baseman.” Dan
was deep into the baseball talk now and was more relaxed than David
had seen him all day. “Was he playing at Indianapolis, or was he
back in Double-A?”
“ Oh, I
think he may have spent some time in Indy,” David said, “but those
numbers I mentioned are the ones he put up with the Reds . By the end of the
year, he was much better than Denis Menke, and Menke is back in
Houston this year. Driessen is definitely the Reds’ starting third
baseman for 1974.”
Dan studied his father’s
face to see if he was kidding, but decided David was
serious.
“ Wow,” Dan said. “So Dan
Driessen won a Major League job — as a starting third baseman — and
he’s what, just a couple of years older than me?”
David nodded, “Yep,
something like that.” He could feel Dan’s tone shifting.
“ And all it took was one
shot. He made the best of it,” Dan said.
“ Yep,” David
agreed.
Dan stopped and looked at
David. “That’s all I want, Dad,” he said. “I just need a shot at
making my own life. Making a life for me and Gabbie … and
Troy.”
David smiled at his
son.
“ Can you help me, Dad? Can
you help me get my shot?”
David clasped Dan on the
shoulder and said, “I think I can, son. I think I can.”
—
The local economy was
driven by two major forces: Dunbar University, who employed about
500 people, and HBM, where another 1000 locals worked.
David had been with HBM
for nearly 20 years, working his way up from the mail room to the
assembly line to a foreman’s position. Five years ago, his boss in
manufacturing had assumed leadership over a second division,
handling account procurement for the growing mid-size business
market. When that happened, he asked David to assume the position
of assistant director, which meant a move from the warehouse to the
office suite. The new job had come with more money but also new
responsibilities that made David uneasy. He worked as hard as
always, though, and by the time he had a year under his belt, he
had proved himself to be a capable manager.
The company was doing
well, and David’s division was thriving, so he didn’t have any
qualms about asking his boss for a favor. Besides, Tom had told him
right off the bat after Dan got injured that he would do anything
he could to help the Hodges through their struggles. That had been
a relief to David, who took advantage of the offer to adjust his
work schedule in order to make it to some consultations with
doctors but who otherwise went on — at work — as usual.
David was not surprised,
then, that Tom cut him off on that Tuesday morning as he relayed
the story of Dan’s awakening. Before he could even ask, Tom made
the offer.
“ Say,
David,” Tom said. “It occurs to me, with Dan having been, um, out
of commission for nearly a year, he probably didn’t have much of a
chance to get his after-high school plans in order. So, I was
wondering if he wouldn’t be interested in signing on with us for
awhile … you know, just to get his feet wet and maybe make a little
money. Of course, it wouldn’t be a lot of money, not to start. The only
thing we have open right now is a position in the mail room. Do you
think that would be OK?”
David nodded. It was
perfect.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dad's Surprise
Every year during Dan’s
high school career, David Hodges would take a couple days of
vacation time, and he and his son would head down to Cincinnati to
watch the Reds play. Because school was in session through the
middle of May, though, they never made it to the Riverfront until
well into summer, when the pennant races were already taking shape.
In the spring of 1974, with no such constraints, and with his son
awake for the first time in nine months, David called in the rest
of his favors at work and managed to clear his schedule at the end
of the first week in April. When he and David climbed into their
truck to come home from HBM
was deep into the baseball talk now and was more relaxed than David
had seen him all day. “Was he playing at Indianapolis, or was he
back in Double-A?”
“ Oh, I
think he may have spent some time in Indy,” David said, “but those
numbers I mentioned are the ones he put up with the Reds . By the end of the
year, he was much better than Denis Menke, and Menke is back in
Houston this year. Driessen is definitely the Reds’ starting third
baseman for 1974.”
Dan studied his father’s
face to see if he was kidding, but decided David was
serious.
“ Wow,” Dan said. “So Dan
Driessen won a Major League job — as a starting third baseman — and
he’s what, just a couple of years older than me?”
David nodded, “Yep,
something like that.” He could feel Dan’s tone shifting.
“ And all it took was one
shot. He made the best of it,” Dan said.
“ Yep,” David
agreed.
Dan stopped and looked at
David. “That’s all I want, Dad,” he said. “I just need a shot at
making my own life. Making a life for me and Gabbie … and
Troy.”
David smiled at his
son.
“ Can you help me, Dad? Can
you help me get my shot?”
David clasped Dan on the
shoulder and said, “I think I can, son. I think I can.”
—
The local economy was
driven by two major forces: Dunbar University, who employed about
500 people, and HBM, where another 1000 locals worked.
David had been with HBM
for nearly 20 years, working his way up from the mail room to the
assembly line to a foreman’s position. Five years ago, his boss in
manufacturing had assumed leadership over a second division,
handling account procurement for the growing mid-size business
market. When that happened, he asked David to assume the position
of assistant director, which meant a move from the warehouse to the
office suite. The new job had come with more money but also new
responsibilities that made David uneasy. He worked as hard as
always, though, and by the time he had a year under his belt, he
had proved himself to be a capable manager.
The company was doing
well, and David’s division was thriving, so he didn’t have any
qualms about asking his boss for a favor. Besides, Tom had told him
right off the bat after Dan got injured that he would do anything
he could to help the Hodges through their struggles. That had been
a relief to David, who took advantage of the offer to adjust his
work schedule in order to make it to some consultations with
doctors but who otherwise went on — at work — as usual.
David was not surprised,
then, that Tom cut him off on that Tuesday morning as he relayed
the story of Dan’s awakening. Before he could even ask, Tom made
the offer.
“ Say,
David,” Tom said. “It occurs to me, with Dan having been, um, out
of commission for nearly a year, he probably didn’t have much of a
chance to get his after-high school plans in order. So, I was
wondering if he wouldn’t be interested in signing on with us for
awhile … you know, just to get his feet wet and maybe make a little
money. Of course, it wouldn’t be a lot of money, not to start. The only
thing we have open right now is a position in the mail room. Do you
think that would be OK?”
David nodded. It was
perfect.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dad's Surprise
Every year during Dan’s
high school career, David Hodges would take a couple days of
vacation time, and he and his son would head down to Cincinnati to
watch the Reds play. Because school was in session through the
middle of May, though, they never made it to the Riverfront until
well into summer, when the pennant races were already taking shape.
In the spring of 1974, with no such constraints, and with his son
awake for the first time in nine months, David called in the rest
of his favors at work and managed to clear his schedule at the end
of the first week in April. When he and David climbed into their
truck to come home from HBM
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