Performer: U2
Songwriters: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.
Original Release: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Year: 2004
Definitive Version: None
After Torch Lake, I had one
more research trip before I was to head to Los Angeles and write my book—to
Cooperstown.
Anyone who works on a
baseball book should make the trip to the Giamatti library at the Hall of Fame
just on general principle. I knew, however, that it would be invaluable in
relation to biographical research—certainly at least No. 2 behind the now sadly
departed Sporting News archives and its collection of clip files (the fate of
which is unknown after Baseball America bought out the once-venerable
publication).
In January 2005, I set up my
trip. I first made arrangements to visit the Giamatti library itself, which you
have to do ahead of time. (You typically can’t just drop in, like at a regular
library.) I told the folks there what I was planning and what files I wanted to
go through, and they put me on the schedule to visit in February 2005.
Then I needed to secure my
place of residence. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend, and my choices were
limited by the season. The Hall of Fame and therefore Cooperstown itself
doesn’t do much business in the winter. Through a chamber of commerce site, I
landed on Countryside Lodging outside of town.
They had the Commissioners’
Suite available. It was a two-bedroom suite with a living room and full kitchen
and normally $500 a week. Yikes! In the winter, however, it was half-price.
Although that still was slightly more than I had hoped to pay, $250 per week
(about $35 per night) wasn’t a bad deal, and I booked a three-week stay.
The start of the month was
hectic. I went to Chicago the first weekend to see Laurie, and we had a rather
eventful visit, as I’ll recount at a later time. Then, the night before I left
Columbus, I watched Casey score the winning goal in overtime to help Upper
Arlington advance in the regional tournament.
The next day, I packed up
enough clothes for a three-week stay, my computer and two boxes of files as
part of my planned workload. On Monday-Friday, I would be at the Archives from
the time it opened to the time it closed, but I wanted to maximize my time, so
inscribing notes was one thing to work on.
My first stop was Cleveland.
To further fill my hours, I decided to stop at the Cleveland library—my card
remained valid—and take out several books. I could read them during the evening
and weekend and drop them off on my return. A stop-off in Cleveland also would
break up the drive.
I called friends and asked
about the use of their guest room. It was available, and the rates were right
(i.e., free). After a day at the CPL and a night in Little Italy at a great
restaurant called La Dolce Vita Bistro, which showed the movie of the same name
on the walls in an endless loop, I was on my way.
Typically, I like to drive
across New York on U.S. 20. But, given the weather—snow buried New York after a
couple heavy January snowstorms—I didn’t want to take any chances on access. It
would be the Thruway the whole way, even with the toll. Besides, I wanted to
get to Cooperstown as quickly as possible. From Cleveland, that meant about an
seven-hour trip.
The drive was one I’ll never
forget. Before long, the landscape became an endless pristine white blanket
broken only by the black jots of trees, gray of bushes and whatever houses or
buildings I passed. As the sun began to set, the sky turned pink and purple,
adding to the shivery winter hues.
Occasionally, the
snow-covered fields were broken up by hills where the road-builders blasted
through rock to cut the highway. Here, the gray slate showed the season in
frozen cascades that shimmered in the fading sunlight.
It turned out to be one of
the most picturesque drives I ever took, and during a huge chunk of New York, I
had on How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Dave made me a CD copy (for archiving
purposes, of course) soon after it was released, and I saved it for this drive.
I specifically remember this particular song and how even though I was heading
to my City of Blinding Light, I was missing Laurie something fierce.
But I kept myself focused on
the task ahead. I had a lot of work to do, and … I’m going to Cooperstown to do
it. I was lonely, but I was giddy at the same time. This was going to be a
once-in-a-lifetime experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment