It never fails. Christmas comes around and I always seem to get something Dodger related. Since our grandkids came into town from Sacramento today, we opened gifts a day early, as they had to leave by the afternoon. This time, my son’s girlfriend bought me a Dodger Cap that’ll be broken in in time for me to attend some Spring Training games. It never get’s old. This is my 51st Christmas on this earth and I still love getting the “blue” gifts.
Christmas, 1970 had to be the most special one though. In our “one TV” household and with 7 siblings and two parents to compete with, winning out and being allowed to watch a Dodger game was often a losing proposition for my brother and I as we'd be outnumbered. That previous summer had been particularly difficult as I was forced to often listen to most televised games. If you remember, back in that era, there were no home games televised and usually the only road games on TV were the San Francisco games televised from Candlestick Park.
A Dodger game on TV was a real event for this nine-year old. I often faced disappointment as I’d retreat to my room and listed to a transistor radio to Jerry Doggett, (as Vin was calling the majority of TV innings). “You can listen to it on the radio,” they’d say, an argument that was difficult to refute. My father must have noticed this oingoing problem, because he came up with a solution to this dilemma.
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| A six inch Panasonic. It lasted from 1970 until the cable TV ear in my household. |
That solution came on Christmas morning as a little black and white Panasonic TV, antenna, rabbit ears and all, that had a screen that was probably 6 inches at most. I remember the strange square package under the tree for me that year because my dad wrapped it with the sports section as wrapping paper. I think it might have been the greatest gift that I ever received and was something that got more use than can be imagined.
I had a television in my room. It came with a set of rules, but I didn’t care. I was going to be watching the games without all the contention that it involved and in my bedroom on top of that. I could hardly contain myself until Spring Training rolled around and the first Spring games were televised.
Christmas 1970 will always have a special meaning to me for that reason. It was one of those moments that will stay with me. My dad waiting anxiously for me to open that gift. The gift of Dodger television, black and white and watched all over, again and again and again.
Merry Christmas everyone!
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