The Connections Bridgewater-Somerville Edition Sept/Oct/Nov 2019

October 1st marks the hundredth anniversary of the controversial 1919 World Series pitting the Cincinnati Reds against the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox were also called the Black Sox due to the scandalous alle- gations that White Sox players were involved in a scheme to lose inten- tionally to the Reds, as dramatized in the 1988 film, Eight Men Out. My grandfather, age 20 at the time, attended Game 1 and wrote the score of the game, 9 to 1 Reds, on the ticket stub, pictured on the left, which is hanging on the wall in my study with other baseball memorabilia that my father passed on to me. About ten years ago, not long after my mother died, my family con- gregated at my sister’s house in Cincinnati to sort through and divide up old correspondences and photo- graphs. As you might expect, it took a lot of time to do this, as each photo brought up memories and stories. Not only did we have to deal with Mom’s material, we also had piles of material that Mom saved from our stepfather, who predeceased her by 15 years. At one point, my wife, Abby, found a sealed, thin, business enve- lope in my stepfather’s collection that simply said, “World War I.” She asked my sisters if she could take it. There were no objections, so Abby just placed it in her purse. After we returned to Warren, and unpacked, Abby pulled the envelope from her purse. She slit open the envelope, pouring the contents onto our kitchen table. And there was a ticket stub from Game 2 of the World Series, pictured on the right, played in Cincinnati on October 2, 1919. Also ironic is the labeling of the envelope, as World War I ended in November 1918, about a year before this World Series. We are still not sure what pos- sessed Abby to take that envelope, why she did not open it on the spot and why a baseball memento was mixed in with World War I artifacts. It is just nice, that after 100 years, I have a Game 1 stub from my father’s family next to a Game 2 stub from my stepfather’s family. Finally, take a look at the ticket prices. Adjusted for inflation, $5.50 and $6.60 in 1919, would be about $80 and $96 in today’s dollars (not a bad deal back then when you con- sider that tickets in Boston, for the 2018 World Series had a face value ranging from $141 to $486). A CENTENNIAL CONNECTION By: Dan Rosenberg PAGE 58 shop somerville theconnectionsnj.com what’s NEW! Deal $ $ tea l $ & Visit theconnectionsnj.com/deals-steals TODAY! Online Coupons! 118 W. Main Street • Somerville, NJ 08876 1-800-794-7124 908-725-1566 • Fax: 908-725-9375 www.redelicopaint.com Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am-5:30pm • Thur 7:30am-8pm Sat 8am-5pm • Closed Sunday All Top Line Interior/Exterior Paints or Stains Excludes Aura.Must be used in store & presented at point of sale.Cannot be used online.Expires 12/6/19. 20 % OFF Order online at benjaminmoore.com Pick-up at Redelico’s “The Friendly Store of Value” Stain & Primer Wallpaper Family Owned & Operated for 43 Years Jennie, Tom, Randy, Wendy, Grace & Leo Painter Pants, Coveralls & All Your Paint Supplies Certified Consultants are here to help you every step! Owner Randy with Grandchildren Grace & Leo & % $ ## & % $ !$% "!