My buddy Al has a wonderful website for Brewer fans (http://albethke.blogspot.com/). I've known Al since we worked together at Toys R Us back in the early 90's. He really, really knows his stuff about baseball. I was honored that he asked me to participate in his annual year-end "roundtable" discussing certain questions about the Brewers past season and future plans. I'm not a numbers guy, per se, but that's what Al was looking for, I guess. There are plenty of others in the rountable that ARE numbers guys, so I offer a possible different opinion. Keep checking Al's site for the final posting. I'll give you a sneak peak at my answers, though:
AL: It is my continued contention that a healthy Brewers' team that finished the season on the 25 man roster and the DL is more talented than the NL's World Series representative, the St. Louis Cardinals. What's your feeling on that view?
JASON: I know, Al, that you and many folks do not believe in intangibles, so let's just call it "luck" that the Cardinals are in the World Series in 2006. Your argument is entirely plausable. Let's go through by position.
Catcher: Edge-Milwaukee. The situation as is is just fine with me. Nothing spectacular either way, but the offensive productions of Miller and Rivera I feel more than offset the defensive advantage Molina brings. I'm not certain about the future, but that's not the question here.
1B: Edge-St. Louis. Pujols is my pick for best player in the game right now. While Prince couldn't have had a much better rookie season, Albert has to get the nod here.
2B: Edge-Milwaukee. A healthy Weeks makes a comparison to St. Louis' group laughable. Belliard was a nice pickup, but Weeks was really starting to put together his complete game.
SS: Edge-Milwaukee. This assume Hall would be/should be the starting SS all along. Hall was among the best shortstops PERIOD, and ranked right up there on historical levels for hitting as a SS, though Mr. Sutton might disagree as Eckstein's hustle makes him the best ever.
3B: Edge-St. Louis. Rolen is worth nowhere near his big contract, but I would take him over a healthy Koskie in a heartbeat if money isn't a consideration.
OF: Edge-Even. The OF situation really was thrown into a tizzy with injuries and the Lee trade. While overall I think the Cards may have a bit of an advantage, properly managing the players the Brewers had could have made a difference. This was perhaps my biggest knock on Yost this year. Platooning Mench and Jenks in right while giving Hart left and the healthy or hot stick between Clark/Gwynn/Nix in center could have optimized the situation.
SP: Edge-Milwaukee. The Cards have the bigger names, but the Brewer starters really did well and if completely healthy for the season I believe would have outperformed them. The overall pitching stats for the season are quite close (Brewers WHIP, I believe, was slightly better), and we know of the struggles many of the Brewer relievers had.
RP: Edge-St. Louis. Hands down. There are some bright spots for the Brewers (Shouse was one, and of course CoCo was as well), but the Cards seem to be much more consistent. So, overall, yes, I think the Brewers certainly were at least on par with the Cardinals.
AL: Do you see the Brewers as 2007 contenders or not?
JASON: I saw them as contenders for 2006, and there isn't a whole lot that is changing my mind about this team for next year. I'd like to see the outfield situation stabilized and the addition of a mid-level reliever or two. But if nothing changed from this moment on (I know, impossible with free agents, etc.) and everyone comes back healthy I would still believe the playoffs are well within reach.
AL:Jenkins/Turnbow/Ohka...what would you do with them if you were in charge?
JASON: I keep Jenkins as the outfield is a bit of a jumbled mess right now. Never, ever have him face a lefty starter and he will be set up to succeed. If that happens, the Brewers have the option of flipping him at the deadline depending on their situation.
I'm not ready to give up on Turnbow long term just yet. If another team wants him, fine, but I'm not actively shopping him. I keep him in a middle relief role until/if his confidence and slider return.
I like Ohka a lot, but he's going to command more money than I think he is worth. For a fraction of the price we could get probably lesser, but similar production from Villanueva or Jackson. Use the money savings to improve the bullpen.
AL: He's so good, he derserves his own question...what would you do with Bill Hall, and what will the Crew do?
JASON: I think it's important to keep Hall happy, and if I recall correctly he indicated he would like to have one position if possible. Does JJ Hardy have the ability to play third or second? I have this feeling that Koskie will not be back, and Hardy is a better fit of the typical "super-sub" type player. So, ideally I'd like to have Hall as my starting shortstop with Koskie at third and Hardy as my utility guy. I don't see Graffy back, so Hardy fills his role along with Cirillo. If Koskie doesn't come back, I put Hall at third and JJ at short.
