A YEAR OF COINCIDENCES

6/25/2023

A YEAR OF COINCIDENCES

Congratulations to outstanding judicial law clerk Andrea. She was called to the Bar of The Law Society of Ontario this past Friday.

It’s been a strange year of coincidences for me as many long-term group members know. During her year of providing exceptional legal work to the court, Andrea was witness to, and involved in, a number of these notable coincidences.

Among the most significant was when I posted a picture of my daughter Courtney on her birthday (Feb. 14.). Andrea saw the post and realized she had been Courts’ residence don 10 years ago at the University of Toronto! It was an insane moment.

As Andrea wraps up her time with us this week I thought it appropriate to relay a story of bizarre coincidence that ties in to yesterday’s posting re YO LA TENGO as it too involves baseball player RICHIE ASHBURN.

[Ed. Note- rex- How In the world can a daily indie posting involve a baseballl player who last played in 1962? rex- It does. Read on.]

The story starts in 1957 with Philadelphia Bulletin sports editor EARL ROTH. His wife ALICE was a big baseball fan and often attended games. [Ed. Note- Back then it could have been Athletics or Phillies by the way.]

On August 17, 1957 she attended the Phillies- Giants game with two grandsons. What follows is one of the strangest things to ever occur in baseball history.

While batting, Ashburn sliced a foul ball that unfortunately went into the press box and struck Alice in the nose. Ouch. Given what happened, attendants came in and they got her on a stretcher to take her for medical attention.

The game resumed. ASHBURN then fouled off another pitch into the stands. And….?

IT STRUCK AND BROKE MRS. ROTH’S LEG WHILE THEY WERE TAKING HER OUT OF THE AREA!!! Incomprehensible.

This bit of insanity actually made it onto JEOPARDY.