Indians Veeck, and by 3rd deg, me

[daleko]

Short story that has happened thousands of times, hundred thousand times, maybe more. Nothing special except to my cousins and I. I grew up next door to the man, a guy who taught me baseball as a youngen. My mothers brother. We lived in my granddads house and my uncle next door in a little house built on lots bought by my grand parents back in the depression. My cousins and I lived in each other's house eating dinner where ever we happened to be when supper called. A good hard working man. WW II Navy vet, who came home to start his life anew. I was born first w my cousins coming two years later, spread out over the next decade. As the first boy I got all of the attention and coaching and he seemed to know a lot. But nothing was ever mentioned about his past attempts at athletic success. Nothing. I'd ask my mother, ask my aunt and they just blew off my questions. I'd ask him and he'd mumble about something that yesterday was just that.

I went back to Milw for XMas this yr and did Xmas eve w my old cousins who hosted a gathering as my uncle did every yr. The oldest then pulled out a letter from Bill Veeck dated Feb 1947. It seems my uncle wrote Veeck asking for a try out and Veeck responded in a personally signed letter that he would send out a scout. Which he did. One of my cousins found the letter in my recently deceased aunt's stuff. The rest gets a little fuzzy w/o any existing documentation. Why that was saved and little else is unknown. Maybe that's all she could hide.

Over all of our youths we'd hear rumors from folks but nothing was ever directly said. Older teachers in HS would say he was the best BB player they ever saw in that HS and on and on. We'd ask and he'd just blow us off. He told my second eldest cousin part of the story who never shared it. Or didn't believe it until now. Supposedly he injured his shoulder in the service and aggravated the injury that summer in some kind of Indians' training league. Said his best memory was when the parent Cleveland Indians played them in some kind of exhibition/game. And he got a hit off Bullet Bob Feller. End up injured that summer and moved on w his life, always looking toward the future. Never the past.

I wish I knew the whole story. Though we can't or maybe don't want to share everything w one's kids about our past, some stuff makes for good fireplace chat w those left, after we're gone. Or maybe as children we need to ask before we can't.

[Buckeye Dale]

Jan 6, 2016 18:01:41 GMT -5 daleko said:

Short story that has happened thousands of times, hundred thousand times, maybe more. Nothing special except to my cousins and I. I grew up next door to the man, a guy who taught me baseball as a youngen. My mothers brother. We lived in my granddads house and my uncle next door in a little house built on lots bought by my grand parents back in the depression. My cousins and I lived in each other's house eating dinner where ever we happened to be when supper called. A good hard working man. WW II Navy vet, who came home to start his life anew. I was born first w my cousins coming two years later, spread out over the next decade. As the first boy I got all of the attention and coaching and he seemed to know a lot. But nothing was ever mentioned about his past attempts at athletic success. Nothing. I'd ask my mother, ask my aunt and they just blew off my questions. I'd ask him and he'd mumble about something that yesterday was just that.

I went back to Milw for XMas this yr and did Xmas eve w my old cousins who hosted a gathering as my uncle did every yr. The oldest then pulled out a letter from Bill Veeck dated Feb 1947. It seems my uncle wrote Veeck asking for a try out and Veeck responded in a personally signed letter that he would send out a scout. Which he did. One of my cousins found the letter in my recently deceased aunt's stuff. The rest gets a little fuzzy w/o any existing documentation. Why that was saved and little else is unknown. Maybe that's all she could hide.

Over all of our youths we'd hear rumors from folks but nothing was ever directly said. Older teachers in HS would say he was the best BB player they ever saw in that HS and on and on. We'd ask and he'd just blow us off. He told my second eldest cousin part of the story who never shared it. Or didn't believe it until now. Supposedly he injured his shoulder in the service and aggravated the injury that summer in some kind of Indians' training league. Said his best memory was when the parent Cleveland Indians played them in some kind of exhibition/game. And he got a hit off Bullet Bob Feller. End up injured that summer and moved on w his life, always looking toward the future. Never the past.

I wish I knew the whole story. Though we can't or maybe don't want to share everything w one's kids about our past, some stuff makes for good fireplace chat w those left, after we're gone. Or maybe as children we need to ask before we can't.

I couldn't begin to count the times I've heard similar lines, "I wish I woulda...." They say you don't really appreciate a lot of things till they're gone.  Particularly people...

[daleko]

Jan 6, 2016 19:23:28 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

Jan 6, 2016 18:01:41 GMT -5 daleko said:

Short story that has happened thousands of times, hundred thousand times, maybe more. Nothing special except to my cousins and I. I grew up next door to the man, a guy who taught me baseball as a youngen. My mothers brother. We lived in my granddads house and my uncle next door in a little house built on lots bought by my grand parents back in the depression. My cousins and I lived in each other's house eating dinner where ever we happened to be when supper called. A good hard working man. WW II Navy vet, who came home to start his life anew. I was born first w my cousins coming two years later, spread out over the next decade. As the first boy I got all of the attention and coaching and he seemed to know a lot. But nothing was ever mentioned about his past attempts at athletic success. Nothing. I'd ask my mother, ask my aunt and they just blew off my questions. I'd ask him and he'd mumble about something that yesterday was just that.

I went back to Milw for XMas this yr and did Xmas eve w my old cousins who hosted a gathering as my uncle did every yr. The oldest then pulled out a letter from Bill Veeck dated Feb 1947. It seems my uncle wrote Veeck asking for a try out and Veeck responded in a personally signed letter that he would send out a scout. Which he did. One of my cousins found the letter in my recently deceased aunt's stuff. The rest gets a little fuzzy w/o any existing documentation. Why that was saved and little else is unknown. Maybe that's all she could hide.

