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In September of 1964, my dad was anxiously awaiting two imminent events to happen. Two events he had longed for, the birth of a son and a World Series Championship by the perennial losers, The Philadelphia Phillies. His beloved Phillies were carrying a huge 8 game lead with a handful of games remaining. The City of Philadelphia was all abuzz. World Series tickets were printed. My dad worked extra hours at a second job to buy $12 Deluxe Box World Series seats for games one and seven (just in case it went that far). On Sept 15th, I was born and the Phillies defeated the Colt 45’s of Houston. For my dad, money was tight, but everything in the world seemed so right.

Then the unthinkable happened. After I was born the Phillies lost 12 of the next 15 games including 10 straight games. They lost the division lead to St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis, led by Bob Gibson, went into the history books as the ‘64 World Series champions. By contrast, the laughable Phillies became the biggest chokers in baseball history. My dad and his dad commiserated and debated the reason why?

The Phillies would not return to the World Series for 16 years. At that time, we were living in the NY area. I was a big Yankees fan (still am) but I had heart for the Phillies and perhaps always will. My dad’s loyalty had remained steadfast. World Series tickets were a hot commodity and to my dad’s absolute surprise outfield tickets through a broker were $300 each. The amount made him pause. After a long night of contemplation, he bought two. So, 16 years after the famous Phillies collapse, my dad got to see Steve Carlton win game six against the Kansas City Royals and the Phillies finally become World Champions. The best part was that he got to see it with his son. You know maybe that is why the Phillies lost in ‘64.

My dad and I will never forget that moment. We still talk about it. From that experience, I learned that you can not put a price tag on everything and that some things are worth rocketing for. Baseball remains my passion because of the link it provides me to my dad and his dad (when he was alive) and my kids and my friends. I have taken the cue from my dad and have continued to rocket for memorable baseball experiences. See you at a game real soon.