AL: OK, what moves do you feel Doug and Gord will make this offseason?
JASON: I think we're going to see a relatively quiet offseason, as I think they are under the impression that injuries were the real downfall of this team last year. I alluded to it previously that I would like to see some relief help come in, but I'm torn between getting proven relievers or giving kids like Eveland, Sarfate, and Hendrickson a shot. Well, maybe the "shot" for those guys will be with another team as part of a trade. An outfielder with some thump would be nice, but I don't see the Brewers overpaying for one as much as they would a reliever or PERHAPS another starting pitcher if Okha goes. Can you imagine a Sheets/Cappy/Schmidt/Davis/Villy rotation?
It's fun to dream, but I think outside of some minor moves it's going to be silent.
AL: Finally, are you as optimistic as I am about the next few years? I feel this team is on the brink of a half-decade long run of success.
JASON: I never thought I would be compelled to follow the "Minor League" forum on Brewerfan.net more than I do the "Major League" forum, but that's exactly what has happened over the last couple of years. The true stars of the major league squad are young, and the talent is still bubbling up from the minors. It's amazing to think about how good this team could be for a decent amount of time if the injury bug doesn't take it all away. We begin to change realistic expectations (like if Yo gives up a run or two in a start), and that's when optimism takes a back seat to all-out excitement. Fans of this team have suffered for a long time, but that makes the reward that much sweeter.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Aaron in Eau Claire-Back Home Again
Henry Aaron was in town today campaigning for Gov. Jim Doyle. The scheduled start time was 12:15, and I was nervous when I left at 11:30 or so from work that I wouldn't get a parking spot.
Maybe because it's political in nature, or maybe because it's a Thursday in the middle of the day with school in session, or maybe because it was WAY too cold for October, the parking lot was nearly empty. Here we are, about a half hour before Wisconsin's governor and the All-Time Home Run King (and by "all-time", I mean ALL time, Barry) were about to speak, and hardly anyone was there. I stood on the outside of one of those signs they use when they block off traffic, no more than 20 feet from the Aaron statue. I started to wonder if I was allowed to be there. Slowly, people filled in. I come to find out later that a radio station reported the duo was running about an hour late. That would explain the lack of crowd, I guess. As we waited, more and more people showed up and in the end I would say several hundred were there.
Anyway, the report was dead-on and at 1:15 the program started. I told a friend of mine a few minutes earlier that if it didn't start by then, I just had to get back to work. I was very glad it did, though. State Senator Ron Kind, who did a wise thing by hob-nobbing with the crowd rather than his compadres who stayed behind the barriers apparently congratulating themselves, opened the event with a few fine remarks with humor built right in. He concluded in maybe a little more than five minutes, and he intoduced Doyle's son, Doyle, and Aaron.
Doyle's son took the mike for just a moment or two before turning it over to his dad. Gov. Doyle entertained us with a light-hearted talk that seemed to focus more on the event that day rather than the election. He turned things over to Henry after no more than 6-7 minutes. Henry mainly spoke of how proud he was to get his start here and giving back to the community, which was a smooth segue to his pitch for Doyle. Again, I didn't feel overwhelmed with political speak and I really appreciated the fact that he made the trip here. Doyle then closed the short program with a "get out and vote" chat.
After the applause died down, it was apparent that we would even be able to get closer to the two. The barricades were no more, basically, and people began streaming toward Aaron and Doyle. I figured security would put an end to it quickly, but much to my surprise they almost welcomed it. It was almost like they were glad the formal stuff was done so they could meet the public. Rather than a nice line, though, it was chaotic. But I think Henry made every effort to shake everyone's hand. He seemed a little overwhelmed, but nothing that kept him from smiling. After only a few moments, he shook my extended hand. I thanked him for coming back, and he thanked me for coming out. It was a great moment for me, and something I wasn't expecting. I almost felt sorry for our Governor, who didn't have near the mob that Aaron had. I went over and thanked him, too.
I sure am glad RCU is such a great company to work for. I'm sure the fact that many other companies aren't nearly as flexible with their employees certainly kept the crowd low today.
