On The Sly

There is something about writing a blog that becomes almost therapeutic! A blog gives one a chance to get things off a writer's mind, to vent, to reminisce, to pay tribute to and to confess.

Put this one under the label of "true confessions." Is there a person among us who has never tasted that smoky nicotine of a cigarette? One thing I'll never forget is my first cigarette, and, as my luck goes, I got caught by my mother.

It all began when I started walking home from school with an eighth-grade classmate that I'll call Billy. As soon as we were out of eyesight of our school he would reach in his pocket and pull out a cigarette. That first day he offered me one, but being the dutiful child that I was, I knew my parents wouldn't approve of that plan.

And each day as we walked home and talked, he would smoke his cigarette and blow smoke into the clean air of Johnson Avenue. There is no way that I could ever join Billy in this activity, even if I had wanted to. Everyone on Johnson Avenue knew my parents, Ray and Vi. That included the LaPointes, the Derrs, the Favreaus, the Bakers, the Murphys, the Horvaths, the Andersons, the Armstrongs, the Beauharnois, the Quilliams. I didn't stand a chance against this army of tattletales.

But Billy's after-school habit had me curious. I started thinking about what that cigarette might taste like. So, one day after I had arrived home, I headed back up the street. There on the steps of Baker Pharmacy I saw a brand new cigarette, one that must have fallen out of someone's pack.

This abandoned cigarette had my name written on it, so I glanced around and quickly grabbed it, and headed back home. In the Gagnon kitchen I found a book of matches, used to burn the trash, as was the custom back then in Plattsburgh.

I then went behind our garage where my father had a tool shed. It was actually an old small fishing shanty that my Dad had converted into a tool shed. I went inside. I was surrounded by rakes and hedge clippers and a garden hose.

It was dark. It was cramped. Nervously I struck a match, and put the flame to the end of the cigarette. I took in a breath and quickly exhaled. I started coughing! And coughing! I hated the taste. Smoke was seemingly filling the little tool shed. I had better get out of here, I thought. My little taste test was not to my liking!

I tossed the cigarette and book of matches to the floor and lifted the latch to exit. But the latch slipped and the door wouldn't open. I tried a second time and a third! I couldn't get out! For what seemed like ten minutes I kept trying the latch, but the door remained locked.

I started to envision my picture in tomorrow's newspaper with a story about a nice kid from Johnson Avenue who had been kidnapped by some cigarette-smoking bad guy and locked in a tool shed and forced to smoke a cigarette.

I started praying. I went through about fifty "Our Fathers" and "Hail Marys." But still no miracle. I was doomed. My obituary would say I was a nice kid who had won a spelling bee in fifth grade and who someday might have played first base for the Dodgers.

And then suddenly the latch caught and the door burst open. I was free! My backyard never looked so good. I left the door ajar as I ran towards my back door and inside my home.

My Mom greeted me and noted that I was a little sweaty. "Where have you been?" she asked. Moms always ask those tough questions. "Out," I cleverly responded.

Then she moved closer to me and smelled my shirt. "What have you been doing?" she asked. "Nothing," I answered. What an empty response. I could feel my perspiration rate increasing.

She knew she had me! "I smell cigarette smoke," she said. I thought about blaming it on Billy, but I figured I might as well admit to the deed. I confessed the entire story and Mom said that for this time she wouldn't tell Dad. And, you know what? I don't think she ever did!

After dinner that night I went back to the scene of the crime, where the tool shed door was still half open. I looked inside to pick up the crushed cigarette and book of matches. It was then that I noticed they were lying next to a gallon can of gasoline!

I've never forgotten that day and that was the last taste of a cigarette that I've ever taken.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I first met Gene Pavone in the early 1990s. By then he was a prominent businessnman and politician and I had heard of him, but we had never met. Meeting him for the first time was something memorable. It didn't take him long to kid me about being a teacher, and having the summers off and all those vacations. Then when he had me shaking my head, he reminded me that two of his sons were teachers. Then he smiled and patted me on the back.

As romance (his son and my sister) brought the Gagnons and Pavones together more often I started to look forward to Gene's holiday stories. I found out that if Gene's around there would be laughter. Nobody was safe from one of Gene's good-natured verbal jabs.

