As I have previously declared, this is the Summer of Baseball™. And though today may only be the first of July, and Major League Baseball may still have months to go, for me some of the joy is ended.
Curiously enough, the Summer of Baseball actually began last winter. I started attending Florida Gators baseball games back in March. At that time, it was dusk as the games were getting under way, and I needed to wear a jacket to keep from freezing in the bleachers. Time sure flies, because the Gators played their last game of the season weeks ago in Omaha, losing to Florida State. I had had high hopes for the team at the College World Series, particularly since they played so well all season, and pulled out some amazing wins. But it wasn’t to be.
Still, I have tons of great memories to keep me until next season. I’ll remember always getting in free with my student ID. I’ll remember the “Bleacher Creatures” out in left field who psychologically tortured the opposing team: “Hey, center-fielder, look at the left-fielder; he sucks!” I’ll remember the time that the mascot, Baseball Al, gave me a fist bump (or “terrorist fist jab”) during a Gators rally. I’ll remember the Dollar Nights, and how I vowed to never eat a jumbo pretzel again. I’ll remember the fans selected at random to (poorly) sing the chorus to “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. I’ll remember the time that some poor fan picked to play the Mystery Pizza Box Challenge chose to take the mystery box over the ten free pizzas and got a Tootsie Roll, then the next game another fan chose the ten free pizzas, and the mystery box contained a new HDTV. I’ll remember how the girl who tosses out the free t-shirts following innings with double plays or home runs never tried to throw the t-shirts more than about three feet from where she was standing at the time. I’ll remember that even run-of-the-mill foul balls are frightening when they’re coming toward you and you aren’t wearing a glove. I’ll remember the night that Marty and I looked up toward the lights behind us to see what appeared to be a plague of locusts. I’ll remember the astonishing NCAA Super Regional series against the Miami Hurricanes, where a bizarre electrical storm threatened to postpone the first game, and a jaw-dropping seven errors cost Miami the second game. (My favorite joke of the game: “You can’t spell ‘Miami’ without an ‘E’”.) I’ll remember singing “We Are the Boys from Old Florida”.
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I’ll remember the many great wins, and the very few losses. And, of course, I’ll remember some great plays and players, including my favorite, center-fielder Matt den Dekker, who is off to join the Hated Mets. I’m glad for him.
And I am glad for myself, for getting to spend so many nights enjoying our national pastime.
Filed under: Musings, Sports on July 1st, 2010 | No Comments »