John "Flash" Flaherty : behind the scenes, behind the mask
(Book)

"Twenty-four-year-old John Flaherty was at his home in West Nyack, NY, in early April preparing for a trip to Pawtucket to start his AAA season with the Boston Red Sox. It was 10:45 a.m. when he got the call. The big league club had an injury to one of their catchers, and John was going to the big leagues for the first time. It wasn't just any game; it was Opening Day at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees hosting the Red Sox at 1:00. John's toughest battle was fighting the bumper to bumper traffic, finally reaching the player's lot at 12:30 where the first policeman he met manning the player's gate would not let him enter. No major leaguer drove a somewhat beat up miniwagon that John had navigated to that point. The Flash went to the back of his car and took out his Red Sox bag to prove he was indeed part of the organization. He got the okay to proceed, quickly signed his major league contract in the clubhouse, and made his way to the third baseline just in time to hear his name announced by public address announcer, Bob Sheppard, and look up in the stands at 56,000 people." -- Back cover.