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Larry Hamilton
Burt and Bruce:
I grew up just around the corner from the Buckner boys (our backyards sided to each other). I'd arrived from Indiana in the 5th grade. My dad never played catch with me so I learned how to throw and catch playing pickup games with the Buckners. I watched both play baseball, all the way from little league thru high school. Bill was the greatest all around athelete I ever knew. In little league Bill went from the "farm" level straight to "majors" in a matter of a couple of weeks when he was barely old enough to play. I was playing tennis at Napa High during one of his games and he cracked one right into the tennis courts. He was also an outstanding tight end for the Napa High football tearm, and won the Cal-Hi Sports award for most valueable player his senior year. He had a tremendous sourse of support in his brother Bob, who doted on him, and was a great baseball player in his own right (and golfer). I never met a kid so proud and supportive on his little brother. Bill's record speaks for itself, I think he won the National league battling championship his rookie year!
Jimmy had a twin sister named Jan and I always saw her, and their mother Marie, at Bill's games. I never got to see Jimmy play but he was a great kid. They all were. Thanks to their mom they overcame alot of adversity (due to a father that was very hard on them).
My Ken Owens story is this. When we were both 7th graders at Ridgeview (sorry), the Napa kids didn't know us, because we came from Napa Junction Elementary. The first day we played softball in gym class, I was playing outfield, conversing with the other players and waiting for the next batter, when I realized Ken was coming up to bat. I yelled for every body to "get back!", turned and ran for the basket ball courts. Just as I ran onto the courts I turned and heard "THWAAP!". After waiting to see which cloud it would roll off (ok I made that up), I took three steps to the right and two steps forward and it landed right in my glove (hurt like hell). The backstop was located at the edge of the baseball field facing toward the gym. Not only did Ken hit it clear across that field, but he also hit it HIGH (just a speck when trying to follow it), and he did that to a softball!. I still remember the look of absolute astonishment on the faces of those kids ha ha. ;)
The "what might have been", in my mind, is combining that kind of hitting power, a pretty good throwing arm as I recall, and the kind of speed Ken had (he was one of the few guys who could crank a 5.7 in the 50 yrd dash, while most boys were in the 7s). But Ken has had an amazing life so I'll let it lie.
No need to speculate about Bill, he went out and showed us all what he was capable of. I admire him greatly, and I'm so proud of him.
Sorry about all the sports talk folks. I'm done.
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