Apparently there was something filtering through the air vents of the East School library in the early 1970s that infiltrated the kids' grudge receptors. As demonstrated the other day [1], I can still hold one that's more than thirty years old. And so can somebody else.
Since this has been a night for opposing viewpoints, it is my privilege to present unedited, as received via faithandfear@gmail.com, the other side of the Harry Truman's 88th Birthday story. Ladies and gentlemen, the first “arrogant, argumentative, generally didn't know what he was talking about” Yankees fan I ever knew and my best friend from third grade…
Here's something to add to your blog:
Clearly, I knew more baseball at 9 years old than you know now. Since that day in May 1972, the Yanks have won 5 World Series, each more glorious and filled with heroics than the one that preceded it. Great players, great teams, great wins, great times and great baseball — still played at the site where its always been played, 161st Street and River Avenue in the Bronx. Even unsuccessful years — 2001 for example — provided for the greatest sports moments a fan could witness in person (WS, Game 5, Brosius' turn to make BK “Someday he'll be pitching for the Mets” Kim cry). Last year was rough, but your Schmetties were once again barely worth watching. Moreover, Old Timers Day at Shea continues to be nothing more than a parole opportunity or a rare paycheck for the rogues gallery of miscreants, malcontents, morons and deadbeats that typically underachieved in Dodger blue and Giant orange — and a lot of mortuary black added of late. Lastly, with regard to HST, it was my idea and I never received the postcard back from him that you and the Debbies and Beths and your other fellow copycats did. Of course, that you still begrudge a great American dead 30 years a meager franking privilege suggests to me that in addition to the character flaws and deficient understanding of America's pastime that has led you to willingly choose baseball in a place appropriately called Flushing, you probably also find fault with how WWII was ended with swift and decisive action by the then Commander in Chief. President Truman, likely a Cards fan, had some choice words to describe that type of thinking and those who engage in it. You can look it up.
Jon Hymes
Washington, DC
P.S. To complete the historical record, I feel it's important to note that in 1979 you stole my review of Led Zeppelin's “In Through the Out Door” from Lindauer's The Tide inbox.
Good to hear from Jon for the first time in many a year. I appreciate his knocking one WS title off the Yankees' post-1972 tally, presumably 2000's. Did I mention he always had a terrific generosity of spirit?