![\"The](\"http:\/\/andydawkins.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/freight-hopping-rt-side-up.jpg\")
<\/a>The start of a good story on a rainy day<\/p><\/div>\n
About seven of us did (folks who didn\u2019t have a regular job to report to come Monday morning). Before the train pulled away the caboose man actually came upon us and invited us to stay aboard \u2013 \u201cNext stop is Willmar,\u201d he said. It was a great 100 mile ride singing songs and banging the sides of the box car, building camaraderie for the ages.<\/p>\n
When we all got off in Willmar the caboose man invited us to his girlfriend\u2019s house to spend the night. His girlfriend still lived at her mother\u2019s house and her mother actually made supper for all of us. The next day we hitchhiked back to the Twin Cities in separate groups \u2013 saying we would meet at outfielder Kava\u2019s house (who couldn\u2019t hop the freight because she was a late shift nurse). The first to arrive told Kava this amazing story and eventually the whole team was reunited, each with a different version of the whole last 24 hours. It was that night Kava first asked me to spend the night.<\/p>\n
After we broke up Kava and I stayed friends, but I did ask for my Eddie Murray baseball back \u2013 \u201cDon\u2019t know if I got it,\u201d she said. That summer I\u2019d been at the Twins game when Baltimore Orioles’ Eddie Murray made history by hitting grand slams from each side of the plate and I caught the second one \u2013 and knowing Kava hailed from Baltimore \u2013 had given it to her. Come on Kava, it’s a valuable ball!<\/p>\n
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No virus found in this message. We called the Tenants Union team the \u201cSaint Paul Riff Raff\u201d and what an eclectic group we were: Barefoot Nina played second, pg Gail was our catcher, we had a great shortstop named Maggie, nobody was forgettable. Because I knew … Continue reading
\nChecked by AVG – www.avg.com<\/a>
\nVersion: 2013.0.3462 \/ Virus Database: 3658\/6913 – Release Date: 12\/12\/13<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"