I Apologize In Advance...
DJ JDeezy here, coming to you live from another dimension. So, make sure you are tuned in and don’t touch the dial, because I will be giving you the word directly. It may not be the truth, but it is just another episode from the Island Pond Zone. Sit back and enjoy the ride.
Last Tuesday, I was made privy to the unveiling of the Roger Clemens, Version 2K.06 Yeah, I had tickets to what will go down in history as one of the most significant baseball events in Lexington, Kentucky. The future hall-of-famer, Roger “The Rocket” Clemens, made his comeback debut at Applebee’s Park on North Broadway and it was quite the spectacle. At the closest point, I was a mere 20 feet away from the brush-back legend (not to be confused with a Lexington Legend) himself. As I watched him “hot toss” with a one-night-only teammate, I realized what kind of cannon one must possess in order to be a hurler in the majors. Roger was standing on the right field foul line while his partner was standing in deep, center field. My line of sight was right over the top if Roger’s right arm. As he threw the ball to his catch-mate, the ball, maybe, dropped 18 inches. No wind-up, no crow-hop, just a quarter turn and a flip of the wrist was all it took for Rocket to achieve that velocity.
The game itself was okay. I had “standing room only” tickets, but it was still sort of hard to see. I think all the spectators 6 feet and over got there before our crew did. At least the stewards let those people with chairs in front of those standing. Needless to say, Beth and Dawn could see the game all right. Brandon and I had to tip toe to see over people’s heads. When we were tired of that, we walked around the park to get different vantage points of The Rocket’s delivery. He was definitely humming. I think one of his hottest pitches was clocked at 93 m.p.h. Heat or not, he still got rang up in the first by Johnny Drennen of the Lake County Captains. There was a mixed reaction by the crowd over the home run. It was 50/50 with some cheering and some booing. So, were there as many people at the game to see Roger Clemens fall on his face, as there were those there to cheer him on? So it seems. I heard several people making ill comments toward him. To each his own, I guess.
The whole ordeal had somewhat of a deeper meaning for me. Roger “The Rocket” Clemens, future hall-of-famer, 7-time Cy Young Award winner, 11-time All-Star, is beginning what will probably be his last season pitching. Why does this have such deep seeded meaning to me?
When I first started watching and playing baseball around 1984(BYF T-Ball), I would hear this name, Roger Clemens, mentioned by the older kids, coaches, and by Skip Carey and Don Nelson on TBS as they covered the Atlanta Braves on television. I never got to see The Rocket pitch then because he played for Boston and there was no inter-league play back then and we all know TBS was the only television station we had that carried baseball. But, everyone affiliated with baseball KNEW who THE ROCKET was.
Twenty-two years later, the possible closing of an era is eminent and looms ever so largely on Major League Baseball. Being an adult (by legal definition-no jokes needed) and having really reviewed the marathon career of Clemens, I, now, really feel the closure of my youth. It really makes me happy and sad to think of it all. Tidal waves of memories from my youth slam me one after the other. There are memories of my family spending summers at the ball fields. All the sacrifices my parents made to make sure we were there for every game and practice tears at my heart and places a huge lump in the back of my throat. The lifelong friends and acquaintances I have met along the way come to mind. The pizza and pool parties at the end of each season were always a blast. The life lessons I learned playing on the dusty fields on the bank of Panbowl Lake behind LBJ Elementary School will never be forgotten.
Hopefully, in the future, I will get to do the same for a child of my own. Just the way my father taught me to keep my caboose down while fielding the ball, I will explain to mine. “Keep your bat back and your elbow up!” “Always keep your eye on the ball” “If it hits you, it’ll only hurt for a minute.” Those are some of my favorites.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for helping me just realize how much more thankful I should be for you. I love you.
Last Tuesday, I was made privy to the unveiling of the Roger Clemens, Version 2K.06 Yeah, I had tickets to what will go down in history as one of the most significant baseball events in Lexington, Kentucky. The future hall-of-famer, Roger “The Rocket” Clemens, made his comeback debut at Applebee’s Park on North Broadway and it was quite the spectacle. At the closest point, I was a mere 20 feet away from the brush-back legend (not to be confused with a Lexington Legend) himself. As I watched him “hot toss” with a one-night-only teammate, I realized what kind of cannon one must possess in order to be a hurler in the majors. Roger was standing on the right field foul line while his partner was standing in deep, center field. My line of sight was right over the top if Roger’s right arm. As he threw the ball to his catch-mate, the ball, maybe, dropped 18 inches. No wind-up, no crow-hop, just a quarter turn and a flip of the wrist was all it took for Rocket to achieve that velocity.
The game itself was okay. I had “standing room only” tickets, but it was still sort of hard to see. I think all the spectators 6 feet and over got there before our crew did. At least the stewards let those people with chairs in front of those standing. Needless to say, Beth and Dawn could see the game all right. Brandon and I had to tip toe to see over people’s heads. When we were tired of that, we walked around the park to get different vantage points of The Rocket’s delivery. He was definitely humming. I think one of his hottest pitches was clocked at 93 m.p.h. Heat or not, he still got rang up in the first by Johnny Drennen of the Lake County Captains. There was a mixed reaction by the crowd over the home run. It was 50/50 with some cheering and some booing. So, were there as many people at the game to see Roger Clemens fall on his face, as there were those there to cheer him on? So it seems. I heard several people making ill comments toward him. To each his own, I guess.
The whole ordeal had somewhat of a deeper meaning for me. Roger “The Rocket” Clemens, future hall-of-famer, 7-time Cy Young Award winner, 11-time All-Star, is beginning what will probably be his last season pitching. Why does this have such deep seeded meaning to me?
When I first started watching and playing baseball around 1984(BYF T-Ball), I would hear this name, Roger Clemens, mentioned by the older kids, coaches, and by Skip Carey and Don Nelson on TBS as they covered the Atlanta Braves on television. I never got to see The Rocket pitch then because he played for Boston and there was no inter-league play back then and we all know TBS was the only television station we had that carried baseball. But, everyone affiliated with baseball KNEW who THE ROCKET was.
Twenty-two years later, the possible closing of an era is eminent and looms ever so largely on Major League Baseball. Being an adult (by legal definition-no jokes needed) and having really reviewed the marathon career of Clemens, I, now, really feel the closure of my youth. It really makes me happy and sad to think of it all. Tidal waves of memories from my youth slam me one after the other. There are memories of my family spending summers at the ball fields. All the sacrifices my parents made to make sure we were there for every game and practice tears at my heart and places a huge lump in the back of my throat. The lifelong friends and acquaintances I have met along the way come to mind. The pizza and pool parties at the end of each season were always a blast. The life lessons I learned playing on the dusty fields on the bank of Panbowl Lake behind LBJ Elementary School will never be forgotten.
Hopefully, in the future, I will get to do the same for a child of my own. Just the way my father taught me to keep my caboose down while fielding the ball, I will explain to mine. “Keep your bat back and your elbow up!” “Always keep your eye on the ball” “If it hits you, it’ll only hurt for a minute.” Those are some of my favorites.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for helping me just realize how much more thankful I should be for you. I love you.
Labels: Baseball, Sad Stuff, The Rocket
posted by J-Delicious at
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
2 Comments:
That lump is contagious. Amen.
By
Chase Abner, at 6/14/2006 5:08 PM
Sorry. Amen.
By
J-Delicious, at 6/15/2006 8:05 AM
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