Maybe because it's political in nature, or maybe because it's a Thursday in the middle of the day with school in session, or maybe because it was WAY too cold for October, the parking lot was nearly empty. Here we are, about a half hour before Wisconsin's governor and the All-Time Home Run King (and by "all-time", I mean ALL time, Barry) were about to speak, and hardly anyone was there. I stood on the outside of one of those signs they use when they block off traffic, no more than 20 feet from the Aaron statue. I started to wonder if I was allowed to be there. Slowly, people filled in. I come to find out later that a radio station reported the duo was running about an hour late. That would explain the lack of crowd, I guess. As we waited, more and more people showed up and in the end I would say several hundred were there.
Anyway, the report was dead-on and at 1:15 the program started. I told a friend of mine a few minutes earlier that if it didn't start by then, I just had to get back to work. I was very glad it did, though. State Senator Ron Kind, who did a wise thing by hob-nobbing with the crowd rather than his compadres who stayed behind the barriers apparently congratulating themselves, opened the event with a few fine remarks with humor built right in. He concluded in maybe a little more than five minutes, and he intoduced Doyle's son, Doyle, and Aaron.
Doyle's son took the mike for just a moment or two before turning it over to his dad. Gov. Doyle entertained us with a light-hearted talk that seemed to focus more on the event that day rather than the election. He turned things over to Henry after no more than 6-7 minutes. Henry mainly spoke of how proud he was to get his start here and giving back to the community, which was a smooth segue to his pitch for Doyle. Again, I didn't feel overwhelmed with political speak and I really appreciated the fact that he made the trip here. Doyle then closed the short program with a "get out and vote" chat.
After the applause died down, it was apparent that we would even be able to get closer to the two. The barricades were no more, basically, and people began streaming toward Aaron and Doyle. I figured security would put an end to it quickly, but much to my surprise they almost welcomed it. It was almost like they were glad the formal stuff was done so they could meet the public. Rather than a nice line, though, it was chaotic. But I think Henry made every effort to shake everyone's hand. He seemed a little overwhelmed, but nothing that kept him from smiling. After only a few moments, he shook my extended hand. I thanked him for coming back, and he thanked me for coming out. It was a great moment for me, and something I wasn't expecting. I almost felt sorry for our Governor, who didn't have near the mob that Aaron had. I went over and thanked him, too.
I sure am glad RCU is such a great company to work for. I'm sure the fact that many other companies aren't nearly as flexible with their employees certainly kept the crowd low today.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Best Seller? Eh, Not So Much...
Oh, yeah. I almost forgot another component to make that Monday a great day. I received a royalty check from Arcadia Publishing. For a reason I can only assume was a mistake, we sold an amazing 119 copies of "Baseball in Eau Claire" during the first six months of 2006. If my estimations are correct, I would guess that puts the overall number of books sold at somewhere around 1,000-1,100. I was told at one time that 1,200 copies were printed, so we're getting close to selling out. I would doubt a reprinting will be in order, but if we keep going at a 20 book per month pace (3 years after release), I suppose it could happen. In any case, my dreams of having a basement full of unsold books seems to be coming less and less likely.
Not that that's a bad thing...
Not that that's a bad thing...
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Back to Back Great Days!
So on Sunday the first of October I had a great baseball day. Monday, October 2 proved to be nearly as good.
My wife's grandfather's brother's grandson (I've been told that's a second cousin) is Ryan Klosterman, an up and coming shortstop in the Blue Jays organization. I have been following his progress since he was drafted in the fifth round of the 04 draft. He is moving up the ladder and finished this season in double A ball and was selected to go to the Arizona Fall League!
Earlier in the season, just after his promotion to double a, I wrote him a note congratulating him. He apparently enjoyed this letter, as he talked with his grandfather the same day he got it. His grandfather, a guy affectionately known for years as "Uncle Eddie" to me, is just as nice of a person as Ryan is. In fact, before the season even started I got to talk with Ryan thanks to Uncle Eddie. It kind of took me by surprise, but it was wonderful that Uncle Eddie thought of me when Ryan was in town.
Anyway, back to the story. Uncle Eddie stops by my house on Monday, the 2nd, with a bag. He said Ryan sent him some stuff that he wanted me to have. "Cool," I thought. Eddie pulls out a team set of baseball cards with Ryan in it. Amazingly, I didn't have this particular card of him. I believe I have a copy of every card that had a circulation of at least 25 of Ryan so far. The next item was even better. He gave me a team-issued cap with his signature on it! But even that didn't prepare me for the last item. Ryan gave me one of his game-used gloves. I have several hundred gloves, but none that are more important than this one. Not one of those other gloves was ever used in a pro game, to my knowledge. Ryan signed the glove beautifully. It is now displayed prominantly in my den downstairs.
