Low "Value"; High "Sentiment"

[btcarfagno]

My father grew up in several New Jersey towns. He loathed fans of the New York and Philadelphia teams and considered himself just a fan of baseball in general. Come the 1950's and he joins the Marines and is stationed somewhere down in Florida. Possibly Key West? Not sure about that. Anyway, he and a buddy have to move some supplies to another base and are given a days leave on their trip. They decide to check out a spring training park. They head to Bradenton and head into the Pirates facility. They are able to walk right into the complex.

No game that day, but the players were starting to get ready for practice. My father and his friend sat down along the third base side to watch for a bit. After some time has passed his friend notices a group of men huddled in seats by the first base dugout talking to the Pirates manager and some of the coaches. My dad decides they should head over to that side. Maybe sit a bit closer to see what they might be discussing. Maybe get an autograph.

They head over to the first base side and start to sit down about 20 rows in back of the group of men. Before they can sit, however, a voice from among the groups asks if the "Young Marines" would like to come a bit closer (they were in their dress blues). My father notes that the voice sounds very familiar to him but thinks nothing of it. Until he got about five rows away and the man with the golden voice turned around to greet them.

It was Bing Crosby.

He was, of course, part owner of the Pirates at the time.

My father and his friend sat down and spent over an hour with the group. Mostly listening but also talking to Bing and the coaches. They had the time of their lives. But it wasn't over. Crosby gave them a pair of tickets to his radio show that evening. They turned out to be front row seats. And he mentioned "the two young Marines from the ballpark" who were in the audience and thanked them for their service.

My dad was a Pirates fan for life thereafter. I was born in 1971, so it was easy joining him as a Pittsburgh sports fan. What a decade!

Thus my attempt to collect a full run of signed cards of my idol Willie Stargell. An enjoyable and surprisingly difficult collecting tangent that connects me to my childhood and my father's run in with Hollywood royalty

Tom C