A Post About Yost

When I started interviewing former players, I knew, in the back of my mind, that sooner or later...well, sooner or later one of them would pass on to the great baseball diamond in the sky. Still, though I knew it would happen, especially the more guys I spoke to, it was still a shock when it happened. And sad, also.

As it turned out, Eddie Yost was the first. He passed away on October 16th, 2012. I had only spoken to him two weeks before. It must have been his last interview.

I had been trying to reach him for some time. Weeks perhaps, or more. There was never any answer. I didn't give up. I kept trying, after a while only expecting nothing more than endless ringing.

One day, to my great surprise, he answered the phone. Eddie Yost, who debuted in 1944 and became known as The Walking Man for his tendency to draw an incredible number of walks, answered the call.

We had a great conversation, close to 30 minutes long. He told lots of stories, and encouraged me to use them in my book. Eddie Yost, who'd been a coach on the 1969 Mets. He was so nice, so friendly. And then, we hung up.

After a good call, a call like the Yost call, I retain a warm glow, a happy feeling that lasts for hours afterwards. And then, before I knew it, I was reading in the newspaper of his death. It was a shock. But I would have to get used to this...in the two years I have been talking to players, more than a handful have since died. Always very sad, but sadness tempered with a feeling of gladness that I had a chance to share in their life and in their stories.

Their memory lives on in their stories. I will never forget my talk with Eddie Yost, nor with any of the others who have passed on. Their voices dance in my head, weaving tales of the basepaths of yore.