And after hearing stories from family and friends over the past few days it became clear that Gene loved to kid everyone. That was one of his trademarks. It also became clear that Gene had hundreds of friends. It seemed as though if you met Gene Pavone once he considered you one of his friends.

As Gene's funeral today passed and people gathered at the Elk's Club to celebrate his life, the stories continued. And they continued for hours. His grandson Chris told me the story of all the squirrels running around Plattsburgh with painted tails. That was one I had never heard. Even the squirrels in the West End knew Gene Pavone!

Everything that took place today had a spirit of respect for a man who was loved by many: his family, his buddies at the Catamount Hunting Club -- Gene's passing leaves only Jerry Leonard and Arnie Pavone as the original good ol' boys -- and the Mall Walking Club, and his friends from business and politics.

He was the kind of guy who always had something to do, some project to take care of. If he were still alive, he would have had something to do today, tomorrow and the next day. When I saw that his middle initial was "E," I immediately thought of "Energy."

Married to Bertha for 59 years there was no doubt how much he adored her -- although he might be the last to admit it. But we all knew anyway.

Months ago at a family gathering I asked Gene to be a subject for one of my "Fox on the Run" public-access television interviews. After all, a man who had done so much, been so active in the community, and who was a three-time cancer survivor would have many stories to tell. I knew it would be an easy interview for me, and I knew that the community would enjoy hearing his tales.

So, on May 22, along with my videographer Mark Tiffer, I interviewed Gene. The hour flew by as Gene recalled growing up in Plattsburgh, and leaving St. John's Academy to join the military, and working in the family shoe repair business, and venturing into politics, and raising a family, remembering each event as though it had happened just yesterday.

Gene kidded me before, during and after our interview. It was truly fun interviewing him because I could tell he was enjoying every minute of it.

On July 22, exactly two months after our memorable talk, Gene died. As my niece Jessie read at the funeral service today, "There is an appointed time for everything ...."

No one will ever doubt that Gene lived a full life. He never wasted a single day. And is there one of us who will ever forget his memorable line: "Not bad for an old fellow who's retired and on a fixed income!"?

Gene Pavone is quite a guy!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! And it has nothing to do with that 1966 movie that I never saw. It does have to do with a little bit of luck, the internet and a heads-up play by the Press-Republican's sports editor, Bob Goetz.

First of all the Russian National Baseball Team is in the middle of its USA tour. When one of their opponents cancelled recently, the team management looked for a replacement team to play. Since they had a game scheduled for Saratoga, New York, on Monday, July 23, they were looking for a team in the vicinity to fill the open spot on Friday, July 27.

A Google search of New York sports media brought them to the Press-Republican website and sports editor Bob Goetz. Bob, being the helpful guy that he always is, referred the Russian team to Mike Bergman, assistant baseball coach at Plattsburgh State and a star in the Champlain Valley Baseball League.

Bergman, who loves baseball as much as anyone in the North Country, wasn't about to turn down a unique opportunity to play against the Russian National team, so he offered to create an All-Star squad to compete against the Russians.

It should provide an interesting game: the dedicated Russian athletes against the North Country kids, sponsored by Meron's, a popular city stop for sports fans.

As a final piece to the story, my North Country Cable Network has been asked to videotape the game for local public-access television. That was an offer too good to turn down. Of course, I may have a little trouble with those Russian names. For years I've been gliding through baseball names like "Kowalowski" without a problem. But, for this game, I will have to handle names like Alexander Vashakidze and Nikoloz Kapanadze.

Maybe I better get Goose to help me with those names!

The big game, the Russian National Team versus Meron's Expos, will be played this Friday at 4pm at Chip Cummings Field on the campus of Plattsburgh State. It would be great if a huge crowd gathered to welcome the Russian team.

You can obtain more information about the visitors by going to the website: www.Russianbaseball.org.

I wonder if Courtland Wood or Mad Dog Castine knows the words to the Russian national anthem?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last night the Plattsburgh Little League entry in the Little League World Series competition went down to defeat. But this group of young men made some history for the city and for the local Little League program along the way.

