In my last post I mentioned that I had another Ebbets Field telephone interview scheduled for this past Monday. The interview was with John Sexton who is the President of NYU, it was a good interview and I got some more interesting analysis of why Ebbets Field and the Dodgers were so special. I had learned of Mr. Sexton's connection to the Dodgers through an HBO special that was shown in the past few years. During the program Mr. Sexton tells the story of how he and a classmate (good Catholic boys) were watching the seventh game of the 1955 on World Series while holding on to a crucifix and praying for a Dodger victory. When the Dodgers finally won, the friend let go of the crucifix thereby chipping Mr. Sexton's tooth.
It's a good story and I learned a further detail just last night - Mr. Sexton apparently refused to have the tooth fixed for almost 40 years, thinking of it as a badge of honor. I gleaned this detail from Tom Oliphant's book - Praying for Gil Hodges which is a memoir of how he and his father watched the entire seventh game on television in their small New York apartment. I had heard Mr. Oliphant speak about his book back in 2005 (50th anniversary of 1955) and am now scheduled to speak to the former award winning Boston Globe columnist and editor on Monday. In anticipation I have been reading the book which basically weaves together three stories.
As mentioned the first story is that of Mr. Oliphant and his father watching the game of their black and white television. Interwoven with this is the story of the Oliphant family and that of the Dodgers both of which are important to the first part. I enjoyed these letter stories, but what was especially gripping is the story of the two Dodger fans watching their beloved team trying to wipe out all the ghosts and horrors of the past. Any close, low-scoring seventh game of the World Series has plenty of drama and tension, Mr. Oliphant does an exceptional job of keeping the reader on the edge of the metaphorical seat even though the ending is well known. However for me, what the author does which is much more exceptional is to capture of the mindset of the fan whose team always comes close, but never quite gets there.
I guess at some level it is like Greek tragedy where we watch the hero struggle against his fate, knowing full well he will fail. As I read how Mr. Oliphant as a nine year old watched and waited for the inevitable disaster, it brough back a lot of similar feelings, not so much about the Dodgers, but other sports experiences, Rutgers against Princeton for example. I think it is a combination of things including wanting something so badly and being disappointed so many times before, getting one's hopes only to see them shattered. Of course, in this case there is a happy ending which ultimately makes it even more meaningful and rewarding. That alone made the book well worth reading and I am really looking forward to Monday's interview.
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