LoHud: Carpiniello: For former batboy Lozito, seeing stars was a dream

Lucky Lozito...while I had to machete through Jersey weeds to retrieve balls for the Cuban All-Stars.

There is the friendship with Kentucky senator Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher.

“I have a personal friend of mine at work whose sister was having a problem with an abusive husband - abusive to the children,” Lozito said. “They were tied up in courts in Kentucky, and it was a serious issue. I sent a copy of (a photo of himself with Bunning) to Jim Bunning and said to him, ‘Jim, I was the batboy for your perfect game.’ I said, ‘A lot of politicians say they want to get involved. Well, I need your help on this one.’

“And literally within three days, there was an order of protection against this guy, and that was a happy story. Stories like that, those are the things you take away from the ballgames.”

..."I was probably one of the luckiest guys in the world.”

Oh, it wasn’t all lucky. Lozito missed the Mets’ 1969 championship (and the Jets’ Super Bowl earlier that year) because his country called and he was with the 199th Infantry in Vietnam.

He still has the shrapnel in his backside, which sets off metal detectors at the airport, to remind him.

Thanks to Pete Abraham.