This particular line always caught my interest because
A. I'm not sure what it means. It just seems kind of quirky.
B. When I was a kid and first started collecting cards this specific card was my first vintage baseball card and I still have it to this day...
1960 Topps Jackie Brandt
C. Umm... I don't think I have anything for C... but I started doing this letter system and it felt stupid to not have at least a "C" option... Any who...
The reason I post about Jackie is because the wife and I went to the O's game last night and watched our beloved Orioles stomp a mudhole in the Rays beating them 9-2 with JJ Hardy hitting 2 homers both being 2 run shots. It was just a really fun game to go to. We ended up taking the light rail down to the stadium and it was packed with fans and we had to stand as there wasn't any seats available. In front of us were three people sitting including a dorky looking kid and then an elderly couple and all three were attending the game. For the first 15 minutes we all rode in silence but eventually someone broke the ice and we started talking baseball when this little kid piped up and said his grandfather used to play for the Orioles and had gotten him his ticket. The elderly lady next to him asked who he was and he said "Jackie Brandt".
Well blow me down... I told him my first vintage card ever was of his grandfather from when he was first traded from the Giants to the Orioles. That was about the extent of our conversation but it got me thinking of this card and the song I've referenced at the start of this post.
I decided to dig a little bit and apparently (which could be completely false for all I know) Jackie Brandt was nick named "Flakey" because he would Flake so to speak. Like go play 18 holes of golf when he had a double header that day. So the line in the song... "Where was Jackie Brandt, nobody knows..." is a reference to that.
By all accounts Jackie was a good ball player and was an All Star and gold glove winner. Apparently he was traded the year before the Orioles won their first World Series, a fact which his grandson had mentioned still rubs him the wrong way this day. Regardless I still love this card and now have a neat personal experience to go along with it. If you get a chance take a listen to the song... here is a link for it on the YouTubes...
Hope you enjoy the song and my post...
Till next time!
Nice! Funny how life manages to hit you with these off the wall coincidences from time-to-time.
ReplyDeleteHahaha. Thanks for sharing the song and your story. I would have to agree that my cousins can be a little dorky at times but they're awesome none the less. I've sent my grandfather the link as he loves hearing these type things. Who knows he may even know the answer? He's in town every season for a few weeks and after reading this he may even respond and ask if u want to catch a game?He's still as random and "flakey" as he was way back when so you never know.
ReplyDeleteBest,
Joshua Brandt