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Bruce Campbell Adamson PO Box 3511, Santa
Cruz, CA, 95063
Bruce Hits Home Run For Goodyear Blimp
-- on Birthday!
May 28, 1967 - 35 years Later
Do you know what you were doing thirty-five
years ago? I do! Yesterday, May 28, 2002, I was at the San Francisco
Giants game with the Diamondbacks (last years world series champs)
and I reflected back to my little league days. On May the 27th
Barry Bonds
hit his 585th home run and it was the largest attendance record
since the Pac Bell stadium opened its doors.
The reason I remember what I was doing, was
it was my birthday and I was 12 years old. My father's best friend
Bob Masson was in attending my game against the Santa Monica
Dodgers. In the following year the Dodgers had the future Dodger/Yankee
baseball star Timothy Leary on their team and he was four years
younger than myself. His sister Kathy Leary was my sisters good
friend dating back to St. Monica's.
I went up to the late Bob Masson, who was
then the Director of Goodyear Tire's promotions and said "Bob,
I am going to hit a home run just for you." I was so sure
of myself. Yet, I was such a little guy and had never come close
to hitting a home run. Bob was in charge of the Goodyear Blimp and obtained
passes on the blimp five times. Led Zeppelin, the rock group,was
about to become international rock stars. In five days the Beatles
would release their album Sgt. Pepper's. Barry Bonds was only
two years old. Who would ever know that my little story would
have little importance by this young boy? Photo of Douglas on
left margin and Bob Masson about ten years before Douglas would
sail around the world.
Well, this was one of the longest games in
my history as a baseball player or as an observer. We lost 32
to 2. I was up three times. My favorite pitcher was pitching Alan Gleisner.
The first time I clobber the ball out to left field and the left
fielder performed a heart breaking Will Mays catch. The second
time he caught the ball almost in the same place. The third time
it went out into the blvd. and I indeed paid Bob Masson back
for being my father's best friend. Normally the local newspaper
would publish the home run hitters, for some reason this great
achievement was overlooked. Let's hope that I am as successful
with the JFK Assassination.
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