Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Boys of Summer
I'm so glad I embraced baseball. It really has been a life-changing decision for me. The Red Sox have saved me from long boring sports summers. I used to think the baseball season was too long (and it still may be a little too long) but now I think of baseball as a smooth follow up to basketball and a beautiful lead-in to football. Growing up I followed a few baseball teams, usually the team that (name drop alert!) Wally Joyner (my cousin, whose skills obviously translated to me) played for. After Wally got old and retired, all I was left with was my hatred for the New York Yankees. I can't remember a time when I did not hate the Yankees, they were always good and thousands of annoying people who did not know a thing about sports claimed to be Yankees "fans." One of my greatest sports moments to this day is game 7 of the 2001 World Series when Gonzo blooped a single for the game winner over the Yanks. From there it was a smooth transition into becoming a Red Sox fan. I owe my compadre Tyler a lot for helping me see the light as well. I found that I loved the chemistry and attitude of the Red Sox and suffered greatly as Aaron Freaking Boone crushed the 2003 season. But then came new life. I will never forget the 2004 season, in fact, I feel that Tyler and I actually played a pivotal role in securing a world series title for the Red Sox. Our efforts to travel to Fenway on July 24th actually willed the umpires to allow the teams to play and inspired Bill Mueller to hit a walk-off homer. Exact locations and dates will be remembered for life: Seats on the first base side as Varitek two-hand punched A-Rod, In my car on 4th South as Dave Roberts stole second. Anyway, I'm getting emotional here.....2004, combined with the Utes BCS busting season, turned out to be one of the two greatest sports years ever for me (1998 being the other with the Jazz in the finals and the Utes in the championship game.) I guess my point is: sports is one of the true joys in life, what else could make you exclaim "We'll do some more tomorrow" in a hotel room in Denver, Colorado? It's a beautiful time of year right now.
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2 comments:
Beautiful Jon, and welcome all at the same time. I couldn't agree more about baseball. I feel so bad for those people I talk to that say they just can't get into baseball because it's too boring, etc. I used to be one of them, and now that I have seen the light, its been amazing. Thanks for the ride down memory lane.
Jon, Gorgeous piece. There is no doubt in my mind that you and I were key, if not instrumental, in the Red Sox win that day, which of course sparked the run for the American League crown, and then on to the World Series. Someday I will have to write a short story about that experience. The events of that day are absolutely incredible, with elements that surpass even the best fiction you could imagine!!
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