Over all of our youths we'd hear rumors from folks but nothing was ever directly said. Older teachers in HS would say he was the best BB player they ever saw in that HS and on and on. We'd ask and he'd just blow us off. He told my second eldest cousin part of the story who never shared it. Or didn't believe it until now. Supposedly he injured his shoulder in the service and aggravated the injury that summer in some kind of Indians' training league. Said his best memory was when the parent Cleveland Indians played them in some kind of exhibition/game. And he got a hit off Bullet Bob Feller. End up injured that summer and moved on w his life, always looking toward the future. Never the past.

I wish I knew the whole story. Though we can't or maybe don't want to share everything w one's kids about our past, some stuff makes for good fireplace chat w those left, after we're gone. Or maybe as children we need to ask before we can't.

I couldn't begin to count the times I've heard similar lines, "I wish I woulda...." They say you don't really appreciate a lot of things till they're gone.  Particularly people...

Well said. I spent just about every day seeing him from age zero to age 17. He was the basement barber for all of us. The coach and the ear. Never a word about himself. I tried to ask but not hard enough. 

[mscott59]

Jan 6, 2016 19:23:28 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

Jan 6, 2016 18:01:41 GMT -5 daleko said:

Short story that has happened thousands of times, hundred thousand times, maybe more. Nothing special except to my cousins and I. I grew up next door to the man, a guy who taught me baseball as a youngen. My mothers brother. We lived in my granddads house and my uncle next door in a little house built on lots bought by my grand parents back in the depression. My cousins and I lived in each other's house eating dinner where ever we happened to be when supper called. A good hard working man. WW II Navy vet, who came home to start his life anew. I was born first w my cousins coming two years later, spread out over the next decade. As the first boy I got all of the attention and coaching and he seemed to know a lot. But nothing was ever mentioned about his past attempts at athletic success. Nothing. I'd ask my mother, ask my aunt and they just blew off my questions. I'd ask him and he'd mumble about something that yesterday was just that.

I went back to Milw for XMas this yr and did Xmas eve w my old cousins who hosted a gathering as my uncle did every yr. The oldest then pulled out a letter from Bill Veeck dated Feb 1947. It seems my uncle wrote Veeck asking for a try out and Veeck responded in a personally signed letter that he would send out a scout. Which he did. One of my cousins found the letter in my recently deceased aunt's stuff. The rest gets a little fuzzy w/o any existing documentation. Why that was saved and little else is unknown. Maybe that's all she could hide.

Over all of our youths we'd hear rumors from folks but nothing was ever directly said. Older teachers in HS would say he was the best BB player they ever saw in that HS and on and on. We'd ask and he'd just blow us off. He told my second eldest cousin part of the story who never shared it. Or didn't believe it until now. Supposedly he injured his shoulder in the service and aggravated the injury that summer in some kind of Indians' training league. Said his best memory was when the parent Cleveland Indians played them in some kind of exhibition/game. And he got a hit off Bullet Bob Feller. End up injured that summer and moved on w his life, always looking toward the future. Never the past.

I wish I knew the whole story. Though we can't or maybe don't want to share everything w one's kids about our past, some stuff makes for good fireplace chat w those left, after we're gone. Or maybe as children we need to ask before we can't.

I couldn't begin to count the times I've heard similar lines, "I wish I woulda...." They say you don't really appreciate a lot of things till they're gone.  Particularly people...

the humbleness of the greatest generation has never ceased to amaze me. after 12/7/41, most of them voluntarily signed up to defend the us and its allies. a lot of them never came back. the ones that did, did their best to simply either pick up their lives or start them anew with little fanfare. his approach toward you and your cousins fits the m.o. to a tee.

[oujour76]

Jan 6, 2016 18:01:41 GMT -5 daleko said:

Short story that has happened thousands of times, hundred thousand times, maybe more. Nothing special except to my cousins and I. I grew up next door to the man, a guy who taught me baseball as a youngen. My mothers brother. We lived in my granddads house and my uncle next door in a little house built on lots bought by my grand parents back in the depression. My cousins and I lived in each other's house eating dinner where ever we happened to be when supper called. A good hard working man. WW II Navy vet, who came home to start his life anew. I was born first w my cousins coming two years later, spread out over the next decade. As the first boy I got all of the attention and coaching and he seemed to know a lot. But nothing was ever mentioned about his past attempts at athletic success. Nothing. I'd ask my mother, ask my aunt and they just blew off my questions. I'd ask him and he'd mumble about something that yesterday was just that.

I went back to Milw for XMas this yr and did Xmas eve w my old cousins who hosted a gathering as my uncle did every yr. The oldest then pulled out a letter from Bill Veeck dated Feb 1947. It seems my uncle wrote Veeck asking for a try out and Veeck responded in a personally signed letter that he would send out a scout. Which he did. One of my cousins found the letter in my recently deceased aunt's stuff. The rest gets a little fuzzy w/o any existing documentation. Why that was saved and little else is unknown. Maybe that's all she could hide.

Over all of our youths we'd hear rumors from folks but nothing was ever directly said. Older teachers in HS would say he was the best BB player they ever saw in that HS and on and on. We'd ask and he'd just blow us off. He told my second eldest cousin part of the story who never shared it. Or didn't believe it until now. Supposedly he injured his shoulder in the service and aggravated the injury that summer in some kind of Indians' training league. Said his best memory was when the parent Cleveland Indians played them in some kind of exhibition/game. And he got a hit off Bullet Bob Feller. End up injured that summer and moved on w his life, always looking toward the future. Never the past.

I wish I knew the whole story. Though we can't or maybe don't want to share everything w one's kids about our past, some stuff makes for good fireplace chat w those left, after we're gone. Or maybe as children we need to ask before we can't.

Good story...no telling how many came back from WW2 in the same kind of situation.
And, like the man you're talking about, most just moved on with their lives and didn't look back.