Guys,

My name is Stephen Hart and I'm a sportswriter for the Staten island
Advance daily newspaper in NYC. I've also been a longtime member of
this group -- though I haven't posted before.

I'm 43 years old, and one of my first recollections of my childhood
was of my mom dragging me by the hand from kindergarten after school
and racing home in the fall of 1969 to watch the Mets win the World
Series. It's a cherished memory and one I have Gil Hodges to thank
for.

I've been a sportswriter at my newspaper since 1989, and I am
currently working on a story that I would like some feedback on. This
year is the 50th anniversary of the first summer without the Dodgers
and Giants in NYC. I know last year, a lot of publications did
stories
on the golden anniversary of their last seasons in New York; I'm
looking to do a 50th anniversary story on what it was like for the
fans who were left behind. Did they continue to root for the Giants &
Dodgers, even though they were on the West Coast? Did they actually
switch over to the Yankees? Did they give up on rooting for baseball?
Or did they bide their time and wait to cheer on the Mets starting in
1962?

Since I'm betting that there are a few former Brooklyn Dodger fans
(or
maybe even ex-Giants fans) in this group -- or you might know people
who fit the bill -- I was hoping to speak with you for my story. You
can either correspond with me via this site or you can email me at
either my home email address (vikmetrang@...) or work address
(hart@...).

If you were a Dodgers (or Giants) fan 50 years ago, I want to know
what the summer of 1958 was like for you, and who you were rooting
for. I'd especially like to hear from either Staten Island residents
or former residents. But even if you're not, I'd still like to hear
what you have to say.

Email me and, if you really have an interesting story, I'll try to
set
up a phone interview with you and have your quotes in my story.

Thanks again,
Stephen Hart

If you want to read some of my sports blogs that I've written, go
to ...
http://blog.silive.com/sportsspotlight/stephen_hart/