But it just so happens that I’ve heard from three people this week — all with stories about, or an interest in, Johnny Hodapp. One particularly encouraging e-mail came today, on what would have been Hoddy’s 103rd birthday.

Coincidence? Serendipity? Divine Intervention? I’m not ruling out any of them.

So I’m inspired to get on a more regular regimen of updating this site. Last week, I finished copying and preserving my grandmother’s scrapbook of old newspaper clippings that’s a wonderful trove of information about Hodapp’s career and the era in which he played.

I also got a very nice e-mail from someone who was a 10-year-old boy when he met Hoddy in the 1960s and heard stories about his career. More on that later.

And sometimes, little scraps of information seem to come out-of-the-blue, almost as whispers from long-dead contemporaries.

Here’s one: An obituary in the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum on Wednesday recaps the life of Jane F. Smith — who had an intriguing connection to Hodapp:

Jane’s late husband, Hugh, who preceded her in death in 1980, was a roommate of two Cleveland Indians, Johnny Hodapp and Clint Brown. He became close friends with many of the Cleveland Indians who won the 1948 World Series, including Kenny Keltner, Mel Harder, Bob Lemon, Al Lopez, and Lou Boudreau.

There’s got to be some fascinating stories behind that one. I’d love to hear from Hugh Smith’s family about how that came to be.

Makes you wonder how many other stories might still be out there.