The Ghosts of Ebbets Field Come to the Rescue

The name Margaret Baker will be forever engraved in my mind. She is the principal of the Ebbets Field Middle School, not far from Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment and Prospect Park.

Can you think of a better, more fitting location for the plant lab? I can’t! This neighborhood was my vision long ago but I thought it was going to be BBG.

In the midsts of my despair this morning, there was one lonely email about the plant lab in my inbox. It was from Margaret, saying “Hey Bob. We may be able to help. Give me a call…” I’ll frame the message.

A long time ago in the ‘40s and ‘50s I lived and died rooting for the beloved ‘bums’ of Ebbets Field. I remember Mickey Owens dropped 3rd strike and all those years when “the boys of summer” would win the NL pennant only to lose to the damn Yankees in the World Series. I also remember Bobby Thompson’s home run.

Then finally in 1955 they beat the Yankees and became world champs. I took a sick day from my job at Grumman Aircraft to watch the game on TV. There were no more “wait to next year” mutterings.

But then, that SOB Walter O’Malley sold out the people of Brooklyn and moved to L.A. as did Horace Stoneham moving the hated Giants to S.F. Ebbets Field was demolished and became just a memory for older folks. Brooklyn has never really recovered from O’Malley’s stab in the back even with the arrival of the Mets.

I’m going to believe to my dying day that the ghosts of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges…Lisa and other angels whispered in Margaret’s ear saying softly “save Bob’s plants.” She did. I’ll be there tomorrow at 1 in my truck.

Who is ever going to believe this story? The tears just won’t stop.