Farewell Duke Snider!
By ErrollLeVant
@ErrollLeVant (4353)
United States
February 28, 2011 3:56pm CST
In the summer of 1958 I got to see my first Major League Baseball game at Connie Mack Stadium. The Phillies were hosting the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robin Roberts pitched for the Phils, and was the winning pitcher. Don Drysdale took the loss. But that night I fell in love with the Dodgers. I loved Junior Gilliam and Roy Campenella. And Duke Snider, Brooklyn's centerfielder, became one of my favorite players. I got to meet him 40 years later and have his autograph on a ball, and on display in my office along with autographed baseballs from Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays.
Mr. Snider passed away yesterday. Farewell "Duke of Flatbush."
1 person likes this
2 responses
@peavey (16936)
• United States
1 Mar 11
When I was a young teenager, everything in our household stopped on Saturday afternoons when the major league baseball games were shown on TV. The names of these players sure brought back some memories. Mom was a diehard Yankees fan and the Dodgers were their arch rivals then. I can still see Don Drysdale pitching.
Duke Snider was one of a kind. It was sad to see him go.
1 person likes this
@ErrollLeVant (4353)
• United States
1 Mar 11
fond memories indeed! back then it was pretty common to really love the Yankees or really hate them. I fell into the latter category, especially when I fell in love with the Dodgers in 58!
@peavey (16936)
• United States
1 Mar 11
Oh, yes! You couldn't like both the Dodgers and the Yankees, that just didn't happen. I was a Yankee fan and adored Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris. Mickey Mantle was born not too far from where Mom was born, so it was natural that she rooted for him and we kids kind of inherited it. 
Those were the days!
Those were the days!
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
7 Feb 16
The Duke and the Brooklyn Dodgers were awesome.
