So Many Memories and Flashbacks

Yesterday, a little bit of all of us that grew up in Detroit, died. Soupy Sales had nothing to do with baseball, and he left town in 1959, but I had lunch with Soupy a lot of days when I was growing up. 1959 was the year that I moved to 1st Grade at Our Lady of Victory, and there I was a noon, eating the same thing as Soupy, which most days was a hot dog.

Going thru YouTube last night and today, I laughed at all of the craziness and skits put on by Soupy. He was right there with Johnny Ginger, Poop Deck Paul, Captain Jolly, Jingles, Bwana Don, Sagebrush Shorty, Jerry Booth, and Milky the Clown, who scared the hell out of me.

I did have a softball connection with Soupy. In 1979, while playing for Uniroyal, in the Detroit Metro League, we played a charity game in East Detroit (at the time) against some local players and celebrities. The two celebrities of that day were Soupy Sales and Scatman Crothers from Chico and the Man. They were in our dugout and we roared the entire time. They were hilarious. Soupy never stopped smiling and joking and had no pretensions about him at all. What a day, and I will always remember. Part of my youth died yesterday, but it was great being a youth in Detroit. At the end of the game, I asked Soupy for one bit of advice, A Soupy Sez that would carry me forward. Soupy looked at me and said, "Bill, be true to your teeth and they won't be false to you". Rest in Peace Soupy. You had a great life!!!