And amazingly enough, I don't think Charles Clark has one!
Ryan, if you are reading this, thanks so much, buddy!
My wife's grandfather's brother's grandson (I've been told that's a second cousin) is Ryan Klosterman, an up and coming shortstop in the Blue Jays organization. I have been following his progress since he was drafted in the fifth round of the 04 draft. He is moving up the ladder and finished this season in double A ball and was selected to go to the Arizona Fall League!
Earlier in the season, just after his promotion to double a, I wrote him a note congratulating him. He apparently enjoyed this letter, as he talked with his grandfather the same day he got it. His grandfather, a guy affectionately known for years as "Uncle Eddie" to me, is just as nice of a person as Ryan is. In fact, before the season even started I got to talk with Ryan thanks to Uncle Eddie. It kind of took me by surprise, but it was wonderful that Uncle Eddie thought of me when Ryan was in town.
Anyway, back to the story. Uncle Eddie stops by my house on Monday, the 2nd, with a bag. He said Ryan sent him some stuff that he wanted me to have. "Cool," I thought. Eddie pulls out a team set of baseball cards with Ryan in it. Amazingly, I didn't have this particular card of him. I believe I have a copy of every card that had a circulation of at least 25 of Ryan so far. The next item was even better. He gave me a team-issued cap with his signature on it! But even that didn't prepare me for the last item. Ryan gave me one of his game-used gloves. I have several hundred gloves, but none that are more important than this one. Not one of those other gloves was ever used in a pro game, to my knowledge. Ryan signed the glove beautifully. It is now displayed prominantly in my den downstairs.
And amazingly enough, I don't think Charles Clark has one!
Ryan, if you are reading this, thanks so much, buddy!
Charles Clark
Wow. Has it really been since the All-Star break or so since my last post? I thought I'd get into this a little more. Maybe I will now that I know I have at least one reader (Hi Art!).
Hopefully this story will somewhat make up for the lack of posts. This is a description of my incredible baseball day on October 1, 2006. But first, let's get a little background.
After the 1912 research was completed, I turned in the results to a few folks in the baseball research field. The work was very well received and appreciated, which made me feel like a "contributor" to baseball research again, rather than the normal "consumer". Anyway, the bug to get something else published and relatively soon struck again, and I thought maybe I should expand on this 1912 Minnesota-Wisconsin League season to give everyone a solid background on Burleigh Grimes' first professional experience. All the copies of newspapers were already printed off. It was just a matter of filling in some blanks on Burleigh's young life.
Enter Charles Clark.
Now, it's 2006, so you don't normally expect the best friends of baseball players who got their start in 1912 to still be alive. Charles is the special and wonderful exception. Still seemingly in his prime in his early 70's, Charles befriended the ex-ballplayer Grimes in the mid 1950's. Both were from the tiny town of Clear Lake, WI. Charles was a huge baseball fan, so the match was perfect. Eventually, Charles became Burleigh's agent, but he was always, ALWAYS, a friend first. I first heard of Charles in Jerry Poling's superb book "A Summer Up North", and meant to write to him for years. It finally happened this summer. Charles called back and said it would probably be best if I visited with him in person to get the answers to the questions I sent about Burleigh's early life. Clear Lake is about ninety minutes away, so on a beautiful Sunday afternoon (soon made even more beautiful after the Vikings lost to lowly Buffalo) I drove to Charles' house to spend maybe an hour.
Heh. Yeah. An hour.
Charles met me before I could even get in the door. He said, "Let's get in your vehicle". Hmm. Okay. So we drove out to the new high school, built near the grounds where Burleigh first played baseball as a child. A newly erected plaque detailing Burleigh's contributions to baseball and the community was there. Obviously, and rightfully, proud, Charles told me the money all came in from private funding. Another plaque honoring Clear Lake's other famous resident, Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, was on the horizon, Charles informed me.
We then set off for the cemetary where we visited Burleigh's grave site. Burleigh once asked Charles if he should put something on the headstone about his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Charles emphatically stated it needed to be done, so a small logo is there. Later on at Charles' house he showed me the only picture of Burleigh standing next to the headstone. I must admit, I was a little creeped out by this. Oh, and Burleigh's wife passed away exactly one month after Burleigh's election to the Hall. Charles' friendship meant more than ever after that. Every year after Burleigh's election in 1964 until his death in 1985, Charles accompanied him to the ceremonies. But more on that in a bit.
