Many of you know by know that Johnny Bench sent out a tweet last Friday that he would be unable to attend the Hall of Fame ceremonies in Cooperstown this year because he has contracted COVID.
The news shouldn’t have come as a shock, given the current state of affairs going on, but when it happens to someone you know or in this case, a baseball player of incredible magnitude, it hits hard.
The outpouring for Bench on twitter wasn’t surprising despite that venue being so nasty at times. Reggie Jackson even sent a tweet wishing him well and he talked about their memories of the 1971 All-Star Game when Reggie slammed a drive off Dock Ellis that crashed into a light tower at Tiger Stadium.