The Detroit Tigers are in town to play the Yankees… and I am thinking of Shaina, and it makes me smile.
This should sound counterintuitive on several levels. You see… I was raised as a Brooklyn Dodger fan and as such, hated the NY Giants all summer & the NY Yankees come the World Series. So my interest in the Bronx Bombers is relatively new.
And it was Zachary (not Shaina) who first turned my attention to enjoying the Yankees. Buck Showalter coaching & Don Mattingly protecting first base. But I must admit, my first visit to the “House that Ruth Built” with Zack felt like stepping inside an alien church. So be it. I was there with Zack, who was loving it… how could a Dad not be happy.
And although Zack developed into a big Yankee fan, it was my Shaina who took it even further. She began following the games on TV and each time created scorecards to record by innings the hits & outs. Her favorite player then, if memory serves, was 1st Sacker Tino Martinez. Her love of baseball even influenced her choice in selecting a college major… she wanted to be an athletic trainer. Not just any athletic trainer… she wanted to be the next Gene Monahan – trainer of the New York Yankees! The guy who runs out of the dugout to spray Novocain on a wrist after a batter takes a nasty one on a foul tip… or to remind a catcher in pain, “don’t touch there, we’re on national TV.”
Over the years I attended a couple of games with Zack, and loved them thoroughly. But my favorite game was going with Shaina after she won two tickets from Norwalk High’s Graduation Night Celebration. I can’t tell you who the Yanks played. I can’t tell you the outcome of the game. I can tell you we had primo parking, I can tell you that on a hot sticky night we got into the air conditioned Stadium Club before the game, and although I can’t recall the location of the seats – I can tell you they were very good… & I can tell you that I was with Shaina, just the two of us – and I loved it.
Tomorrow I will travel to the far side of the Hudson. I will visit with Suzy and Joe in San Jose – travel up to Napa, down to Monterey… perhaps have a swim in the Pacific. Then on to Los Angeles for a visit with Zack, Beth, Summer and new Granddaughter Lily with Disneyland on the itinerary for sure. Ten days… my longest vacation since 1996.
Yes, I am looking forward to it. But tonight I just saw the Pinstripes’ 2nd Baseman, Brendan Ryan, make an incredible circus snare of a line shot that had Derek Jeter smiling in disbelief. Tonight I am thinking of Shaina. And I’m a lucky guy.