Our next stop was the museum, a place I had stopped by two years prior. Back then, I truly felt I was stepping back in time. The lovely husband and wife who opened the museum for me that day were just as sweet as can be. I would be looking at something and the wife kept looking for things I could purchase (I had mentioned I was a collector). She would come out with a plate, or a pin, or a poster, or a picture and ask if a dollar or two was too much to ask. I paid more than that, and later sent them a copy of my book. This time around, the museum was in a much more organized state. One room is devoted to Burleigh and one to Nelson. Again through private donations, Charles informed me they had made some major structural improvements to the old school building that now served as the museum, and they were now using monies to improve the displays.
Well, the hour I had planned was almost already up and I hadn't even set foot in Charles' house. Charles didn't seem to mind. We got back to his place and he showed me around a bit. It is the ultimate room for a person like me--a baseball history buff who also collects. Every square inch of wall space was covered with photographs of Charles with different baseball immortals. Joe DiMaggio. Ted Williams. Bob Feller. Basically name a Hall of Famer and there was a picture of Charles and/or his wife Ardyth with him. And nearly every photo was autographed. Again, he attended many Cooperstown weekends, and these people became his friends. Bob Feller even sent him a bronze cast statue of his hand--one of only ten made!
Books. There were hundreds of baseball books. Now, my book collection matched up pretty well with his. Except when you consider the vast majority of his books were signed by the players who were mentioned in it. He might have an "All Time Best..." book and each chapter is signed by the player. Absolutely remarkable! His den also had Burleigh's 1931 World Series ring in it, as well as his glove from that season, neatly bronzed as the base of a most unique lamp! Charles also brought me out to a work area around his garage--more signed books and other memorabilia. He would pull our a drawer and out would fall signed clippings, or a couple of baseballs--all signed. He honestly didn't even really know what he had. But the best part of all that was what he told me. He said he wouldn't take a million dollars for it all (I quickly thought that perhaps a million would be shortchanging him, considering the amazing pieces he had. But I understood what he was saying.). He said it might as well be worth nothing, because he would never think of selling it. What a great attitude!
If the memorabilia wasn't great enough, the stories he was able to tell were positively priceless. Writing about it won't help me explain it. You just had to be there. He called up Andy Pafko while we were there, and Bob Feller wasn't home or I would have gotten to say "hello" to him like a fellow would if he ran into a buddy at the grocery store. Was Charles just showing off his connections? Yeah, maybe, but who cares--it was AWESOME!
I strongly encouraged Charles to start getting his stories recorded. Whenever he would think of one, I suggested he get a recorder our and tape it. I would be honored to be able to compile these stories for him. I think it would make for a true best-seller of a book.
When I finally left nearly four hours later, Charles bade me farewell with a signed Burleigh Grimes index card and an extremely rare Grimes set made in the 1970s. He even signed one of the cards in that set for me. He said I should come back anytime and we could talk some more. He told me to bring a friend, too, if I wanted.
So, who's going with me?
Hopefully this story will somewhat make up for the lack of posts. This is a description of my incredible baseball day on October 1, 2006. But first, let's get a little background.
After the 1912 research was completed, I turned in the results to a few folks in the baseball research field. The work was very well received and appreciated, which made me feel like a "contributor" to baseball research again, rather than the normal "consumer". Anyway, the bug to get something else published and relatively soon struck again, and I thought maybe I should expand on this 1912 Minnesota-Wisconsin League season to give everyone a solid background on Burleigh Grimes' first professional experience. All the copies of newspapers were already printed off. It was just a matter of filling in some blanks on Burleigh's young life.
Enter Charles Clark.
Now, it's 2006, so you don't normally expect the best friends of baseball players who got their start in 1912 to still be alive. Charles is the special and wonderful exception. Still seemingly in his prime in his early 70's, Charles befriended the ex-ballplayer Grimes in the mid 1950's. Both were from the tiny town of Clear Lake, WI. Charles was a huge baseball fan, so the match was perfect. Eventually, Charles became Burleigh's agent, but he was always, ALWAYS, a friend first. I first heard of Charles in Jerry Poling's superb book "A Summer Up North", and meant to write to him for years. It finally happened this summer. Charles called back and said it would probably be best if I visited with him in person to get the answers to the questions I sent about Burleigh's early life. Clear Lake is about ninety minutes away, so on a beautiful Sunday afternoon (soon made even more beautiful after the Vikings lost to lowly Buffalo) I drove to Charles' house to spend maybe an hour.
