Made it back safe and sound from the sixth Queens Baseball Conference, beating the heavy snow hitting near me up north, but getting a nice parking ticket in Astoria. It was a small price to pay for sharing Shea Stadium Remembered with the best fans in baseball, and sharing a table with Mets in 10s author Brian Wilson and his dad. Got to meet fans new and old of my work, including Janie, Michelle, Will, Oscar, and a host of others.
Having our own spot—in a great location—made for a great place to meet up with old friends and acquaintances like Greg Prince, Jesse James Burke, Pete McCarthy, Darren Meehan, Mark Healey, and more. I did see a few recognizable faces that paused ever so briefly in front of our area, even if we didn’t get to say hi, we were giving back the good vibes of how much we appreciated Edgardo Alfonzo, Ed Kranepool, Darryl Strawberry, and Todd Zeile—if you want to go alphabetically. And let’s hear it for David Wright, who did a short video with Steve Gelbs to say what an honor it was to receive the Gil Hodges Award. Class Act all the way, just like the QBC—thanks again Keith Blacknick, Dan Twohig and the QBC staff. Can’t wait for next year.