Marisa came home from L.A. to attend her cousin Tara's wedding. Tara was the flower girl when Shelly and I married. When Marisa took flight to CA, she left her softball equipment home. She pitched, caught, played every infield position.

Initially I played her where I lacked someone to do the job. When the girls began to pitch, we found my daughter framed the plate well and we developed her as a catcher; she threw out her share of baserunners.

Sometimes, I still played her at 2B or third when I thought it more important.

One day she decided she wanted to pitch. I arranged lessons. The only problem was I needed one of my best players to catch her. When she played JV, the coach played her at SS because he had no one who could catch her.

In many ways, you might also credit Marisa for me joining Gotham. More on that later.

So the morning of Marisa's evening return flight, she told me she wanted to retrieve her glove and take it to CA. I was happy at that. But then she also found my glove and said she needed to take it with her as well; so she would have a mitt for a friend to play catch with her.

My mitt dates back to my playing days. I restrung it at least three times. There were a number of times Marisa chose to use her Dad's glove over her glove.

I emailed our tribal leader – who all know still plays softball. A simple message Fred received: “also need to talk to you. Marisa wants to return to CA with not just her glove, but MINE!”

Fred replied, “I would be honored if my son wanted my glove!”

My replies, “but to take it (with hers) to CA and leave me without one?” and “Oh and I've had that glove about 35 years, maybe longer; restrung it 3x!”

Fred insisted, “Let it go, maybe there's a screenplay in it.” Marisa graduated SUNY Purchase with a B.F.A. and justified her move to L.A., just outside West Hollywood, based on an ambition to become a screenwriter.  Fred knows that.

Then Fred queried, “When is your birthday?” I asked why. He suggested that Shelly purchase me a new glove for my birthday

I thanked Fred for his “guidance on this most very important matter!” I also suggested he has a blog. He thought otherwise. As did Leslie Tayne who was a star player when she was in school. We had exchanged some emails during this “crisis” and I mentioned the outcome. Her reply “Funny…you should blog it!” I think Leslie got it right: “I have let me son take over my glove from high school…it’s such a riot to see him play with it with all of the memories I have from that glove.”

My glove has a new home in CA.

Maybe I will replace it.

It was softball that got me in Gotham. Fred mentioned his coaching and playing while empaneled at one of the Michael Garibaldi (congrats on his being named a top accountant by NYER) Israeloff CLE that Lisa Waterman (congrats on being named CMO there) organizes.

It made me approach him after the program.

He asked what I did. I told him.

He turned to Lisa.....next thing I know I am attending Gotham LI Legal.

In fact, when Gotham Wilburys travel to Princeton, it will be virtually the eve of my anniversary with Gotham. Indeed, we seem to celebrate it on every trip to the Princeton group.