Can Of Corn

                                     Humble Beginnings

My first recollection of the game of baseball began when I was around six year’s old living in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York with my family. The Michel family consisted of my Dad, Mom and my kid brother, Tom. We did have a pet gold fish, but Tom took care of that by giving him what he thought was fish food only to find out that it was soap suds! It is noteworthy at this time to mention that my Mom was the most direct influence in my getting involved and eventually consumed with baseball. My Mom and Dad most of the time looked at life as the glass "half empty", mainly I guess owing to their own life experiences World War I, the Depression, and World War II. I was born in February 1939, so we were about to embark as a nation into yet another world conflict. In our family we always seemed to be in an "underdog" state of mind. I believe that baseball buoyed our spirits during my formative years, but I sincerely believe that the game of baseball, which was often characterized by former baseball commissioner Bart Giamatti as a game that was invented to break your heart, did just that.

To this day I continue to remind players that out of ten times at bat, if you hit safely three times you might be destined for the Hall of Fame, since .300 batting averages are becoming somewhat of a rarity nowadays. Of course, becoming a rabid fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers didn't help me deal easily with success or hope for that matter!

My beginnings, playing and experiencing social interaction, and just plain growing up, began when I was introduced to the "lead up" games of baseball on the streets and playgrounds of New York. Stoopball, stickball, slapball,

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