.
The Spin Doctor 