People Who Love To Talk
September 12, 2022
Years ago, I remember Reggie Jackson relaying an interesting exchange between himself and then-Oakland A’s owner Charlie Finley.
“Charlie, why don’t you hire a general manager?” asked Jackson.
“Reggie, people in baseball love to talk. If I ever want to know something about a player, all I have to do is call a general manager and he’ll tell me everything I want to know,” replied Finley.
Finley was right.
But it’s not just people in baseball who love to talk.
Take the case of someone who lives around the corner from me. For the sake of discussion, let’s call him Jeff.
I was walking down the street when Jeff was bringing out his garbage. Then he started talking to me. Make that talking at me. And during the next 20-minute mostly one-way exchange, I learned the following about Jeff, a man I’ve never met or seen before:
- Along with a grandparent of one of the kids, he coached a local elementary school basketball team and led them to the playoffs, where they were beaten by St. Davids. They had a really good coach, he said. I did not mention, nor did I get the opportunity to mention that a guy across the street from me works as a teacher at the school in St. Davids.
- He has two degrees, one in political science, the other has something to do with geology.
- He is retired and is living on his pension, which he’s received cost-of-living increases on. He, like many others, is really feeling the pinch of inflation.
- His son works in Hamilton and commutes from Niagara Falls because it’s cheaper to live in the Falls than in Hamilton.
- His wife is originally from Winnipeg and her father worked at the CN shops.
- He used to be a Tiger-Cats season ticket holder, but he gave up his season tickets after the 2019 season because they wouldn’t let him bring a box of chocolates through the gates one night. They wanted him to throw out the chocolates, but he went and hid them somewhere outside the stadium and after the game, he went back to retrieve them. Later, his son called the office and told them why Jeff wasn’t coming back.
- He still has his Tiger-Cat jersey, but he doesn’t wear it much anymore.
- He and his wife honeymooned in Quebec. They really treat you nice there, he said. And the food is great.
- He is a member of the Grantham Lions and invited me to join them for dinner. The first two are free, he said. And as far as the Lions are concerned, they don’t care about your religious affiliation. They’ll even take Muslims. Just as long as you understand that there’s a boss and it’s not you.
He wound up his oratory by saying we would get together for coffee or tea. Without asking how to contact me.
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