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The title is a quote from
a major league baseball umpire
a major league baseball umpire
who made book-ending history
played their LAST GAME
at Shea Stadium.
at Shea Stadium.
One of the umpires
for that game was
for that game was
Mr. Gorman made history
that day because when
the Mets' FIRST GAME
was played there on
April 17, 1964,
one of the umpires
was his father,
Tom Gorman.
that day because when
the Mets' FIRST GAME
was played there on
April 17, 1964,
one of the umpires
was his father,
Tom Gorman.
The elder Gorman
was such a celebrated umpire,
he numbered amongst his friends
Bob Hope and John Kennedy.
About the New York Mets
first game at Shea Stadium,
the younger Gorman said:
"I think I was there,
but this is going to sound silly,
I can't be sure...
I was only 5 years old at the time.
I have this vague memory of being there,
but I don't know. We went to
a lot of my father's games at Shea.
He enjoyed working games here
because it allowed him to stay at home
after all those trips and hotel rooms."
In 1964,
staying at home
for the Gorman family
referred to 6th Avenue
in Whitestone.
They lived less than
three miles from Shea Stadium.
I know this for a fact
because the Oliverio family
also lived on 6th Avenue
in Whitestone, at the opposite end
of the block from the Gormans.
Another friend of Tom Gorman's
was Sam Oliverio, my father.
This is going to sound silly,
but I can't be sure...
My father once had a twenty-minute
private conversation with Tom Gorman
while I sat on a bus bench
and picked my nose
for the duration.
I can't be sure...
maybe it was only ten minutes
and maybe I didn't pick my nose.
Maybe I just waited for my mother
to get off a bus.
I was ten years old at the time.
It was 1959.
The year Brian Gorman was born.
Sixth Avenue in Whitestone
–between 149th Street
and 150th Street–
consisted of twenty four houses
on each side of the street.
Those houses looked very similar
but their exact twins were
directly across the street.
The Oliverios lived directly opposite
these three 6th Ave homes.
was such a celebrated umpire,
he numbered amongst his friends
Bob Hope and John Kennedy.
About the New York Mets
first game at Shea Stadium,
the younger Gorman said:
"I think I was there,
but this is going to sound silly,
I can't be sure...
I was only 5 years old at the time.
I have this vague memory of being there,
but I don't know. We went to
a lot of my father's games at Shea.
He enjoyed working games here
because it allowed him to stay at home
after all those trips and hotel rooms."
In 1964,
staying at home
for the Gorman family
referred to 6th Avenue
in Whitestone.
They lived less than
three miles from Shea Stadium.
I know this for a fact
because the Oliverio family
also lived on 6th Avenue
in Whitestone, at the opposite end
of the block from the Gormans.
Another friend of Tom Gorman's
was Sam Oliverio, my father.
This is going to sound silly,
but I can't be sure...
My father once had a twenty-minute
private conversation with Tom Gorman
while I sat on a bus bench
and picked my nose
for the duration.
I can't be sure...
maybe it was only ten minutes
and maybe I didn't pick my nose.
Maybe I just waited for my mother
to get off a bus.
I was ten years old at the time.
It was 1959.
The year Brian Gorman was born.
Sixth Avenue in Whitestone
–between 149th Street
and 150th Street–
consisted of twenty four houses
on each side of the street.
Those houses looked very similar
but their exact twins were
directly across the street.
The Oliverios lived directly opposite
these three 6th Ave homes.
The Gormans lived eighteen doors
west of them.
The tree you see used to be third base
when we played stick ball in the street.
In 1961, Tom Gorman
umpired one of our games
during which I hit three home runs,
the longest of which landed
on the Gorman's lawn.
Please accept my apology
but that fabricated sentence
was too nostalgically beautiful
to NOT be told.
However everything else on this page,
is gospel truth, unsure memories included.
west of them.
The tree you see used to be third base
when we played stick ball in the street.
In 1961, Tom Gorman
umpired one of our games
during which I hit three home runs,
the longest of which landed
on the Gorman's lawn.
Please accept my apology
but that fabricated sentence
was too nostalgically beautiful
to NOT be told.
However everything else on this page,
is gospel truth, unsure memories included.
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Footnotes
The TOM GORMAN mentioned on this page
bears no relation to the Tom Gorman of Whitestone.
This is what Shea Stadium looked like
in 1964:
The TOM GORMAN mentioned on this page
bears no relation to the Tom Gorman of Whitestone.
This is what Shea Stadium looked like
in 1964:
This is what it looked like
after the 2008 season:
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