Every night as Regents day approached, I would go to sleep replaying those great moments from the previous fall in my mind and they inspired me to work harder than I had ever worked on anything in school before or after the great geometry crossroads. Gradually, things began to make sense, and when I showed up to take that test I wasn’t in my seat alone. Gil Hodges, his coaching staff, and those 25 special players were with me, and believe it or not, with no crib notes, cheating or any such shenanigans, I pulled off a test score of 87! A passing grade was 65. I actually turned that geometry textbook into the ‘69 Baltimore Orioles. I’m not sure that my entire year’s worth of test scores before the Regents even added up to 87, but 40 years later I remain firmly convinced that there is no way I would have passed that test without the inspiration and motivation provided by the 1969 Mets.
You’re so corny, Howie, but I love your wit, insight, and passion.
