Gaslamp Ball Book Club: Dick Enberg on Drysdale and Divorce

Oh My!  It's been a while since our book club last met, December of 2009 to be exact, but this is why books have dust jackets. 

You've all been waiting so patiently.  I haven't received one email from you guys insisting that our book club meet again.  Not a peep. You must have known I've been busy, thanks for understanding. You guys are the best!

Tonight we pick up where we left off, Chapter 7 of Dick Enberg: Oh My!  In this chapter Enberg talks about his broadcast and personal relationship with Don Drysdale.  On the field Drysdale was a rough and tough Hall of Famer.

"Off the field, however, he was as sweet as country honey."

Mmm. Makes you wonder just how good it tastes, no?  Enberg doesn't elaborate.

After road games Drysdale and Enberg would go to the local watering hole and "sprinkle the infield dirt".  Drysdale refused to let anybody else pay for their drinks.  Enberg remembers:

As 2:00 a.m. approached, with foam oozing out of every body orifice, I  was often slumped behind five or six bottles of beer, most of them completely full.

Enberg shares stories about how he would try to catch Drysdale off guard and take advantage of him when he had had  few drinks. He'd needle him with questions.  Questions like how would he load up his balls with spit. That cheeky Drysdale never told him.

It sounds like they shared some very special times together.  Unfortunately Drysdale died prematurely at the age of 56.

More heartbreak appears at the end of the chapter.  In 1973 when Enberg was on his way to the store, his wife blurted out "I don't love you anymore." She had been feeling that way for two years, but it wasn't until then that she verbalized it. It was the worst time of his life.  He spent many dark days alone and only found relief in his work.  They divorced in 1975.

Discussion Questions:

1. Enberg has called 6 no-hitters in his career. Do you think Enberg believes that a broadcaster can jinx a game by mentioning the no-hitter in progress?
2. Enberg said he took Angels games "way too seriously" back then. Does Enberg take Padres games just as seriously? He said:
   

   "I just hated it when the Angels lost.  I desperately wanted them to be like the Dodgers and win, because our audience would be bigger, the crowds would be larger, and the entire atmosphere would be more exciting."

3. Do you think Enberg will bounce back after his 1975 divorce?