September 25, 2013 18:23 Boston
This is not the place where I’d boast about the Red Sox
clinching the division. I would not do
that. Besides it happened a few days
ago. It’s almost history. I can silently
gloat behind the veil of these sentences, instead I think back to a couple of
weeks ago when I saw a game at Fenway with Ali and Amanda and Joe as well as
Katie and Ben. It started out as one of
those slow weekend mornings, when you wake up and hear the pats of rain falling
on the panes of glass. You want to pull
up the covers and hide and let the dreams linger back in. It was a Sunday in Boston. Suddenly I was gripped with the anxiety, we
have tickets for the game and it may be rain out…we walked through the drizzle
and took our soaked seats and watched as the Sox beat the White Sox. And this leads me to this past Sunday. I am not a Yankee’s fan. But I was at Yankee stadium on Sunday. True, I was
a Yankee fan years ago. I was shocked
and ecstatic when Bucky slapped that pitch over the monster. I watched the game when I came home from St. Phillips, Back then at the bus stop we’d have a contests
which of us could best imitate the Yankee at bat.
There was Mickey Rivers who dragged his bat behind him as he came up to
the plate. Slump your shoudlers...easy. Reggie who spit such a unique
way - the challenge was too much for our young lips. Chris Chambliss who’d
swing and hold the bat out facing the pitcher in a menacing way and then there
was Munson who always fixed his batter’s gloves before each pitch. I remember when he died and I felt the loss the leader...of the captain. I was a Yankee fan I tell ya…What happened? Well, let me add I was always a Met’s fan and for years
I could root for both teams. Mets and Yanks. But about
that time when I was imitating the players as the bus stop - I’d write letters to some of the
former players. I still have “Smoky” Joe
Woods autograph who personalized a piece of paper for me and shared what teams
he played for and when. He was a great
Red Sox pitcher who pitched in the 1912 World Series. There was a sarcastic junior high school English teacher, Mr. Anderson a
Boston native who chewed and threw the heavy peanut M&M’s at the punks in the back of the class when they were not paying attention to him.
He was a Sox fan who had amazing precision with those little rocks which he forewarned us. He
shared a story, while in college he brought one of his black friends home. He grew up in a white Irish Catholic Boston
neighborhood. He knew as they got out of
the car, the curious neighbors were peering through their curtains wondering
why he brought the man to their neighborhood.
He looked around and pointed to some of the houses, and proclaimed, “I
can’t wait till your family moves in!” I
have to add to the Yankees, one of the players I wrote to was Bobby Richardson who was great second
basemen for the Yanks. I read his autobiography. He was a Christian and I valued his faith. So here is the deal. When I was 12 I cut out a picture of Joe
Dimaggio from the Yankee yearbook and sent it to him. I wrote a letter to Ted Williams and
mentioned my birthday was coming up.
DiMaggio sent the picture back – signed, but…postage due recipient. The mailman walked down our driveway with the
letter which was a rare event, what the hell what he doing? He said he was there to collect money for the
letter. And it was more than the price for a measly stamp. Jolting Joe didn’t want to spend
money on the stamp! Ted Williams sent me
a birthday card. The switch was
made. Thank you DiMaggio and I will
always have a soft spot for that great hero, Ted Williams. I started rooting for the Sox…and The
Mets. Who did you root for in ’86? The Mets.
This past Sunday I went to the Yankees game. I wanted to see Andy Pettitte since I knew he
would hang it up after this season and he declared last Friday he was retiring. He is another Christian and this is a secret, I would root for
him. He used to have a cross on the NY
on his cap, but I'm not sure if he still has that.
For the past couple of seasons I wanted to see one of the greatest pitchers
Mariano Rivera. Sunday was the day. Mo is another Christian and I gained more
respect for the man off the field for his support of his native Panama as well as local underprivileged
communities - specifically churches. I
paid through my nose for a nose bleeder.
It was Marino Rivera day. Metallica played Enter the Sandman, Jackie
Robinson’s widow and daughter were there since Mo is the last player to wear
42. Former players and the stoic Joe
Torre came out and I cheered. I always
liked Bernie Williams and Paul O’Neil. I
can say it here. But I wanted the Sox to
beat them each and every time. Wade
Boggs? You should not have been a
Yankee. But I digress. The wind was brisk and I waited. Better, I pleaded for the sun as
the faint light and scattering warmth crept up the rows to finally got up to me.
The sun light was faint through the clouds. Andy had a perfect game going to the sixth until
the kid next to me, this tobacco
chomping spit dripping punk says, “Is he pitching a perfect game?” The very next batter was walked. The end of perfection and a fan behind him
tells the dipshit - you jinxed it. It was
your fault! The first hit he gave up was
a dinger. I’m sorry the Yankees lost the
game due to a rookie mistake on third base.
There was a SF Giant’s fan who was bouncing up and down. I wanted to smack him. Hold a second, I am
not a Yanks fan and I pulled back and took a deep breath. But I saw Mo.
It was perfection. He wielded his power, bats erupted; sending splinters
into the blades of grass…and I watched him stretch before the release, it was a
special sight even if I had the advantage of being on the furthest deck. I saw Mo and I came home and wanted to let you
know tonight may be the end for the Yankees and I am sorry for you since I
appreciate the history of the intense rivalry between our teams. This year was different. I wanted to feel as if the Sox were going to
go into the playoffs against the Yanks as the better team. Only then would I gloat…like I did back in 04. But through all the years I've learned each side has immense respect for the other team, but there is a reference for the way some of these men lead their lives away from field. I am a fan of Mariano Rivera and I am grateful he is retiring. Thank you for reading this...
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