When Bill Mazeroski hit one over the 408' mark at Forbes Field to beat the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth in the seventh game of the 1960 World Series, it sent Greater Pittsburgh into a paroxysm of glee that spins in us still.
For Pirate fans it became one of those indelible moments in life --we will always remember where we were and what we were doing when it happened -- except in this case, it was due to the shock of incredible
happiness, and that is rare, indeed.
A statue to that moment was unveiled in Pittsburgh Sunday between the Allegheny River and PNC Park, an immediate destination for those who wish to once more celebrate joy, posing at the knee at our beloved Maz, immortalized rounding third waving his helmet, the youngest kid on the team, a local boy who succeeded here and stayed here, a ten-time all-star who never negotiated his salary, always claiming he just felt privileged to be paid for working at what he loved, and who still walks among us with humility, brought to tears by this statue and the affection of the community, and a reminder that it's not about how much we can accumulate, but about the quality of the day.
Why should that ever get old?
copyright 2010 J. O"Brien, all rights reserved
