39 years ago today, we lost John Lennon.
Dec 8th of 1980, Lennon was shot and killed by a crazed fan. It was the second time in two years that I lost a hero. The year before we lost Yankee team captain Thurman Munson in an airplane crash.
In the winter of 1977, I would meet Lennon, and his wife, Yoko Ono in Central Park. I was jogging through the park with Reggie Jackson when we ran into them on the west side of the park. Lennon actually recognized Reggie and seemed quite impressed.
Reggie had just had the big World Series, so his fame was at an all-time high. Reggie was actually quite flattered at the fact that the most famous Beatle knew who he was. The conversation was short but sweet. It was nice to see Mr. October almost humbled by the incredible John Lennon.
Years later I was fortunate to have had several meetings with Paul McCartney. I enjoyed talking to him about meeting Lennon. They say it’s not always good to meet your heroes because you may not like what you find, however I have never been disappointed.