I saw my first major-league baseball game in 1963 when I was a high-school sophomore. The game featured Stan Musial in his last year. And my cousin and I talked to him while he was warming up with teammates in the outfield.
My family and I had driven from Knoxville to Los Angeles to visit with my mother’s brothers and their families, all of whom had settled in southern California after World War II.
And one mid-week afternoon, my uncle Kenneth took me, my cousin Dale and my dad to watch the Dodgers play. We were in the cheap seats of course, and there were few fans present since it was mid-afternoon of a work day. Dale and I decided to go down to the wall when warmups started. Musial greeted us and, between throws back and forth with teammates, joked around with us.
I wish I could remember details of the conversation. Being an ignorant hillbilly, I’m sure I had nothing of import to say, no insightful comments about the game of baseball or the day’s opponents. What I remember is that a future Hall of Famer had the time to joke around with a couple of young fans.
And the game? The Dodgers won, Sandy Koufax outdueling Bob Gibson.
Stan Musial was an American baseball outfielder and first baseman. Widely considered to be one of the greatest and most consistent hitters in baseball history. Born:November 21, 1920, Donora, PA Died: January 19, 2013 (age 92 years), Ladue, MO
Chris Wohlwend has written a two-volume memoir, “Remnants and Reflections … of a half century in the writing trade” and “Ridge Running: a memoir of Appalachia.”