Can you imagine if, in 2011, two Yankees pitchers decided to swap wives and families, as Mike Kekich and Fritz Peterson did in the seventies? Is there a limit to what some reality-TV producer would pay to chronicle that bizarre arrangement? Barring a swinger mentality on this year’s Yankees club that we are heretofore unaware of, we’ll never learn the answer to that question. But the story of Kekich and Peterson remains a fascinating one, which is why (noted Red Sox fan) Ben Affleck and his brother, Casey, are working on a script for The Trade, a movie about the pitchers’ wife-swap, and why Matt Damon may direct that film.
If they’re to make that movie though, it appears they won’t be able to count on the cooperation of Kekich. “Page Six” reports that Kekich, now living in New Mexico, is “panic-stricken” about the movie and is refusing to participate. And he’s not the only one stonewalling the filmmakers: According to the report, other Yankees from that era are also refusing to participate.
Kekich’s decision not to cooperate shouldn’t come as a surprise. As Big League Stew points out, if he wanted to cash in on his story, he could have done it long ago. And it sounds like he’s ready to move on. From “Page Six”:
He has moved away and has a new identity. He is freaked out that those working on the movie found out where he is. He isn’t too keen on having the scandal dredged up again after all this time.
Certainly, that’s his right. (Kekich and Marilyn Peterson, by the way, didn’t last, though Susanne Kekich and Fritz are still married.) But it’s possible that the filmmakers might still be able to mine one of the key participants for information, if they haven’t already: In an essay on Bronx Banter today, Bruce Markusen writes that during an interview last summer, Fritz Peterson informed him of his involvement with the movie.