Back when I was eight years old, Plattsburgh Little League Baseball was born. Thanks to some great men like Pete Blumette, John Flynn, Lefty Wilson, Murph Lorry, Cliff Staves, Bob Burke, and my Dad, Ray Gagnon, we kids in the city of Plattsburgh were able to wear uniforms and play competitive baseball for the first time.

That first year the games at the South End of Plattsburgh were played at Our Lady of Victory Academy field, where two baseball diamonds were built with storm fences as the home run target. My good friend, Sal Righi, probably had something to do with fences being put up. And that season New York and Albany Dispatch, coached by Bob Burke and led by sluggers like Eddie Garrant and Lanny LaValley, won the Southern Division title.

The next year we moved to the current Fox Hill South Platt Street site and my team, Nitzi's, won the Southern Division championship. Coached by my Dad, Nitzi's went on to have many players who are still well-known in the North Country community -- guys like Len Duquette, Ken Baker and his twin brother David Baker, Jimmy Wells, Dickie Dandrow, Robin Bouyea, Larry Brown, Rex Malpass, Larry Ebersole and, by virtue of the brother rule, the one and only Gary Gagnon.

Since those days Little League baseball has been a big part of a kid's life in Plattsburgh. It's pretty tough to go anyplace in Plattsburgh without seeing a guy who played Little League. And not just the guys! Janet Manor paved the way in our city for many girls who wore a Little League uniform. And several, like Janet, went on to become All-Stars!

But take all the thousands of Little League graduates and they never accomplished what this year's roster of Plattsburgh All-Stars did -- win a district title! In the Little League World Series tournament they won five games, including the district championship, before being eliminated last night. But it was a great ride, with outstanding pitching and clutch hitting and the ability to make the big defensive play.

In any tournament such as this, the unfortunate part is that the no matter how far you advance, the final game you play is a losing one -- except for the ultimate champion. The 2007 Plattsburgh Little Leaguers had made some local history and I hope they'll be celebrated for that.

And, if you attended last night's big game, you saw some interesting things away from the action on the field. Despite the drizzly weather a record crowd was in attendance. Among the spectators was Mayor Donny Kasprzak, himself a Little League graduate of the Fountain & Lucas team. In fact, the Mayor launched a historic grand slam home run when he was a kid; it's a blast that still gets talked about in local restaurants.

And the site chairman for last night's big game was ex-Little League president Brian Marino, who played for City Dairy Bar in the Plattsburgh Little League program. And that's not all. Chief Umpire Goose Gagnon, a Nitzi's standout catcher in his glory days, assembled an umpiring crew comprised of four Little League grads.

Home plate umpire Len Duquette was also a catcher for Nitzi's. First base umpire Paul "Crusher" O'Connell used to hammer the ball for Santa's Chevrolet. The second base umpire, John Ireland, cut his baseball teeth with Bay View Dairy. And the third base umpire, Rob LaPier, was a standout with the Firemen team in Little League.

Congratulations to president Jake Sherman for leading the way this year for a great Little League season. The 2007 Plattsburgh Little League All-Stars and their coaches can be proud of their accomplishments. I hope in some way our city government will acknowledge their achievements.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

If Kenny Phillips were working on a Hollywood movie script about a high school rock band from the Sixties that reunites with their friends forty years later, the script couldn't turn out any better than what happened on Saturday night at Jim's Place.

About a thousand people showed up, or at least that's what it seemed like, to see and hear the Stowaways, the Plattsburgh High School kids from the Sixties who have obviously never lost the musical talent they showed us way back then. If you shut your eyes you could imagine yourself at Brodi's on a Friday night.

The parking lot at Jim's was so full that people began parking at the North Country Shopping Center, taking a shuttle bus to the greatest musical show I've seen in a long time. I'm not sure who got there first, but I do know that the best table in the house was occupied by Ken and David Baker and their family and friends. It was great to see my old Little League Baseball Nitzi's teammates.

The opening band was called Last Lyx, and they were a group of guys who are even older than I am. But they are guys that I used to dance to, back when I had happy feet.
On stage were John Champagne, who had played lead guitar for bands like the Montereys, Triads, Friends and Speed of Sound.

And Joe Gebo, who is still married to one of the prettiest cheerleaders who ever wore the OLVA colors of maroon and gold. Joe played rhythm guitar and sang with the Montereys, Frozen Sunshine and Friends.

