Yesterday's All-Star luncheon recognized the players who had been named to this year's East and West squads, as well as the managers and coaches. I'm always struck by the fact that many of the FL's players, which is true for a lot of baseball players, would be undetectable as professional athletes on the street. It's hard to miss pro basketball and football players in real life, but a great number of baseball guys can fly beneath the radar. One thing that separates them, however, from the general populace is their amazing hand-eye coordination. I can tell you that not a crumb hit the floor yesterday during lunch.
The crowd was welcomed to Rockford at the luncheon by one of the League's interesting personalities, the owner of the host RiverHawks, Kurt Carlson. Kurt, whose brother is the drummer for the Rockford-based band Cheap Trick, has his own compelling story to tell. In 1985, he was aboard TWA Flight 847, which was hijacked on its way from Athens to Rome by people sympathetic to the Iranian leader at the time, Ayatollah Khomeini. Kurt, an Army Reserve major, was returning to the U.S. following a training mission in Egypt. After a Navy Seal was killed by the hijackers, Kurt and seven other military personnel were taken off the plane and kept hostage for 17 days in Beirut, Lebanon. He was eventually rescued and came back to Rockford to a hero's welcome. Kurt wrote a book about his ordeal, "One American Must Die: A Hostage’s Personal Account of the Hijacking of Flight 847", which I recommend highly.
There was also a reunion yesterday. Part of the festivities Tuesday evening at Road Ranger Stadium was the Legends game between the Cubs and White Sox alumni. The owner of the Florence Freedom, Clint Brown, was walking along the concourse when he noticed that one of the players for the Cubs squad was his former high school teammate, Willie Wilson. Yes, that Willie Wilson. It had been more than 30 years since last they talked, but they were able to sit down in the clubhouse and get caught up in no time. Clint was quick to point out to me that he played in the outfield for their New Jersey high school and that the younger Wilson, who was a stellar outfielder for many years in the Big Leagues, was relegated to playing catcher. Clint then added that Willie was the biggest guy on the team, so going behind the plate made sense. He also noted that Willie could have played big-time college basketball or football had he decided on either route.
It was an entertaining day yesterday. Wednesday should offer more fun as the All-Star Game is set for a 7:05 start. Weather should be perfect, so come on out if you're in the area.
