I was discharged from the service in March and immediately reported to Bartow. In
my first meeting with Coleman he gave me a nice raise based upon the
recommendation of my previous manager, Ken Silvestri.
My locker was next to Al Downing's. We got
along quite well. Joe Pepitone and I
were battling for the starting centerfield job.
We played the Yankees AAA Denver Bears team several times as they spring
trained in Lake Wales. Pepitone hit tremendously that spring and beat me out of the job. He went to
Binghampton and I went to Greensboro.
One day after practice, a gentleman in a sport coat came
to Al Downing's and my locker and tried to sell us life insurance. The Yankees
never let outsiders in the locker room. We found out why he was permitted in
the locker room - it was Bob Feller, a WWII buddy of Coleman's, selling the
insurance. Tom Tresh and Don Lock also joined me in Greensboro.
Those were fun times. . . . . Ron Paul, St. Louis, MO
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