Bill "PJ" Pajonas, an MAI grad, played keyboards for Willy and the Wanderers, the Stratatones and the Twilighters, among others.

Fred Passino, a great tenor sax musician, also played keyboards, harmonica and did vocals for bands such as the Falcons, the Franklin Brothers, Demolition and Speed of Sound.

And John Kains played bass guitar and did vocals for numerous bands way back when, such as the Persuaders, the Falcons, Carousel, The Attic and Hickory.

They were joined on stage by young drummer Bobby Sears, who made his mark in the North Country with the band South Junction. As Fred told me, "Bobby is the only one of us who doesn't have to check back in at Meadowbrook at the end of the night!"

Last Lyx entertained the crowd and it didn't take too many songs before people were up on their feet dancing. After all, people our age always did love to dance. We lived through the dance craze, when every week there was a new popular dance. It started with the Twist, and went on to the Stroll, the Mashed Potatoes, the Hully Gully, the Jerk, and at OLVA Dennis Mooney used to lead the whole school in the Locomotion! There we would be winding around the OLVA gym and into the hallways of the school, the whole student body -- all 35 of us!

The next band to the stage was the All-Star Band that was comprised of a nice mix of oldsters and youngsters. Bentley Austin started the rocking and nearby was his own son. This band kept the by-now-overflow crowd jumping.

And then it was "SHOWTIME." By this time, the crowd was ready. With their introduction and with the roar of the crowd, the Stowaways took the stage: Bentley Austin, Jim Wells, Geoff Jones, Spencer Bosworth, Mike O'Connell. But, wait a second! One was missing. Where was Kenny Phillips, the guy with the long straight hair and electric guitar? He apparantly was delayed for some reason.

Suddenly Phillips emerged from the back of the crowd with a pretty girl on each arm. Some things never change! Escorted to the stage with a big ovation, the band was finally back together for the first time in nearly forty years. Hundreds of their fans jumped to their feet and never sat down the rest of the night. They crowded toward the stage, and the Stowaways tore into songs like it was 1967.

All six of the guys were rocking and sweating and singing and playing and, most of all, smiling. And so were the thousands moving to the music. It was like a movie. This show could not have turned out better. There was Spencer still bopping around the stage, minus the big red Afro. There was Mike, belting out a song, stretching out those vocal cords like he was eighteen years old again. The six guys still had the girls screaming! The six guys still had a bunch of old guys wishing we could have been a Stowaway for a night!

And in the crowd were some of the North Country greats, from every walk of life, all getting reacquainted, renewing friendships. And I could swear I saw about twenty girls from the old YMCA dances that I'd always dreamed of dancing with. And, if someone had looked carefully, you might have seen Bob Anthony over by the door, leaning against the wall, enjoying the music and making sure we all behaved.

And then there she was, walking my way, a girl I knew back in 1965. She was a beauty then and she still is, and she was still walking my way. And she said, "Foxy, do you want to dance?" I took a swig of my refreshment to remove the gulp from my throat and yelled, "Are you kidding me?" And when the Stowaways broke into a slow song, I couldn't have been happier. Forty-something years later there we were on the dance floor.

Now in Kenny Phillips' movie script, she'd be single and we'd exchange phone numbers and live happily ever after on Sunset Boulevard. But this was Plattsburgh and that's not what happened, but I was happy anyway.

Even some blogoteers were present at the Stowaways Reunion. I finally met Juan and Miney, and talked with Elaine Caron-Conway, who I haven't seen since my high school days.

It was a night to remember and anyone who was there will be talking about it for a long time. Jim's Place has never seen such a night. The Stowaways did not disappoint us. We want them back. I don't know what it will take, but already Plattsburgh is buzzing about the Stowaways 2008 Road Tour to Plattsburgh. Maybe a week long tour beginning at the Pavilion near Rouses Point, and winding its way to the Weathercock in Chazy, and then on to Brodi's parking lot for a show. And then over to Plattsburgh High School the next night. And, let's end it at Jim's Place next July!

Bentley, Jim, Mike, Spencer, Ken, Geoff, thanks for a great show! And as for that movie script that Ken might be writing: We want -- we need -- a sequel!

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 8:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

The next two weeks may be the busiest two weeks of my entire year. There will be plenty of fun for North Country residents who take some time to get out and enjoy some upcoming activities.

This weekend marks the 40th Anniversary Reunion of the Plattsburgh High School Class of 1967. It will be highlighted on Saturday night with the Reunion Concert of the Stowaways, one of our favorite local bands back when we all had dark hair, muscles and were lean and green. At Jim's Place on Route 9, just north of Cumberland Head Corners, there will be a party like you've never seen before.

The Stowaways have planned a few surprises and plenty of fun. As noted in my previous blog "The Stowaways Reunion," Bentley Austin, Jim Wells, Spencer Bosworth, Mike O'Connell, Kenny Phillips and Geoff Jones will be back in action. I have to admit I got goosebumps earlier this week when I sat in on one of their rehearsals. It will be quite a show, with doors opening to the public at 7:30pm. There is a modest $5 cover charge to help defray some of the expenses the band is incurring for this big event.

It's also the opening weekend of the Champlain Valley Baseball League playoffs. I'm not making any predictions for this one, but I'll be in Saranac on Sunday to videotape two games. I hope the boys go easy on me and make the games quick, because, remember, I'll be at the Stowaways Reunion on Saturday night!

Then next Tuesday night marks the opening of the 2007 Clinton County Fair. I always look forward to this event. Most days and some evenings I'm running around with a videographer making various "Fox on the Run" shows, but I still take time to leave the video equipment in the trunk of my car and enjoy the great food (michigans, wings, french fries, cotton candy, and whatever new snack I can find!) and friendly people.

Karaoke returns to the Clinton County Fair with the finals on Thursday night. If you want to take in a fun musical show, catch "The Lady Bugs," who return for their second season. And you can bet I'll look for you as one of the "Faces in the Crowd" at the Demolition Derby on Sunday, July 22. The afternoon show is at 1pm and the evening show begins at 7pm. Give me a wave for the camera!

The following week I hope to be at the Essex County Fair in Westport. Part of the musical lineup includes two of my favorite local bands: the Upstate New Yorkers and Whitey Keese and the Cold Brook Ramblers. What a nice public-access show that would make! And they have a Demolition Derby as well! I received a phone call from the famous veteran derby driver Mike McCray, inviting Goose and me to attend.

There are some heavy hitters at this derby with veterans such as McCray, Max Dickerson, Choo Choo Charlie Farnsworth, and the guy known as "Rock Pile."

On a final note, I heard from some baseball fans concerning my previous blog, "Foxy's Top Ten Diamond Dandies." One of my longtime friends, John Haubner, clued me in on Tim Kurkjian's game called "Name the team with the five best retired, living alums." As an example he figures the Orioles would rate high with Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer, all Hall of Famers. John, a diehard Red Sox fan, noted: Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Bobby Doerr, Wade Boggs and Jim Rice.

I'll throw in my Dodgers alums: Sandy Koufax, Duke Snider, Steve Garvey (should be in the Hall of Fame!), Don Sutton and Eddie Murray (played four seasons in LA) or Frank Robinson (a Dodger in 1972). Our manager could be Tommy Lasorda.

Anyway, I'll be getting to bed early tonight because I'll be "Fox on the Run" for the next two weeks. If you see me, slow me down and say hello.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The major league baseball All-Star Game is Tuesday night and you can bet I'll be perched in front of the television to watch every pitch. The Gagnon family rule is "No talking during the introduction of the All-Star players." It's sort of a holy rite as I watch each player react as their name is announced to the crowd.

I can even envision myself being called, "From the Los Angeles Dodgers, Foxy Gagnon" -- the crowd roars as I smile and tip my cap to the thousands in attendance and then I look directly into the camera and nod to the millions of viewers in their living rooms.

I've made my list of "Foxy's All-Stars," the players that I believe are the top ten position players in the big leagues. I've not tried to fill every position, but just listed the best all-around players, in my opinion. My list is presented alphabetically. Anyone agree with me?

VLADIMIR GUERRERO - Angels: The ex-Expo has put up Hall of Fame numbers year-after-year. His career batting average is .325, he's never hit below .307 and he shows no signs of slowing down.

