Hank, the man, was a far different person than Hank, the ballplayer. (Here Below).

At the peak of his great life, a terrible thing happened to him. While writing his autobiography, he contracted a disease that would eventually prove fatal. An outstanding sportswriter had to be brought in to finish the book.

The pinch-writer couldn't salvage the manuscript and the book received only lukewarm reviews. But it wasn't a total disaster. Down toward the end, the pinch-writer finally got around to the deep, intriguing stuff: case..." letters, which Mary Jo wisely put away in her safe-deposit box. She knew she wasn't emotionally ready for it. It took her a whole year to get around to it.

We are positive Mary Jo Greenberg cried when she read the letter, and we are equally sure that none of it came as a surprise to her.

The one who was totally surprised was us. We had always felt that Hank Greenberg, the ballplayer, possessed his inner growth as an individual. Hank, the man, was a far different person than Hank, the ballplayer.

There is a famous Irish folk song that expresses a "doleful damsel's" wonderment at the changes in her "beau" back from the war: "Oh, Johnny I hardly knew ye."

That's what we felt--wonderment--after reading that marvelous letter from Hank Greenberg: "Oh, Hank I hardly knew ye."