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By Chris Gutierrez / Los Angeles Dodgers

Randy James has led Queens' Francis Lewis High School to seven straight playoff appearances. (Gemini Photography)

Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., in the 1950s, Felder "Randy" James' heroes were the Brooklyn Dodgers, and for the young James, there was one player who stood above the rest. That Dodgers star was center fielder, and future Hall of Famer, Duke Snider. In honor of his hero, James wore Snider's No. 4 on the back of his Little League uniform.

The Dodgers have long since left Brooklyn, but James' "love affair," as he calls it, with the Dodgers and the game of baseball has never waned. In fact, it's stronger than ever.

So you can imagine the emotions running through the 56-year-old James during the past week as he participated in the 43rd Los Angeles Dodgers Adult Baseball Camp at Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla. Among the ex-Dodgers serving as instructors were four former Brooklyn standouts: Ralph Branca, Carl Erskine, Clem Labine and Snider, with James once again paying tribute to the Dodgers slugger by having the No. 4 adorn his camp jerseys.

"This has been just wonderful. Words can't describe what this week has been for me," said James, a retired English teacher and basketball coach as well as the current varsity baseball coach at Queens' Francis Lewis High School. "To have a chance to be here with these great players, and to be able to speak with Duke and tell him what he meant to me -- I am living a dream.

"I did meet Duke once before, when he was signing at a Brooklyn shopping mall. I remember waiting 2 1/2 hours, and when I got to the front of the line -- even though there were 100 people behind me -- he took the time to talk with me. That meant a lot to me."

For Snider, the Dodgers' all-time leader in home runs and RBIs, the feeling is mutual.

"It's amazing to me how we're still remembered despite how long it's been," said Snider, an instructor at 37 Dodgers camps. "Little did we realize when we were playing back then that, after all these years, we'd have a lasting impact. It's a tremendous thrill when someone like Randy tells you how much you meant to them because it's genuine."

James became a Dodgers fan in 1955, when he was just 7 years old. It was a magical year for the ballclub as the Dodgers claimed their first World Series title, and their only crown in Brooklyn.

"I remember the neighborhood exploding like the Fourth of July," said James, a Queens resident who has guided the Francis Lewis baseball team to seven consecutive playoff appearances. "I fell in love with the Dodgers. The following year I went to nine games at Ebbets Field. I had this little seven-inch, black-and-white TV, and I would put all my Dodger baseball cards around the TV."

Then the unthinkable happened. Following the 1957 campaign, the Dodgers departed for the West Coast. Unlike others, James didn't bail out on his beloved Dodgers. His loyalty stayed intact, despite the fact that they resided on the opposite end of the country.

"When my mom and dad told me they were leaving, I didn't really know what that meant," James said. "I didn't realize as a kid what kind of impact that would have on my life. I didn't know that would mean I wouldn't be able to watch them on TV anymore.

"The first year they were gone, they would re-create the games on radio. You're talking about games on the West Coast that were starting very late, but I would be there with my flashlight under the covers, listening to every game. It took my mom two months to figure out why I was so sleepy every morning."

Although he saw friends drift away from the Dodgers, especially when the New York Mets came into existence, James could not stay away because as he says, "the Dodgers have been a central part of my life. If you came to my house, there would be no doubt that I'm a Dodger fan. All over there's pictures and other memorabilia, things that are valuable to me. I still feel a tinge when I drive down Bedford Avenue past Gil Hodges' house.

"I go to Shea Stadium about 20 times a year and root for the Mets -- except when they're playing the Dodgers," said James, who has also seen the Dodgers play at Dodger Stadium approximately 15 times. "There are four of us from our school that are Dodger fans, and if they're playing close by, we'll go see them. We've gone to Philadelphia, Boston; we wear our Dodger jerseys. We've learned to take a lot of abuse."

Among that quartet is Bill Stolfi, who retired as assistant principal of Francis Lewis High School in 2002, and as a retirement gift, money was collected to send Stolfi to the Dodgers Adult Camp. James planned on joining him, but things didn't work out. This fall, things did work out and James joined Stolfi at Dodgertown -- with his wife Beth's blessing, of course.

"This is something I really wanted to do," said James, the father of two daughters. "My wife could have come up with a lot of other things that the money could have been spent on, but she looked in my eyes, saw how much it meant to me and said 'Go.'

"What a great time. The veteran campers have been so nice, making us rookies feel at home. The instructors have been great. I'll be thinking about this for a long time."

Now having spent a memorable week in Florida, along with the lasting memories, he takes home with him a valuable lesson which he plans to use with the players he coaches.

"I learned to have more compassion for the kids," James said. "I used to get down on them and yell at them for making errors, striking out, not making the plays. Then I come down here, and in the camp games, I'm making the same mistakes I'd yell at them for. You realize quickly that your body isn't what it used to be."

The 44th Dodgers Adult Camp is scheduled for Feb. 6-12, 2005. In celebration of the Brooklyn Dodgers' 1955 World Championship, five members of that team will serve as instructors -- Ralph Branca, Roger Craig, Carl Erskine, Clem Labine, Johnny Podres, Duke Snider and Don Zimmer. For information, call 1-800-334-PLAY.

Chris Gutierrez is coordinator of baseball information for the Los Angeles Dodgers. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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