Six Degrees of Separation

by Just_Lin

Today I did what I do on many days; I had lunch at Kerri's Coffee Shop. I'm considered to be a regular there, as are many other people. I was sitting in a booth, as I usually do, and was reading my book and eating my meal when I happened to look up just in time to see Dante enter the restaurant. Dante Santora is as cute as a button and is in his early 90s. He greeted me in his usual cheerful, outgoing manner and, after a few pleasantries, he took a seat at the counter next to another "regular", Bill.

Instead of returning to my book, my thoughts wandered to Dante. It always lifts my spirits to see Dante. There's always a big smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He's always neatly dressed in a plaid cotton sport shirt and pullover v-neck sweater and, of course, the requisite baseball cap. If it's really cool, he'll be wearing his San Francisco Giants jacket.

Dante seems to have an endless number of entertaining tales to tell about the early days of baseball in San Francisco. See, Dante grew up in the Italian neighborhood of the City known as North Beach. He spent many boyhood hours playing ball in the streets and in local parks with the DiMaggio brothers, Joe and Dom, as well as many other old-time ballplayers, most of which are now long gone.

Before there ever was a team called the San Francisco Giants, there was the San Francisco Seals. Joe DiMaggio started his professional career playing ball with the Seals and Dante was a scout for the club. Oh, the stories that Dante tells of the old days. Back then, they played for the love of the game. There were no big salaries. Players had to hold regular jobs in the off season in order to make a living.

I think all of us know that Joe DiMaggio was married to Norma Jean Baker (Marilyn Monroe) for a short time. Dante once showed me a photo copy he has of Norma Jean DiMaggio's U.S. Army Commissary I.D. card. That's what I was thinking about today as I sat in Kerri's Coffee Shop. That, and the fact that Marilyn Monroe later had relationships with Robert Kennedy and John F. Kennedy.

That's when it dawned on me! There are only three degrees of separation between me and Bobby and John Kennedy!

What about you? Is there a connection between you and someone famous in six degrees or less?