The "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Catching up with the local news after returning home from a week at Stone Harbor, NJ with my brother and sister-in-law.  As soon as I opened the paper I saw it!  A big photograph of Joe DiMaggio.  Yep!  The same guy who set a record in baseball getting a hit in 56 straight games in 1941.  Same guy who Kramer saw sitting in Dinky Donuts having a donut and coffee in New York City.  One of the best, if not THE BEST, New York Yankee who ever wore the Yankee pinstripes.  Now, I know that's according to me, but I'm sure many other people feel the same.  The newspaper story was written by Bruce Wittmaier and submitted to the LNP "I Know A Story" section of the newspaper.  Seems that Bruce was a student at Elizabethtown College who happened to have Professor John Campbell for English during his collegiate career.  During the class, Professor Campbell told of being a batboy for the New York Yankees during spring training in St. Petersburg, Florida.  Interaction between the players and batboys was limited, but one day before practice a few players were already on the field, playing catch in pairs when a solitary player came on the scene.  He wanted to loosen his arm, but the other players were already occupied.  He happened to spot John and tossed the ball with him.  If you haven't guessed by now, that player was none other than Joe DiMaggio.  

The Great "Yankee Clipper"

Joe fired the ball to John as though he was a Yankee player.  What a thrill for John.  Soon, other players arrived and Joe moved on to throw with them.  Getting to throw with Mr. DiMaggio was a dream many boys could only have, but for Professor John Campbell it was a reality.  He actually got to throw with perhaps the best-known Yankee of that era, if not the best ballplayer ever.  After all, it was "Joltin' Joe" also known as "The Yankee Clipper."  Professor Campbell told how he moved around the ball field with a grace so effortless it had an otherworldly quality.  His bat, his glove and his grace did all the talking.  His 56-game hitting streak in 1941 probably will never be broken in this era of pitching supremacy and 100 mph fastballs.  I often thought how neat it would have been to play catch with one of the Lancaster Red Roses minor league ball players when I lived but a few short blocks from the ball park, but never got a to do that.  Only makes me more jealous that Professor John had the chance to play catch with one of the best players to have ever played baseball, and had the chance to tell his story to his class at Elizabethtown College.  Truly PRICELESS!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.