How can you swap a dog?
One half of the New York Yankees' most bizarre trade ever has died.
Fritz Peterson, who exchanged wives and children with his teammate Mike Kekich, died Thursday at the age of 82.
The families were hanging out at former baseball writer Maury Allen's house on July 15, 1972. Apparently, that's when the teammates began to fall in love with the other's wife.
"We did that and we had so much fun together, Susanne and I and Mike and Marilyn, that we decided, ‘Hey, this is fun, let’s do it again,'" Peterson told the Palm Beach Post in 2013. "We did it the next night. We went out to the Steak and Ale in Fort Lee. Mike and Marilyn left early and Susanne and I stayed and had a few drinks and ate.
"It was just really fun being able to talk to somebody. All of us felt the same way. We went on from there and eventually he fell in love with my wife and I fell in love with his."
On March 4, 1973, the ballplayers held separate press conferences to announce they had swapped wives, kids and even their dogs — a tale the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck once hoped to turn into a movie.
Peterson remained with his new wife for the rest of his life, while Kekich and the former Mrs. Peterson didn't last all that long.
One half of the New York Yankees' most bizarre trade ever has died.
Fritz Peterson, who exchanged wives and children with his teammate Mike Kekich, died Thursday at the age of 82.
The families were hanging out at former baseball writer Maury Allen's house on July 15, 1972. Apparently, that's when the teammates began to fall in love with the other's wife.
"We did that and we had so much fun together, Susanne and I and Mike and Marilyn, that we decided, ‘Hey, this is fun, let’s do it again,'" Peterson told the Palm Beach Post in 2013. "We did it the next night. We went out to the Steak and Ale in Fort Lee. Mike and Marilyn left early and Susanne and I stayed and had a few drinks and ate.
"It was just really fun being able to talk to somebody. All of us felt the same way. We went on from there and eventually he fell in love with my wife and I fell in love with his."
On March 4, 1973, the ballplayers held separate press conferences to announce they had swapped wives, kids and even their dogs — a tale the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck once hoped to turn into a movie.
Peterson remained with his new wife for the rest of his life, while Kekich and the former Mrs. Peterson didn't last all that long.
