Jaws Is Still (And Will Always Be) My Favorite Movie

I’ll never forget June 20, 1975. The date is permanently tattooed on my brain for two reasons. First, it was the day that I turned six. If I shut my eyes, I can still picture my birthday haul from that year: A brand-new three-speed and a factory-sealed box of Topps baseball cards. The bike is memorable mainly for being purple—a color I would have never chosen. The cards, however, were an absolute gold mine. I still remember that the last card in the last pack I ripped open was a holy-grail rookie card of my favorite player, Fred Lynn, who would go on to win 1975’s Rookie of the Year honors as well as being named the AL’s MVP. The second reason why I’ll never forget that day is what my family did after we polished off the last melting slices of my Carvel ice cream cake. We went to see a new movie called Jaws on opening day.