Junto Boys

WORLD SERIES GAME 4

FLA 4 NY 3 (12 innings)
The Yankees didn't win, but my first World Series game made up for it with some spectacular moments:

1) Clemens recovered after a shaky first inning and he threw goose eggs for the next 6 frames.

2) The standing ovation by the (mostly) opposing crowd after Clemens struck out Luis Castillo (probably his last batter) in the 7th inning.

3) Ruben Sierra's game tying triple 3-2 with 2 outs in the 9th.

4) (though in conflict with the inner Yankee fan) Alex Gonzalez' walk-off homer in the bottom of the 12th.

These events all hold significance that go further than the moment. First, I didn't think I was going to see Clemens when I bought the tickets. Torre's talk to the media about how he doesn't like to mess up Roger's routine coupled with the fact that Roger had a short outing last Thursday led me to believe that Clemens would pitch game three. I thought the idea of seeing Clemens last game in a world series, no less, made game three a good choice. But when I heard that Beckett was pitching game three, I figured that the Yankees would be more likely to get beat in that game than game four where Mussina would probably oppose the shaky Pavano.

Steve W. and I had been bitten in June when Mark Prior beat the Yankees on Sunday Night baseball in what were the best seats I will ever have in my life. We were compensated for the loss that night by meeting Ernie Banks. But the idea of going up against Beckett reminded me of the Prior(pun) game.

I also figured that the Yankees could get lucky and sweep and game four would be the clincher.

The sweep didn't happen and the Yanks had a great comeback on Tuesday night, but getting to see Roger was not a bad trade-off.

It was also significant that Ruben Sierra would show up in time to tie it. Kevin the Dude and I bought a ton of now worthless Ruben Sierra rookie cards in 1989. We must have bought over a 100 between the two of us. Ruben went from sensation to bomb a few years later and then turned up again as a dusted off journeyman. Almost fitting that he would turn up one last time just so I could remind myself of those days when Dude and I did little but collect baseball cards and watch $1 movies.

And Alex Gonzalez was intriguing because when I drafted him a few years ago for the IBL, Dude immediately chimed in with "scrub." Every dog has his day and today that scrub won the game by hitting a homer off Jeff Weaver (owned by Dude in the league). Why couldn’t you be right, Dude?

There were a couple of non-baseball interesting moments.

The guy married to Jessica Simpson sang the national anthem, which was funny, because Tricia has been telling me about this show for around and month and I hadn’t seen it until the other night when the Tuna Fish show repeated. It was worth a laugh for the both of us. Funny watching this guy singing the national anthem in front of the world and thinking he’s holding his ground about getting his spoiled wife a maid.

After the national anthem, four Air Force jets flew over in formation and I really felt the goose bumps just knowing that citizens were risking their lives to protect our freedom. The jets gave me such confidence in our country to do the job. That we can fly those jets over a country like Iraq and yet offer the people food instead of a gulag is a testament to moral nature of our nation. The guys sitting next to me with Marlins caps high-fived me after the jets went over. We were Americans even before we were baseball fans.

The most important part of the night was being able to take my dad to a World Series game. Dad took me to my first baseball game when I was six years old. The Yankees and the White Sox were playing in the old Commiskey Park. I didn’t know anything about baseball, but I remember him saying years later that it was a high scoring game and Rick Dempsey, who is really remembered for his years in Baltimore, caught for the Yankees instead of Thurman Munson.

The only thing I remember about the game was the popcorn. It came in a cardboard container that was shaped like a megaphone. I was actually more interested in the megaphone part because it the same prop used by Rita Moreno on the Electric Company when she yelled “Hey You Guys.” Or it’s at least the way I remember it. Anyway, I was tired of holding my megaphone and I put it on an empty seat next to me. A little girl around my age sitting in the seat adjacent took my megaphone a few moments later and started playing with it. I didn't know what to do. Her father didn't make her put it down and my father didn't care either. I was so jealous. I was sure I lost my megaphone.

Near the end of the game she got tired of it and put it back down on that seat, but I was sure that she still coveted it. When dad said it was time to leave I had to make a split second decision. The megaphone was mine. Did I take it or leave it? What would the girl do if I yanked it away? I decided not to take it and stood up. But before my feet could move a step, I reached back and yanked the megaphone out of the seat before the girl could think to stop me. We made eye contact, and a look of horror came on her face. She quickly made a plea to her father to stop me, but I was already moving away with the toy. Her tapping on her dad and her pointing at me did her little good. I don't know if that Megaphone ever made it out of Uncle Larry's car and back into our house in Indiana, but the memory of how I lost it and got it back with quick thinking has never left me. I was too young to define a base hit, but I will never forget going to that game.

Dad was so excited when I told him I bought us World Series tickets. He said he never dreamed that he would see a World Series game, much less a Yankee World Series game. I can say that I never thought I would either. To be able to share that experience with my dad who took me to my first baseball game is beyond words so I will stop this long essay right there.