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>Joe's Mom and #1 Cam |
My mother was madly in love with former Boston Bruins star Cam Neeley. There were several minor problems. They had at least a 60 year difference in age. And, half the women who followed the Bruins at that time were also in love with him. Plus, Cam had recently became engaged to another woman. My mother noted that but that did not bother her in the least. Finally, my mother had never met Cam Neeley. But, no none of this mattered. She would talk incessantly about her Darling Cam was clearly her Number 2 sports heart throb of all time with only Her Teddy (Williams) surpassing her Darling Cam. So, when Cam Neeley actually came to the Augusta Civic Center one warm late Summer day sponsered by some Hockey Company, I had to convinced my dear wife and Cookie our dog to come with me in search of an autograph from Cam for my mother Dorothy Pearl Pickering. When we got there, I alone went to the Civic Center and lo and behold there were several thousand kids milling about..all with the same idea...get an autograph from the great Cam. I went back to my wife in the car and explained it could take hours to get that autograph. She didn't mind and said she would sit under a tree with Cookie and read a book. I plowed back into the Civic Center and got in line. And what a line, it stretched from one end of the civic center to the other and upstairs and around and around. Here I was in a line of hundreds of kids all appeared to be ten years old with Hockey Jerseys, Face masks, Hockey sticks, and everything relating to hockey and I was in the midst of them. Only, I was different. I towered above all of them holding a single baseball. Sometimes, I tried to hide it being a little embarassed and wondering what are people thinking. Also, there was not an adult in the line only me and my baseball and my mission. I figured my mother whose first love was baseball would appreciate a signed baseball from Cam Neeley above most treasures in life. So, I waited and waited. We all waited and the line moved slowly forward and up the stairs and around and around and around until finally, we went into a huge room and there way at the front was the great Cam Neeley. He was sitting at a large table flanked by a couple of guys and he was signing away everything that was put before him. Above him was a big sign that said something like Please don't talk with Cam Neeley. This company had obviously hired Cam to come and they wanted to get their money's worth. It was costing everybody $6.00 an autograph. He had never looked up at anyone. His eyes were riveted to whatever he was signing. He didn't look right or left only down. He was always very busy signing away. Five minutes later, then 10 then another five minutes passed and now I was directly in front of Cam. Even though the sign said Don't talk to Cam.. I gambled and took a chance. I blurted out loudly, "Cam my mother is 86 years old and she is in love with you. Will you please sign this baseball and write TO DOT.... Cam finished signing the baseball then did something he had not done with anybody else. HE LOOKED UP and said,"Do you spell Dot with two T's? No, I said but that's o.k. Cam went further he said, TELL HER I'M SORRY...After, I walked away, I looked at the baseball. Cam had signed Dot with two t's. But, so what. Maybe he couldn't spell Dot but he sure in hell could play hockey and he was a good sport too. Besides, my mother loved her baseball signed by her Darling Cam BUT EVEN MORE THAN THE BASEBALL SHE LOVED CAM SAYING TO HER....TELL HER I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!!! |
Joe's Mom and Cam Neely |
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