Woke up this mornin' (no, I'm not going to break into a blues tune here), and prepared myself to go to the ballpark. It was a bit more of a packing dilemma in the fact that it was also "getaway day" because after my game today I would be hopping a plane to head back to Minneapolis.
I arrived at New Shea at about 8:55 a.m. and was directed to the visiting team clubhouse where we would find out which team we would be playing for and what our uniform would be. So there I was, roaming the underhalls of the stadium and walking along with my jaw dragging on the floor. Now, I spent 6 years wandering similar halls at the Metrodome, so I know how little the passageways offer as far as personality is concerned. But here at New Shea they have framed 3'x5' framed photos of every Mets yearbook ever produced. They are displayed in chronological order as you walk in a clockwise direction. Many of them provoking dozens of childhood memories from my personal collection at home.
I made my way into the visiting clubhouse and turned the corner to find the corkboard displaying the team rosters and uniform of the day. I found that I was a member of the Miracles and that we would be wearing the grey road jersey with "NEW YORK" displayed on the front. The Miracles would be made up of members of 5 teams from January. Our opponents would be the Amazins and they would be wearing the home cream-colored jerseys with "METS" across the chest. The Amazins would be comprised of players from the other 5 January teams from our week in Florida.
I walked into the locker room and it was quite impressive, especially for a visiting clubhouse. Far, far away from its Metrodome counterpart. I found a locker and began to begin getting on my uniform. As I did I was interrupted now and then by fellow players whom I hadn't seen in 4 months. All around the room similar greetings were being exchanged in the upbeat surroundings. I made an attempt to take in all of the happenings before I readied myself for the walk which would take me to the playing field of my favorite baseball team.
I checked that everything on my uniform was set. Shoes tied, belt buckled, hat on, shirt buttoned, sunglasses on hat, and of course zipper up. So now was the time. I made the left turn, down the stairs which I had seen many times on Mets broadcasts and headed out to the dugout. The sun was out and it welcomed me to the green grass and finely manicured dirt of Citi Field. Christmas Day was here.
I'm sure that I must've looked like I was awestruck as I moved slowly through the visiting dugout. The field was kinda cluttered with the batting cage and multiple protective screens placed around the field which are used for batting practice. We gathered the group and talked with Doug Dickey about how things would progress through the day. Batting practice would begin around 9:45 and that the game would begin around 12:30. We would each get 7 swings for batting practice to keep things going, because there were about 90 players taking part in the game.
Each team would have 45 players so we all knew that we would only get one turn at bat. There may be a small number who may get a second, but that would be a rare thing. I would be batting 23rd for the Miracles and would hit the field in the bottom of the 3rd on defense.
Batting practice was a great deal of fun as we all soaked in the surroundings of the ballpark. The time on the auxiliary scoreboards over our heads was moving far too quickly. When I got my chance to hit, I hit only one foul ball and the other six I hit pretty much "on the screws". So I was more than confident in my hitting abilities at that point.
After bp was over we had some lunch in the stands and then prepared ourselves for the game ahead. We all made our way out to our respective foul lines and we stood at attention for the national anthem. After that it was time to play ball. It was in the high 50's as far as the temps were concerned, but it could've been in the high 20's for all of us on that field.
In the middle of the third it was time for me to take the field. I would be playing first base when I did. I ran out onto that field as though I'd been shot out of a cannon. I usually run onto the field in my softball league because I realize that there will come a day when I won't be able to do so, either because of physical ailment or just plain oldness. I don't want to get to that place and wish I had run onto the field each time. I threw the ball around the infield to my teammates knowing that I was in the same territory as Ike Davis and others from around major league baseball. We allowed a couple of base runners and with two outs the batter hit a slow roller towards the mound, but our pitcher swooped in, made a good pickup and throw and we nipped the runner at first. The throw was a tough one to pick up as it kinda came over the runner's left shoulder but my concentration was keen and I made the catch to retire the side. I was grinning from ear to ear as I ran off the field.
In the top of the 5th I came to the plate with one down. I heard my name announced by Alex Anthony, the p.a. announcer who actually does the Mets games at home, and settled in for my at bat. I took the first two pitches for balls and then laced the next pitch over the third base bag. I reached first base and clapped my hands knowing that I had singled in my first at bat at New Shea. I reached second on an infield hit and during a time out looked around and said aloud to myself, "I'm on freakin' second base at Citi Field! How cool is this?" The next batter went down on strikes and the inning was over, but my batting average of 1.000 was going to be great to go home with.
My day on the field was done for a few innings and I got to play defense again in the bottom of the 8th, this time at third base. So I ran like the wind to third base and thought about our captain David Wright, who hangs out there on occasion. I didn't get any plays in this half inning, but it was great to have a chance to be out there again.
The game ended not too long after that, with the Amazins winning by a 6-3 score. There were three innings in which the Amazins did not score and my team was responsible for two of them, so we were fairly proud of that fact. When the final out was recorded we shook hands and reflected on our day. None of us wanted to leave, but the time had come to get back to reality. I made my way to the clubhouse and took a fast shower and dressed for the trip back to the hotel to get the luggage and then off to LaGuardia for the flight to Chicago.
The coolest thing about sharing this event with these guys is the fact that it adds to our common bond. We all love the New York Mets. We all sit/stand around talking about great moments from the franchise. We share stories about "where were you when...." and sentences that begin with the words "How about when......." or "Do you remember..........". We live and die with this team. We celebrate when they win and a part of us dies when they lose. I cried a little when Johan Santana threw his no-hitter. I'm sure I wasn't alone. Mostly because like many Met fans I never thought it would happen. We were playing at the home of our current heroes. We talk badly of them at times but never allow anyone else to do so. We get to wear the same uniform of our heroes, as though we could be on the bench right along side of them if they needed us. But it runs through us like a common thread. I didn't travel the furthest distance to be there, as we had a guy from Saskatchewan who made the trip. He, like myself, was a rookie this year and he wasn't going to miss it for the world.
We received a DVD from our week in Florida as well as our own set of 100 baseball cards. They look just like regular baseball cards, same paper stock, same colors and they look great. My picture was taken with my glove on rather than my bat during a swing.
It's going to take me a couple of days to come down from this high. I tried to describe it as best I could for you, but it's hard to put feelings of pure joy on paper. Otherwise you would feel it right now yourself. I've often wondered how different a place the world would be if every person could feel that sense of joy for one full day. If you are reading this blog, I hope that YOU have the chance to feel that joy of your own.
If you've enjoyed my blog postings at all you can check out my "regular" postings by going to ramblinrod.blogspot.com.
I probably should've smiled on my card picture. But I guess I can do that next year.
Yeah, I said it. NEXT year.
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