Fritz Peterson's book

Former Yankee and notorious wife trader publishes his memoiors as he's staring down cancer:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/18/sports/baseball/18fritz.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Good job by Joe LaPointe.

 

I sent a letter to Peterson and Kekich for a book idea I had about players who had a standout season; I asked him about his 20-win season and facing Willie McCovey in the All-Star game, but I also gently inquired about the wife swap (never heard back from Kekich). His reply (and he didn't mention any of the baseball stuff I asked about):

The players were great to us. The management was very nervous. The fans came out of their closets to write nice things but boo in the stands.

The ‘60s spilled into the ‘70s and when we did what we wanted people weren’t quite ready for it.

Had our situation happened today you may not even see it in the media.

None of us were Christians at the time and we all thought we could all better our lives changing families.

In retrospect I don’t recommend anyone do what we did, especially when children are involved, but life is gray, or at least was for us then.

[Peterson added this postscript at the bottom of his letter:]

P.S. My wife is very sensitive about this subject so I can’t formally speak to you if you don’t mind.

Really wish I got that book published as Peterson had never spoken about it before ... until now. Dang it all.

 

If a similar thing happened today between two players, it would crash the Internet surer than a Ragu post on economics. Why would Peterson think wife-swapping has become an everyday thing that would not be covered?

 

It was not wife-swapping. They exchanged familes ... completely, kids and all.
Wife-swapping is what people do at swinger's clubs.

 

My point still friggin' stands.

 

Point taken. It was a family swap. I think the dogs even moved.