It was....

[My Dixie Normus]

It was late August or early September, 1983. I was standing near the main gate of old Comiskey at 35 & Shields. I don't remember how the conversation started but I remember it was just me. Whoever I was with had gone to the john or was still making their way through the turnstiles, I don’t remember really. I just kinda found myself all alone kinda looking around for my friends. There was this old guy in suit just standing there. It was just so out of place for as hot as it was, I had to say something to him. Hello...

 

"HI! I am Zeke Bonura!!" just a thundering reply...just loud, like he was yelling at me.

 

'Hi Zeke. It must be hot in that suit' I said.

 

He ignored me.

 

"Are you here to take me down to home plate?" he asked.

 

'Not really… are you lost? Let me see your ticket and I will tell you where you need to go.'

 

"No, no. He broke my record and they are going to introduce me tonight."

 

'Who broke your record?'

 

"The kid from Indiana...Kittle"

 

'What record did he break?' I asked but was starting to think I wished I had not started this conversation.

 

"Rookie homeruns … he broke my record this year." He was still kinda yelling at me.

 

Zeke reached into his left breast pocket and handed me what was obviously a very hastily printed baseball card. I looked at the picture and give or take 60 years….it was him. Zeke Banura. The man who had held the White Sox rookie homerun record for 49 years was standing there trying to figure out how to get to home plate.

 

Two Andy Frain ushers and some guy in a suit swept in and took ‘ol Zeke through the glass doors to the upstairs just to the first base side of home before I could say much more to him. ‘G-bye, Zeke, have fun tonight.’ I said kinda stunned.

 

Sure enough, an hour or so later, there he was behind home plate with Kittle in some sort of ceremony. They shook hands as the announce Zeke to the crowd and a smattering of applause.

 

I still have that regrettably unsigned baseball card today. It is a collection of one. The only baseball card I own. Zeke died in March of 1987.

 

Just thought I would share the memory.

[bmags]

i saw robert fripp at an airport.