What A Fan Sees

Are you a baseball fan? If you are keep reading, if not that’s OK football season has arrived. On August 24, 2019, for this year birthday celebration, we made our yearly sojourn to Dodger Stadium, home of the National League-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.

It was a blistering day in LA! (Sounds like one of Chandler’s Philip Marlowe novels.) Haha - after fighting LA traffic, we arrive at Chavez Ravine. Posted, in BIG letters, at the parking lot gate - GAME SOLD OUT. Undaunted, tickets in hand, or should I say iPhone, we’re directed to park our automobile. After slathering on sunscreen, we make our way to the upper deck, thinking, it’s going to be hot up there, ah - “love these seats we’re in the shade,” thank the baseball gods.

Tradition dictates, especially at Dodger Stadium, tune in with your transistor radio.

“It’s time for Dodger Baseball!” Who could forget the magical voice of Vin Scully all those years? So, we’re cozied into our seats listening to Charlie Steiner and Rick Monday, “Hey Charlie talk about Yankee history; in 1941 Joe DiMaggio struck out 14 times the entire season, however in last nights game both teams combined struck out 26 times - in one game.”

As a fan living in Southern California, there is a multitude of options to visit a major league park; Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres; Angel Stadium, Angels of Anaheim; and Dodger Stadium.

Dodger Stadium is currently the third-oldest ballpark after Fenway Park, and of course Wrigley Field. However seeing the New York Yankees play, in a National League Park, and being able to get tickets is a rarity. So we had to go. If nothing else to see Aaron Judge, who by-the-way did not disappoint his fans. A monster home run that left the park in center field, in a flash. When this kid connects with the ball its pure power.

What is it really that makes the Dodgers vs Yankees rivalry so special? Surely, it must be the players we remember behind these storied franchises. Jackie Robinson, Joltin’ Joe DiMaggio, Johnny Podres, Mickey Mantle, Red Barber, Mel Allen, Gil Hodges, Jerry Colman, Orel Hershiser, Reggie Jackson, Eric Karros, Derek Jeter, the list goes on . . .

So, just what does a baseball fan really see? Well, maybe in the mind's eye, it’s vivid images of history, maybe stats, maybe it's just a favorite player? Or just maybe, it's the thrill of a magical play that ignites a sold-out stadium of fans, cheering for their team to win another game.

And every baseball fan has a story to tell, a treasured experience.

What’s yours?

* Major League Ballparks visited to date; Fenway Park, *Shea Stadium, Yankee Stadium (original), Citizens Bank Park, Comerica Park, Wrigley Field, Bush Stadium, Kauffman Stadium, Ballpark at Arlington, Coors Field, *Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park), *AT&T Park, *Candlestick Park, Oakland Coliseum, Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium, *Qualcomm, and Petco Park.

Comments

Mom Was Right

In this episode: Mom Was Right (Again!) . . . Remember that old saying, "Mom knows best?" Well, this week, it resonated profoundly. I vividly recall my mother's steadfast remedy for the common cold, which was ingrained in my 1960s childhood: "Rest in bed, drink plenty of fluids, and take aspirin to reduce pain and fever." . . . Or now that I think about it, this may have been a Bayer aspirin commercial–Simple . . . Fast-forward to the age of AI and endless medical information at our fingertips, and guess what? Not much has changed. Yet, somehow, this week, Lori and I were blindsided by a cold—the first in over five years. My incredulous "How could this be?" quickly morphed into a dawning realization. Our company's annual meeting, a melting pot of colleagues from Illinois, Texas, Vietnam, Colorado, Northern California, and the Central Valley, was a veritable petri dish of germs. And, oh, the germs found me! Getting sick, especially after a long str...

Whispers of Spring

In this episode, Whispers of Spring . . . Spring has a way of sneaking in when you’re not looking. One day, you’re shaking off the last chill of winter, and the next, you realize the light has shifted, stretching shadows just a little longer. It didn’t make a big fuss about it—no dramatic entrance, no trumpets—just a quiet unfolding, like an old dog settling into a sunny spot on the porch. Last week, Daylight Saving Time kicked in, which meant we all fumbled with our clocks, grumbled a bit, and then, like frogs taken aback by a warm rain, leapt forward into longer evenings. The sun now lingers, in no rush to set, hanging in the sky like a tossed coin that refuses to fall. With the extra daylight, we find ourselves drawn outside once again, migrating to the back patio like folks are drawn to a warm campfire. The lawn chairs are right where we left them, waiting like old friends. The air hums with wind chimes, their tuned cylinders catching the breeze and weaving together something that...

Special April Fools' Edition: Did You Fall For It?

In this episode: Special April Fools' Edition: Did You Fall For It? (And a Little Baseball Nonsense) Welcome, fellow baseball aficionados and purveyors of the peculiar, to a very special, dare we say unpredictable, issue of On the Fly! Today, the air is thick with . . . well, probably just regular air, but a specific mischievous something is buzzing around. Can you feel it? Does that tingling sensation make you double-check your shoelaces and suspiciously eye any unusual packages? Yes, dear readers, it’s April 1st! A day steeped in mystery, shrouded in playful deception, and frankly, a day where you shouldn't believe anything you read (except maybe this . . .maybe). But before we descend into a whirlwind of whimsical falsehoods (don’t worry, we’ll mostly keep it light!), let’s take a quick, slightly wobbly, historical flight through the origins of this most unreliable of holidays. Whispers from the annals suggest a few intriguing possibilities for why we dedicate this particula...

At 92–Don's Digital Daydream

Listen to the audio here. In a world of his own–lives, ole' Doctor Don, Not one world, but three, 'til the setting of the sun! There’s his Blog-World , so bright, with words all a-whirl, And Book-World , with stories of boy and girl! Then, Day-World , where legs didn't leap, didn't run, Just shuffled and creaked 'til each day is done. But his brain, oh, his mind, it’s zippy and keen, A most curious fellow that ever was seen! At ninety and two, with a twinkle so bright, He met Chatty and said, "What a strange delight!" This box with the answers, so quick and so bold, Of theology and stories, new truths to unfold!" "Integrity, relationships, where do they fit? This thing makes me wonder, bit by bit!" He ponders and pokes with laughter and a grin, "Til POOF! he has gone to a world from within! A world made of words, a fantastical place, Where limits of the body, left not a trace! He Soares, and he zooms, with a thought and a rhyme, Trans...

On The Fly

Search This Blog