Brown: In search of Halicki, Hector and Howdy: The strangest tale you’ve ever heard about the 1970s Giants
From Daniel Brown at The Athletic on August 23, 2019, on SABR member Charles Fracchia:
Standing on the doorstep of the Chicago postal worker he’d come halfway across the country to find, Charles Fracchia Jr. took a deep, happy breath. After 35 years of chasing down his childhood favorites for autographs, the last 1979 Giants player on his to-do list was on the other side of the door. All Fracchia had to do was press the doorbell, and he did so with an air of finality.
He began this quest at age 15. He was now 50, dressed in his finest throwback Johnnie LeMaster jersey and waiting for an obscure Giants outfielder to open his door.
“This is it. This is the end,’’ Fracchia thought.
There was no answer. Fracchia found this disconcerting. He glanced at the house number, then double-checked it against the crumpled address in his hand.
“Oh, Hector owns the place,’’ the neighbors across the street finally explained, watching from a porch swing. “But that’s his rental property. He doesn’t live there.”
Read the full article here (subscription required): https://theathletic.com/1131390/2019/08/23/in-search-of-halicki-hector-and-howdy-the-strangest-tale-youve-ever-heard-about-the-1970s-giants/
Originally published: August 26, 2019. Last Updated: August 26, 2019.