Elston Howard

[brian1961]

George, many thanks for treating us again to a significant player's life story. It's been a joy, though sometimes very sad and frustrating, to read of the problems the player and his family encountered along the way. Elston seems to have risen above so much of the prejudice and poor judgment against him. Then again, what would I know of how much it actually bothered him? He died so very young. Being a WASP, most of what I "know" you could stick in your eye, and not even blink.

George, the contribution I can make is a minor story. When I was a tween, my dear Dad was a motion picture cameraman for NBC News. He was sent down to Ft. Lauderdale on assignment with a crew to cover the 1966 New York Yankees in spring training. They were squaring off against their old World Series opponent, the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the eyes of NBC, that made for a good story.

Now, recall this is the spring of '66. The Dodgers are defending World Series champs, whilst the Yankees are preparing for what would be their worst season of all, finishing dead last in the AL. Their dominance had been deteriorating for several years, and now a distant memory.

Knowing my intense interest in Major League Baseball, my very busy father did what he could do to bring home his son a nice memento. He got a program, and proceeded to get several Yankees and Dodgers to autograph it. Mickey Mantle could not be approached---I vaguely recall my dad saying there was a huge crowd around him. Understand, my Dad was not a pushy, aggressive browbeater. He was somewhat shy. Now, with his job, he was aggressive, but not here. Besides, doing his job, he would have had very little time to get autographs. Thus, any autographs he got were from friendly, willing players. These Yanks signed the program---Roger Maris, Tom Tresh, and Elston Howard. George, understanding the situation as I got older, my respect and appreciation for those 3 Yankees soared. I was already a Roger Maris fan, having become a card collector in 1961....

Now as for the Dodgers, my Dad got Manager Walt Alston and Jim LeFevere to sign. If you may recall, two players were holding out at this time---Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, so they were absent from the scene. Such is life. That's OK; I understand. I'm just glad Sandy and Don got the money they deserved.

You can rest assured I hung onto that cherished program. However, sadly, when I was laid off from my job in the bad recession of 2008-09, I consigned the perfect Roger Maris autograph, along with a few other items, to help pay bills and put food on the table. Such is life, also.

So, when I think of Elston Howard, I always think first of him graciously giving my Dad an autograph, in which he brought home to me. Never underestimate what a player's willingness to give an autograph will do to the mind of a child. --- Brian Powell