MATT HOLLIDAY - Rockies: This is only his fourth big league season, but, man, can this guy hit. His All-Star break batting average is .341. Last year he hit .326 with 34 home runs. At 27 years old, he's one of the youngest players on my list, and probably the least known as well.

DEREK JETER - Yankees: The world's most eligible bachelor, I have to wonder how Jeter can continue to be such a timely hitter. Much to my chagrin, nobody hits in the clutch better than the Yankees' shortstop. That darn inside-out swing enables him to hit line shots over the second baseman's head time after time.

JUSTIN MORNEAU- Twins: Last year's American League's Most Valuable Player, Morneau again is putting up big stats. Last year he hit 34 home runs, and this year he already has 24 at the break. He'll be a career .300 hitter and, if he stays healthy, he'll follow Fergie Jenkins as a Canadian-born Hall of Famer.

MAGGLIO ORDONEZ - Tigers: A .309 lifetime hitter, he is leading the American League in hitting with a .367 average. In his younger days he hit with more power, but he's the Tigers' most reliable hitter with 70 runs batted in already. That's a full season for many players!

ALBERT PUJOLS - Cardinals: Even though he got off to a horrendous start he's batting .310 at the break, and will continue to raise his average in the second half. A .330 lifetime hitter he has never finished worse than fourth in the MVP balloting. In 2005 he won and last year he finished runner-up.

MANNY RAMIREZ - Red Sox: I don't have to like him, and he loses points on my list for attitude at times, but he's been one of baseball's best for a long time. His power output is down this season, and some people are predicting his demise. My guess is that he'll have a huge second half. He's hit 481 career homers with a lifetime batting average of .313. And not one mention of steroids in his closet!

ALEX RODRIGUEZ - Yankees: Yes, A-Rod is on my list! He may not always be the classiest big leaguer (like shouting at sky-gazing rookie Toronto third basemen and a few indiscretions off the field), but nobody hits a pitcher's mistake better than A-Rod. He's six homers away from the 500-home run class. Could he hit one, though, without John Sterling screaming, "Another A-bomb from A-Rod!"

ICHIRO SUZUKI - Mariners: He joined major league baseball in 2001 at the age of 27 amidst a great deal of hoopla. And he has lived up to his Japanese press clippings. He hit .350 that season and won the MVP award. Since then he's averaged .333, won Gold Gloves and smacked more singles than anybody. Despite a slow start this season, he goes to the All-Star Game with a .359 batting average. If anyone ever hits .400 again, it'll be Suzuki.

CHASE UTLEY - Phillies: It's not easy for a second baseman to make a list such as this, but Utley has improved as a hitter every season. He hit .309 with 32 home runs last year and he's on pace to do even better in 2007. He's hitting .325 and already has 68 runs batted in.

My list, just by chance, has two first basemen, along with one second baseman, one shorstop and one third baseman, and there are four outfielders. That leaves only the catching spot without representation. If I had to pick, I'd go with Jorge Posada of the Yankees, and not just because of his .326 batting average this year. He's been a .275 career hitter and averaged 23 homers his last four seasons.

I figure my list has at least seven future Hall of Famers on it. If it were the Forties, what a barnstorming team this would be.

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Barry Bonds has hit 751 career home runs, four shy of Hank Aaron's major league record of 755. In the next week or two he will tie and then break Aaron's record. I'd like to say, "I don't care," but, the fact is, I do care.

I wish it wasn't happening. I can remember cheering for Hank Aaron to break Babe Ruth's magic number of 714. I remember watching the countdown and then watching television that night in 1974 when lefty Al Downing of my Dodgers served up the record-setting home run pitch. The ball soared into the Braves' bullpen where Aaron's teammate Tom House caught it, depriving some lucky fan of the million-dollar prize.

I had goosebumps as Aaron rounded the bases, followed by two nutty college students, who are immortalized by the videotape of that historic moment. I was happy for Hank, even if he did hit #715 off one of my favorite pitchers.

I won't be happy when Barry hits home runs numbers 755 and 756. Maybe it's because I grew up with Aaron playing baseball. He was one of my baseball card buddies. I can still picture his 1954 Topps rookie baseball card. And his 1955 Topps and '56 Topps. And his popular 1957 Topps when they printed his picture with the negative reversed, turning Aaron into a lefthanded batter.

