Seely waged major warfare with Duke, a friend and co-worker from Newburyport, Mass. who was a diehard Red Sox fan. Whenever they watched a game together, Seely and the Duke would battle for the privilege of sitting in the "lucky chair" – a title that didn't stay with one chair over time, but was simply whichever chair one of them sitting in while his team had the lead. If the Yankees were leading and Seely went to the bathroom, he would often come back and find the Duke sitting in his chair, looking triumphant. The only retaliation conceivable to Seely? Take the chair back by force. "We fought three-hour wars, collapsing the armrests and opening huge wounds in the upholstery," Seely wrote.
