Recalling Memories of an American Hero

Thank you to Josh Getlin (“Ode to a Private Man,” May 10), for taking me back to the summer of ’63 and evenings spent listening to Vin Scully. On birthday No. 10--May 11, 1963--my dad took me to the ballgame and we watched with rapt amazement as Sandy Koufax pitched his third no-hitter.

I admit that I read this article hoping for some new insight into the very “private man,” but was gratified to find only the hero of 1963.

HELGA BERGTHOLD

Fountain Valley

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Reading Josh Getlin’s Koufax article brought back fond memories of the Koufax era. Like Mr. Getlin, I was also a left-handed Jewish kid (growing up in Orange County) who idolized Koufax. I remember lying in bed--pretending to sleep--with a radio near my ear listening to Vin and Jerry Doggett call the game with Koufax (or Drysdale, Osteen, etc.) on the mound.

As a 12-year-old, I was fortunate to be at Dodger Stadium to see Sandy pitch his last game in the 1966 World Series, although the Dodgers lost the game and the series. Regardless of his quest for privacy, Koufax was truly a hero to me. Mr. Getlin, thanks for the memories.

MITCHELL BLAKE

Culver City