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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: Grampa, you played baseball? |
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son_of_jor-el: What's that? Haha, yes, yes, I played baseball. In the Major Leagues! For the San Diego Padres. For my whole life. |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: didja know anybody famous?? |
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son_of_jor-el: Oh, son, we were all famous back then. We were the most famous people in the world. I played with Trevor Hoffman, who was a great relief pitcher, one of the best of all time. I knew Tony Gwynn, he's in the Hall of Fame, too. |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: didja hit a lot of home runs
/mimics homerun swing
POWWW |
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son_of_jor-el: That was never really what I did, but I hit my share. Had over 300 before I was through!
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: three hundred
woooowwww |
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son_of_jor-el: Ha, 300 is nothing. Back in my day, that's when the boys got bigger and stronger, and started hitting them out every time they swung a bat. |
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son_of_jor-el: I grew up watching McGwire... I played games against Sammy Sosa, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard. I even played on the All-Star team next to the all-time homerun champ, Alex Rodriguez! |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: wasn't he a New York Yankee, pop? |
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son_of_jor-el: He was, but this was a few years later, when the Yankees leased him out to the Rockies for 37 minor leaguers and an enormous assemblance of stones. |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: we learned about him in social studies
teacher says he paved the way for the great transgendered menwomen and womenmen we enjoy today |
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son_of_jor-el: You know, I think he patted me on the butt about fourteen times in that game.
/suddenly loses track of thought
Say...
/eyes widen
...have I ever told you about Barry Bonds? |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: the one who cheated? |
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son_of_jor-el: He did. He cheated, he did. But you know, he might've given me the best day I ever had in baseball. |
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**Online Host**
Welcome to the August 4th, 2007 Chatroom!
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son_of_jor-el: All right Clay, don't let him get you, strike him out, baby! |
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LicenseToPills: /readies swing
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son_of_jor-el: I hated him so much. I wanted Clay to throw the ball at his face, take him out. |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: why, grampa? Because he cheated? |
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son_of_jor-el: Maybe. He was sitting on 754 that game, one away from breaking Hank Aaron's all-time homerun record of 755. Nobody seemed to want him to do it, especially me. |
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son_of_jor-el: Let's see some strikes! |
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son_of_jor-el: We didn't know what he'd done back then, we just hated him for the way he was. Nice one minute, a jerk the next. Clear, straight-spoken one minute, confusing the next. He'd never let any of us in. |
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son_of_jor-el: We just knew he was a horse's ass, and we didn't want him to take the record away from Aaron. Aaron had played in the Negro Leagues, and fought oppression and overcome obstacles with dignity and a quiet grace his whole life. |
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son_of_jor-el: And this horse's ass wanted to take that way from us. Aaron had had the record my whole life. My whole life. Ever since I was born, the leader was Aaron. And it was about to change. |
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LicenseToPills: /squints eyes |
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son_of_jor-el: That's the hardest thing, son, letting go of what you've always known. When they knocked down the World Trade Center, the hardest thing was looking at the New York City skyline and not seeing them.
They'd just always been there. |
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LicenseToPills: /catches sight of the ball
/tenses hands to swing
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son_of_jor-el: The media was there. The commissioner. Everybody. They'd been following him for days, flashing their old cameras every time he moved. It kept going and the homers came fewer and farther between, and it just kept going.
On and on. Stretching out for days. |
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son_of_jor-el: Eventually our hatred and passion started turning into apathy, and we just wanted him to hit the damned home runs or not hit them and be done with it. |
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LicenseToPills: /swings |
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son_of_jor-el: Here it comes. |
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son_of_jor-el: I knew it from the swing of the bat. Ballplayers can tell. I knew the sumbitch was going to hit 755 over my head and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. |
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son_of_jor-el: I wanted to jump up and catch it, way up there. I wanted my body to tear and stretch until it bled and I died to stop it. God damn you for the things you've done. God damn you for the things you've put us through. |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: /listens quietly |
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son_of_jor-el: /watches the ball sailing overhead |
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son_of_jor-el: And then it was, and then it was over. He hit a towering shot to left field, right overtop of my head as it went. He hit it far and hard, like he always did. Like nobody else could. |
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son_of_jor-el: And damn my eyes, son, I couldn't feel anything but joy for him. |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: Really, pop? |
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son_of_jor-el: /raises glove to block the sunshine
/smiles |
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son_of_jor-el: I was happy for him. I felt it all over my body. In my fingertips, in my shoes. Every day before I'd wondered what I'd say or do. I wondered what it'd be like to catch the ball myself, draw an asterisk on it, throw it back. |
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son_of_jor-el: "he doesn't deserve it," my brain wanted to convince my heart, but he DID deserve it, son. To my amazement, he deserved it. |
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LicenseToPills: /runs the bases |
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son_of_jor-el: He hit a homerun, and I'd seen it before. He picked up his kid when he crossed home plate, and I'd seen it before.
All in all I wanted to be done with it, and when I was done with it, I wanted it to go on. |
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son_of_jor-el: It's baseball, son. It's all it's ever been. |
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LicenseToPills: Come here! /lifts son
/hugs him tight |
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son_of_jor-el: Fathers and sons. Cheers, and some boos. You did this and he should've done this and you shouldn't have done that. |
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son_of_jor-el: It broke my heart and it filled that broken heart back up. That was my best day in baseball. |
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greatgrandson_of_jor-el: When did he hit 756, grampa? |
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son_of_jor-el: /closes eyes, smiles |
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son_of_jor-el: You know what, son? I don't even remember. |
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LicenseToPills: /tips hat |
