Happy 14th of February to everyone on this Valentine’s Day. I went to a thrift store this morning and found a book that my mother, my daughter, and I all represent: “The Left-Hander’s Book of Days” by Leigh W. Rutedge, published in 1999.
This book has an entry for each day of the year: giving daily facts, and then a short biography of a left-handed person. For February 14th, stats of the day include mob factions fighting in a warehouse in Chicago-the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre; and in 1972, Grease opened on Broadway.
The biography in the book is of Dave Dravecky. He was born on February 14th in 1956. Dravechy was a starting pitcher for San Diego Padres. In 1987, he was transferred to the Giants. He noticed a bump on his shoulder during the playoffs. A cancerous tumor removed but Dravechy was told he would never pitch again. He refused to give in, saying “I have a passion for the game, for competition, for winning.” Then in 1989, after a standing ovation, Dave Dravechy returned, and for seven innings, pitched a one hit game.
Five days later, in Montreal, during the sixth inning, Dravechy threw a wild pitch, and collapsed on the mound. He had broken his left shoulder. The catcher heard the bone snap. Cancer had returned, and Dravechy soon had his left arm and shoulder amputated. He still gives tours as a public speaker. The biography ends with “Although Dravechy probably won’t be remembered as one of baseball’s greatest left-handed pitchers, he’ll certainly be remembered as the bravest.”
I also stopped at the local library in New Port Richey today. Although it was still closed early this morning, I took a picture of the two book-seats in front. The closest is from the book “Charley and the Chocolate Factory” by Roald Dahl.
That book had reminded me that you can never go wrong with buying chocolate for Valentine’s Day. My Valentine woke up this morning with a chocolate mosaic on the kitchen table of the RV. She is a fan of dark chocolate.
Tonight, after dinner, we will relax to a movie that I also bought this morning at the thrift store: “The King and I” by Rodgers & Hammerstein. The movie came out in 1956 (the same year that Dave Dravecky was born), starring Yul Brenner and Deborah Kerr.
It is said that the ‘Valentine theme’ centers on celebrating love, romance and emotional connection. In “The King and I”, that theme is best represented in the song “Hello, Young Lovers”. There are also the songs “Getting to Know You” “I Whistle a Happy Tune” and “Shall We Dance?” in this wonderful movie.
While my valentine and I have seen “The King and I” before, this should be an enjoyable evening, “…et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.”
Happy Valentine’s Day, and thanks for reading.
Librarytomes 