BOB POTVIN BLOGGER: MY WORLD SERIES MEMORIES..1948..1967..1968..1986..1987 .. 1992..1993

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

MY WORLD SERIES MEMORIES..1948..1967..1968..1986..1987 .. 1992..1993

I was six years old and Pepere Potvin had his car radio on! Boston Braves vs Cleveland Indians.

2. I was stationed in Vung Tau, Vietnam. The Impossible Dream afforded me live broadcasts via ARMED FORCES RADIO SAIGON from Fenway Park with Curt Gowdy...1:30 AM.. "play ball." The letter is in REDball point...."Dear Mom & Dad..It is Thursday morning 1:30 AM ...I am a loyal fan...!"

3. 1968 ..Arthur "coach" Pappas of The Derby Pub & Grille Fame connected with Consolidated Beverages, Auburn, MA and got me 2 tickets for 4 games at the World Series in Saint Louis! I HAD JUST RETURNED TO CIVILIAN LIFE..age 26

4. 1986..Fenway Park, Boston. My main Auburn Connection, Richard A. Fuller, Fuller Automotive, knew Dr. Arthur "ZEKE" Pappas, Red Sox Team Physician, who was also from Auburn. SonBen and I attended Game 5. Bruce Hurst pitched. (Forget the Bill Buckner folly and foible!)

5. 1987 World Series ..."Saint Louie, Missouri", here we come.We flew from Logan to Lambert Field, Saint Louis. "Black Monday" preceeded THE WORLD SERIES. I sat next to a stock broker who willingly shared with me how his MONDAY WAS!

6. I don't get very excited about the Stock Market. Fear and Greed settled in.. amazing. I reached in my pocket and showed the man a Twenty Dollar Gold Piece...maybe High Relief. This dream coin was sold by me in Boston for $6,000. It was a "Slider "according to the buyer, Edwin Leventhall, Founder of J>J> Teaparty. He blushed when I asked hin the coin's GRADE! LOL.

Our 5 days in Saint Louis were surreal. Mt teenagers ran up to the Gateway Arch..630' high and reached up and touched it. This touched my heart. Once again, "Dickie" and the "Good Doctor" came through with tickets at face value. My return to my Alma Mater with my two sons and a visit to Barry McGannon, S.J. was wonderful. The Billiken-from-the-East was BACKK.

Old Gussie Busch proudly had his Clydesdale pulling the Budweiser Wagon full of beer cases. The organ music from the loud speakers tweeked my loving heart and memories of being an undergraduate (1962-1965) and ending up with a "Sheepskin" WITH A 2.2 GPA! Son Josh got Reggie Jackson's autograph..in person.

7.1992 - Atlanta Braves.. Our 1990 trek to Australia by way of LA & SF earned Free Travel Tickets. Sister-in- "Babs" and Rita-Baby" GAVE ME THEIR UNUSED UNITED TICKETS. ONWARD TO Atlanta..WITHOUT ANY TICKETS.

Us Potvins have gumption and determination! Finally, I paid an Usher ? $200 and he let us in. The next night he wanted $300..(GREED>) What to do?

Big screen TV's in Atlanta Taverns offered us an alternative. But wait...
SON R. BENJANIN potvin said loudly..."I DIDN'T COME TO THE WORLD SERIES TO WATCH IT ON TV. BEN-THE-MAN FROM SETON HALL PROCEEDED TO.. CONFIDENTLY WALK INTO THE GAME.. NO TICKET..

BUT WITH A MADE-UP-MIND. The rest of the family followed through.. we escaped into oblivion and never got caught...(The All-American Potvin Family)! Also visited the Jimmy Carter Library while in Atlanta on Copen Hill.

1993. BACK TO THE SKYDOME..In Toronto. I HAD 4 Tickets and traveled alone for GAME 1. No family takers. It was their loss. I "scalped" my extra tickets at face value.. returned home to West Brookfield!

The following weekend my entire family rode with me in my shiny new Red Mercedes 190. On the New York Thruway this stodgy blue Volvo Wagon passed me. SonJosh was at the wheel speeding and 'Babjo-Ben" was laid back and both waved to DAD.

This World Series eclipsed the highlight of my life (MET ME IN SAINT LOUIE 1987)

Toronto's Joe Carter silenced every body....His homerun was like the Halebopp Comet.

My boys and I have been to about 20 Major-League Ballparks.......

Us Potvins have been everywhere! over 40 States.