The Barber Shoppe

No man is rich enough to buy back the past.” – Oscar Wilde.

With baseball still on hold, that quote certainly rings true, however, vivid memories at unexpected times can flood the present.

Driving home from an errand the other night, I happened to turn the car radio to AM 570 and heard this, “Its time for Dodger baseball.” That iconic start to a game on the radio from announcer Vin Scully.

“How is this possible,” I thought? There are no baseball games right now. And Vin Scully is retired!

That familiar voice on the radio however immediately took me back . . .

Cuba, Il., the early 1960s, Main Street Barber Shop.

You see, as a young boy, my first memory of Major League Baseball was not a game on television or a visit to a Major League park. The “game” was always background noise, from an old Zenith AM radio, on a green shelf, in our local barbershop, tuned to 720 WGN Chicago.

Monthly, my father would take my brothers and me for our haircuts to Main Street Barber Shop in Cuba. Its proprietor Bernard Lyons, the locals called him Cocky Lyons (never knew why), he was a rabid Cubs fan.

The ole' timers would congregate at the Shoppe to sit, listen to the game, and sometimes get a shave and a haircut. The sweet smell of Vitalis filled the air, the jars of blue liquid with combs on the shelf, and of course conversations about the plight of the Chicago Cubs.

Listen carefully and you can hear the sounds of that era - “Double play! “Number 10 Ron Santo makes a spectacular unassisted double play at third from a line drive off the bat of Cardinals left fielder Curt Flood!” Shouts Cubs’ announcer Jack Brickhouse.

It's funny, what makes that memory so vivid was my youngest brother's reaction to the barbershop visit. It was always a traumatic experience for him.

“Well, Doc what'll it be for these boys, the usual?”

“Yes sir, they love the crew cut.”

My brothers always got the dreaded crew cut. And they hated it!

Anyway, muffled discussions could be heard, as patrons chewed the fat, "Santo is the best third basemen in baseball.”

“No, I'm afraid you're wrong, it's Ken Boyer, of the Cardinals," – instantly a hushed silence as the voice on the radio suddenly came to life - “Homerun Ernie Banks!

Cocky would pause from his work as my brother squirmed in the barber chair wailing, with tears streaming down his cheeks.

Me, I listened and calmly waited for my turn. Knowing that if my curly hair was cut too short Dad would never hear the end of it from Mom.

Hmmm, thinking back, this just might be the traumatic experience that compelled my brother to become a Cardinals fan?

Isn’t it funny what triggers a memory, a sound, a smell, the announcement of a baseball game on the radio! Guess I should make an appointment to get my haircut - it's going on four months now.

This is Patrick Ball, thanks for listening. See you in the next episode.

Comments

Russell Shor said…

Nothing like Baseball to revive memories. Like you Cubs fans, we Phillies fans measured our season dreams by small victories -- Richie Ashburn batting .300 or the team breaking .500 for the season.

June 27, 2020 at 1:55 PM

Patrick Ball said…

Absolutely, thanks, Russ. My favorite player during that Era had to be Ernie Banks - Mr. Cub.

June 28, 2020 at 5:32 AM

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