Throwback Thursday: A Colleague's Heirloom

This photo comes from my colleague Brandon Weissler. At a recent recording session, he mentioned how his love for baseball came from his late grandfather. When the conversation tapped into old ballparks, he mentioned a photo of his grandad taken at the Polo Grounds in 1935. Now, I'll let him pick up the story:

"My grandpa's name was Martin Goodman. Lived near Ave U in Brooklyn. Grew up very poor, so he'd go around taking the sports pages from people's garbage cans and make his own baseball books. New York Giants fan, hated the Yankees. Of course he'd have 4 grandsons who were major Yanks fans. Didn't go to many games since he was poor, so sometimes paid a nickel to go up on an adjacent apartment building's roof to watch games. Every year on my birthday he'd call me recalling who won the pennant when he was the age I turned."

Brandon, thanks for this marvelous time capsule photo -- you brought us all back to those days captured by newsreel cameras of fans dressed as if they were attending the theater. Hats and coats, not tee shirts and caps in team colors. A formality along with the fun of the national pastime. Wooden seats, not padded ones. No cup holders, video screens or mascots. A moment saved forever.

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