Marine Parkway – Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge

I have a lot of great memories of the Marine Parkway Bridge so it should come as no surprise that I would give it five stars. I used to fish in Jamaica Bay and the ocean, so I’ve been under the bridge moreso than over the bridge. The bridge is one of the more interesting if not more attractive bridges in Jamaica Bay being that it’s painted a pale shade of blue. I still remember that the Marine Parkway Bridge’s midsection raises up whenever sailboats or party boats go under it. Ah the memories if only I stayed in Nassau County I’d still be going under the bridge during the summer.

Gil Hodges is different. I like to think of him as an Abrahamic figure. You remember Abe? That desert best guy adored by three major faiths. Jews, Christians and Muslims think honest Abraham was quite the prophet. People like to say he «nearly clipped his son, Ike.» Maybe. But he didn’t. In these United States of America we don’t persecute people for what they might have done. Almost does not count. While religious conflict has engulfed the planet in mass bloodshed for centuries, the borough distinctions in New York have also led to sectarian hatred. Living in a borough flames our tribal instincts. That is why we need transcendent figures to bridge the gap. Jesus Christ. Martin Luther King, Jr. And yes, Gil Hodges.
Hodges was the valiant first baseman of the Brooklyn Dodgers. A member of the team’s sole championship in 1955. Steady, middle of the lineup staple for numerous pennant winners. For my money, Hodges belongs in the Hall of Fame. Barry Freakin’ Larkin is in. But that’s an argument for another day — perhaps another century. In 1957, the Dodgers departed Brooklyn for heartless Los Angeles. The same offseason, upper Manhattan’s Giants left for sunny San Francisco. From three teams in the Big Apple to only one. The Yankees.
Until 1962. That’s when we got the New York Metropolitans. Colloquially known as the Mets. After the clowning, lackluster seasons under Casey Stengel, the team based in Flushing craved success. In those first few years, the score was secondary. People were just glad to have baseball back in New York. National League baseball that is. Gil Hodges — Brooklyn’s hero — recently retired, returned as manager of the young Queens team. In 1969, the impossible happened. The Mets — 7 seasons removed from 120 losses, still a record — won the World Series. And now, Queens — just like Brooklyn before it — came to love Gil Hodges. He was there for each borough’s first championship. Gil died unexpectedly in 1972 and much of his dual borough legacy has sadly receded from memory. Make no mistake about it, he helped bring this city together. Not once. But twice.
As a man of peace and harmony, it’s appropriate that this bridge spans from Marine Park, Brooklyn to the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. Over glistening Jamaica Bay. Two boroughs that rarely agree on anything, revere the same man. Take the Belt. No, the Van Wyck. The Queensboro versus the Brooklyn. Coney Island or Rockaway Beach. Nearly everything is a point of contention. But one thing Queen and Brooklyn never argue over is their mutual love for Gil Hodges. And they never will.

Tight
Fit for
Bikes and feet
But mild slope
Makes Gil Hodges ok in my beach book.