Heh. Yeah. An hour.
Charles met me before I could even get in the door. He said, "Let's get in your vehicle". Hmm. Okay. So we drove out to the new high school, built near the grounds where Burleigh first played baseball as a child. A newly erected plaque detailing Burleigh's contributions to baseball and the community was there. Obviously, and rightfully, proud, Charles told me the money all came in from private funding. Another plaque honoring Clear Lake's other famous resident, Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, was on the horizon, Charles informed me.
We then set off for the cemetary where we visited Burleigh's grave site. Burleigh once asked Charles if he should put something on the headstone about his election to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Charles emphatically stated it needed to be done, so a small logo is there. Later on at Charles' house he showed me the only picture of Burleigh standing next to the headstone. I must admit, I was a little creeped out by this. Oh, and Burleigh's wife passed away exactly one month after Burleigh's election to the Hall. Charles' friendship meant more than ever after that. Every year after Burleigh's election in 1964 until his death in 1985, Charles accompanied him to the ceremonies. But more on that in a bit.
Our next stop was the museum, a place I had stopped by two years prior. Back then, I truly felt I was stepping back in time. The lovely husband and wife who opened the museum for me that day were just as sweet as can be. I would be looking at something and the wife kept looking for things I could purchase (I had mentioned I was a collector). She would come out with a plate, or a pin, or a poster, or a picture and ask if a dollar or two was too much to ask. I paid more than that, and later sent them a copy of my book. This time around, the museum was in a much more organized state. One room is devoted to Burleigh and one to Nelson. Again through private donations, Charles informed me they had made some major structural improvements to the old school building that now served as the museum, and they were now using monies to improve the displays.
Well, the hour I had planned was almost already up and I hadn't even set foot in Charles' house. Charles didn't seem to mind. We got back to his place and he showed me around a bit. It is the ultimate room for a person like me--a baseball history buff who also collects. Every square inch of wall space was covered with photographs of Charles with different baseball immortals. Joe DiMaggio. Ted Williams. Bob Feller. Basically name a Hall of Famer and there was a picture of Charles and/or his wife Ardyth with him. And nearly every photo was autographed. Again, he attended many Cooperstown weekends, and these people became his friends. Bob Feller even sent him a bronze cast statue of his hand--one of only ten made!
Books. There were hundreds of baseball books. Now, my book collection matched up pretty well with his. Except when you consider the vast majority of his books were signed by the players who were mentioned in it. He might have an "All Time Best..." book and each chapter is signed by the player. Absolutely remarkable! His den also had Burleigh's 1931 World Series ring in it, as well as his glove from that season, neatly bronzed as the base of a most unique lamp! Charles also brought me out to a work area around his garage--more signed books and other memorabilia. He would pull our a drawer and out would fall signed clippings, or a couple of baseballs--all signed. He honestly didn't even really know what he had. But the best part of all that was what he told me. He said he wouldn't take a million dollars for it all (I quickly thought that perhaps a million would be shortchanging him, considering the amazing pieces he had. But I understood what he was saying.). He said it might as well be worth nothing, because he would never think of selling it. What a great attitude!
If the memorabilia wasn't great enough, the stories he was able to tell were positively priceless. Writing about it won't help me explain it. You just had to be there. He called up Andy Pafko while we were there, and Bob Feller wasn't home or I would have gotten to say "hello" to him like a fellow would if he ran into a buddy at the grocery store. Was Charles just showing off his connections? Yeah, maybe, but who cares--it was AWESOME!
I strongly encouraged Charles to start getting his stories recorded. Whenever he would think of one, I suggested he get a recorder our and tape it. I would be honored to be able to compile these stories for him. I think it would make for a true best-seller of a book.
When I finally left nearly four hours later, Charles bade me farewell with a signed Burleigh Grimes index card and an extremely rare Grimes set made in the 1970s. He even signed one of the cards in that set for me. He said I should come back anytime and we could talk some more. He told me to bring a friend, too, if I wanted.
So, who's going with me?
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