"Safe At Home" ~ Oral History Event This Wed @ 67th St Library @ 530pm to 630pm

This Wednesday, April 6th, the NYPL The New York Public Library 67th Street Branch invited me to talk about our Upper East Side neighborhood ~ the value of stoops, parks & street life. That is April 6th @ 5:30pm to 6:30pm @ 328 East 67th Street

I'll read a story from my Yorkville 1960s' memoir, "I Hate the Dallas Cowboys ~ tales of a scrappy New York boyhood." And I'll tell a few yarns about this place we call home and what it was like 50 years ago. Something like...
... I never shook Mickey Mantle's hand and that remains one of my few regrets.
When I was 8 years old, Mickey stood right in front of me at the 86th Street RKO theatre in April 1962, when they made that silly movie "Safe at Home," to capitalize on the Maris & Mantle, M&M boys' 1961 home run derby. The Yankee team made appearances in several New York City movie houses to promote the film.

I forced Dad to get to the theatre two hours early to make sure we were on the aisle. We had a quick burger across the street at Prexy's first. At seven o' five, word spread the team bus had pulled up in front. The Yankees came into the lobby dressed in suits & ties and marched down the right side of the movie house. Yogi Berra walked by me and stepped on my toe, but I didn't notice, though my father did and wanted Berra to apologize. It was strange seeing Dad pissed at Yogi.

Elston Howard stopped in front of me, and put his arms behind his back like a military MP. Ellie saw I was having a baby over Mickey Mantle standing right next to him two feet away from me shaking in my sneakers. Dad and Ellie exchanged laughs over my dilemma, then Howard leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Say hi, he won't bite you." But I was too scared to say anything to Mickey. As the Yankees walked on stage for a final bow, I dribbled my opportunity away.

Below is a letter I wrote to Mantle when I was 13.