For Lack of a Better Name...

My Grandmother once went on a date with Duke Snider.

Yup. That Duke Snider.

She *quote* "Wasn't impressed" *end quote*

I believe it was later that year, if not then soon after she met a real estate agent. In due time he would become my grandfather. My grandparents always lived about an hour away from us, so we weren't that family that saw each other every day because we lived on the same road or whatever. But when I was over there as a kid, it was awesome! The best way to describe my grandmother... hmm. Do you guys watch "That 70's Show"? Kitty, Erics mom... yeah pretty much like that. My grandfather, however, was out of his gourd! In a good way.

He was always like a little kid, running around, telling really bad jokes and drawing these pictures that were... well, fucking bizarre. haha He wasn't a painter or anything (although I did help paint their house once), just funny cartoon looking pictures on napkins and scrap pieces of paper. He was a big part in me getting involved with baseball too. He was a big Yankees fan, but I (of course) was partial to the Mets, but whatever. I used to watch whatever game was on TV when I was over and he taught me alot about the rules and who certain players were etc etc. We went to a few Minor League games together, not alot, but enough and usually with the family.

Oh, dude, I remember this one time my little league team was missing one of our coaches so I asked him if he could be our 3rd base coach. He did and it was against like, the best team in the league and their pitcher was a real douche. He could throw hard and he'd always throw the first pitch at your head so you'd be too scared to do anything, and then he'd throw the next three right down the middle. Well, he did this shit with me only my first pitch was a strike, but I jumped back. Not like, a step or two back, I'm talking I was up against the fence to our dugout. The other team is laughing and my grandfather comes up to me I say to him "I guess I jumped too far back." He tells me, "Don't worry about it, just try to hit the ball." I go back and two pitches later I smoke the ball right through the box!

Joe-1
Douchebag-0

Around the same time my grandparents got a computer and they set it up right next to my grandfathers desk. I had never really been to that corner before, so I started looking around at all the books and papers and pictures. "Whoa!" I remember thinking, I had no idea who it was, but there was an 8x10 photo of a baseball player and on the bottom left, it's autographed! I asked him who it was and he tells me, "Charlie Keller. He played for the Yankees a long time ago." You have no idea, I think this picture is the coolest thing in the world. Did I know who Charlie Keller was back then? Not a clue. Did I care? Not a chance, this was so friggin' cool! Every time I went down stairs, I made sure to look at that photo. I would even go down just TO look at that photo. Remember that age where you have no concept of last names and everyone who has the same first name is the same person? Well that's what age I was then so I was sure that my grandfather: "Charlie", was this "Charlie Keller" fellow and I'm pretty sure I told a few friends in school that my grandfather was on the Yankees.

Anyways, that was THE thing I always associated with my grandfather and I always hoped I could one day have something as cool as that on my desk or wall. No matter what age, I never asked for things that other people had, so I never did the whole "Papa can I have that PLEASEEEEEeEeeeEeEeeeeE!?!?!?!" thing. It was his and I knew that. I would one day have to acquire something of my own.

You may be wondering at this point "What does any of this have to do with baseball cards?" It doesn't. It never was going that direction. Sure, we've got the Keller photo, but that's merely a possession that serve as a reminder. Unfortunately the photo is now mine and it couldn't be in better hands. Thank you Papa, for everything. I'm gonna miss you...


(...Joe)