This was near the end of a magnificent American life, and he’d been battling lung and prostate cancer for some time, but Pee Wee Reese was absolutely going to get in the car and make the drive from Louisville to Kansas City. The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum was honoring his dear friend Jackie Robinson, and Reese knew that meant seeing so many friends from the old days. 

So of course the conversation eventually turned to Brooklyn, to the Dodgers, to the love affair between borough and baseball team that was still so close to so many hearts, even then, 41 years after the team shoved out west for LA. 

“Wait Till Next Year,” Reese said, shaking his head, smiling thinly. “Sounds so quaint. Sounds so sporting. ‘Hey, we lost to the Yankees again? Well, just wait till next year! We’ll get ’em then!’ ” 

The smile vanished now.