A Transistor Memory

 

I put a win in the books on Sunday.

We were in Alton visiting family and ended up on Broadway where the city has a fair number of antique shops. There, I engaged in an amazing conversation and purchased a piece of my past.

First, the conversation. I struck up a chat with the proprietor of a shop only to find out he had played in a basketball game in 1970 where his high school team beat my hometown boys in a major upset. Did you catch that year? The game was 50 years ago. I was 13, wild-eyed and sitting on the floor.

The proprietor played in the game. It was like opening up a pyramid. We re-played the game while my wife stood by….looking mystified that we could actually remember details of a game from a half century ago. That night spawned my love of high school sports. 

The purchase came as I rounded a corner in the store and there, perched upon a book, was a 1965 Panasonic transistor radio. My God, the memories. Back in the day I had one just like it. At 10 o’clock on weeknights my mother would tell me it was time for bed. I would whine because the baseball game I was listening to was not complete. Finally, I’d slither off to my bedroom.

Once I got inside, I’d tune my transistor to KMOX, adjust the volume in my earplug and tuck it under my pillow. Even if my parents looked in on me, they were never the wiser.

Harry Carey, Jack Buck, Orlando Cepeda, Lou Brock and Bob Gibson would keep me company until the last pitch.

The used transistor radio cost me $15. The conversation was free.

The trip down memory lane was priceless.