I love my Dunkin' Donut Shop

I love my Dunkin' Donut Shop.

Not just because of the coffee and an occasional (well, maybe I should say daily routine of a plain, but no frills, donut and coffee), but for the "conversations" I seem to have with the folks who are there for a similar partaking of the above mentioned "simply pleasures" of  life.

At my age, which dangerously approaches the ripe old age of 70 (actually just a few months away from 68), I enjoy rehashing "the old days" with the person, or persons, next to me. Everyone has a story to tell and it seems I'm just the fella who will listen and then, on some occasions, head home, open up the trusty laptop and document the experience I just had with the individual, or individuals, across from me -- or my next victims, if you will.

Case in point: This morning I struck up a conversation with a man and his wife. It all starting out similar to other conversations I've had in the past. The man had a shirt on which mentioned the World Golf Championships (I didn't catch the year). He had a baseball hat on and his sporty sunglasses were attached to the brim.

Turns out, as it usual does, he loves golf (a 4-handicap) and BASEBALL. And has the story goes, he played for coach Ray Adkins at Tucson High School in 1965...back in the days of Eddie Leon.

I, of course, played at Catalina High School and graduated in 1963.

What followed was a constant barrage of names of local athletes from the past who, we either knew, or played alongside of, in the mid 60s.

The gentleman's name is David Byars, but his name had been changed (another story, for maybe another meeting over a cup of coffee), and he was better known in his "playing days" as David Seastrom.

I, of course, invited him to visit one of our Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) games at Udall Park with hopes of maybe getting him to join our 60-and-over baseball club, the oldest senior baseball organization in the country.

As a young boy, Seastrom lived in Marana, Arizona and played baseball alongside the likes of Paul Robinson, Cleo Robinson and Rich Hinton. Of course, my eyes were wide open as I listened attentively to that part of the conversation, because, I too knew of those men, especially, Paul. I went to college with Paul Robinson at Eastern Arizona Junior College. I followed Paul's career after EAJC. He went on to Arizona, played football just one year as a Wildcat, signed with Cincinnati and was the rookie of the year in his first season as a professional running back in the NFL.

Well, I could go on and on. We talked for an hour or so and then we all went our separate ways.

I love my donut shop.