Maybe that's why my Dad didn't cheer for Aaron. He wanted Ruth's record to live forever. He had grown up reading about Babe's home runs on the sports pages of the newspaper. He even saw the Babe play in Yankee Stadium, and he got the Babe's autograph on a baseball.

It was the same way back in 1961 when Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle were attacking Babe Ruth's 60-home-runs-in-a-season record. I was cheering for Roger. My Dad was cheeering for Babe's record to stand. Even though I have never been a Yankees fan, I jumped for joy when Maris hit the pitch from Tracy Stallard of the Boston Red Sox on the final day of the season for home run number 61. I knew I was living baseball history. My Dad's heart was broken, but I was happy that my baseball card hero was the new home run king!

But I feel all different about Barry Bonds taking down Hank Aaron. I don't know how much of my feelings are influenced by the steroids issue. I think, in my case, it's more of a personality issue. I can't think of anyone who has been less personable than Barry Bonds. For most of his career Bonds has treated the media and the fans as though they were less than human.

From my vantage point in my living room, Barry has always had a holier-than-thou attitude towards those who write about him and cheer for him. If Barry lived in Plattsburgh, I don't think he would want me as his friend, and, likewise, I wouldn't want to be his friend.

I've gone out of my way to cheer for Steve Garvey, Gary Carter, Nolan Ryan, Willie McCovey, Lou Brock and other players that I've met who treated their fans with respect.
I think I'll feel a little empty when Bonds hits his historic home runs in the next few weeks. I know I won't have goosebumps, and I know I won't be interested in the ensuing hoopla that Major League Baseball will have to conduct.

Where will you be when baseball's magic moment takes place?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

After spending the last four days in Cohoes, New York, with my son Erik, his pregnant wife Sarah and Erik's mom Gail, I couldn't help but hear some baby talk as we enjoyed the mini-vacation.

Some might recall that I recently had to face the fact that sometime around February 2008 I will become a grandfather. Some might recall the apprehensions I revealed in my On the Sly blog titled "A Grand Father's Day Call." After all, what with me feeling so young these days I'm not so sure I'm ready to be an official grandfather.

My Grandpa Gagnon, who we called "Poppa," was bald and drank Manischewitz wine. My Grandma Gagnon, who we called "Miner," accidentally put sugar instead of salt on my popcorn. My Grandpa Jock weighed over 300 pounds and greeted every old man he saw with a hearty, "Hello, young feller!" And my Grandma Jock wore an apron which covered her from neck to ankles and served up roast beef and sliders in her tasty gravy.

But four days being around a newly-designated pregnant lady had its effect on me. By the fourth day on our family trip to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame, I have to admit that I was starting to envision myself tossing an underhanded spongeball pitch to little Abner.

Hey, we were in the parking lot of Doubleday Field when that vision came to me, so Abner popped into my head. I'm sure, if it's a boy, they'll come up with some tough-sounding name like Brick or Rocco. And, if it's a girl, I'm sure they'll opt for a sweet name and not choose Abnerella. Hey, I was at Doubleday Field when I imagined all this!

And I imagined Erik standing in the Hall of Fame gallery near the plaque of Gary Carter, and telling his child the story of how when Erik was three years old he stole a baseball from Carter and made the front page of the Press-Republican.

Anyway, by the time we were shopping at the various crowded stores on Main Street in Cooperstown, I found myself looking for baseball-themed maternity clothes for Sarah and cute little baseball items for little Abner. Abner Gagnon -- kind of has a ring to it!

I even found a little stuffed fox that came with a little book called "The Red Fox" from the "Children Learn About Animals" series. And I saw a tee-shirt with the following words: "My Son is a Mets' Fan." Yes, indeed, uncharacteristically, I wasn't looking for Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia. Instead, I was letting baby stuff catch my eye.

Is this how that grandfathering thing sneaks up on you? I read all the comments from On the Sly blogoteers about how great being a grandparent is. And I shrugged or grinned. But now, I can picture Grandpa Foxy singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to put his little grandchild to sleep. Or driving all the way to Cohoes just because this might be the day the baby arrives.

Yikes, what am I going to do?

Posted by Foxy Gagnon at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)