Sometimes life takes what seems a relatively unimportant turn which ends up working out far better than you expect. For yourself, anyway, if not for those around you, though you hope for them too in the sharing of the experience.
Monday night I was invited to last night's (Tuesday July 21st) Seattle Mariners - Detroit Tigers game by a group of friends. Before that I had no intention of attending, of course, but by their goodness and consideration I did. I appreciated the invite, needless to say (thanks guys!) and had a great time with some close friends whom I hadn't seen in several months.
What truly enhanced the experience into something particularly memorable was a couple of things completely unexpected yet now indelibly etched in my mind. First, I had not taken a baseball glove to a game in years. But last night I decided that I ought to, in part because I had just gotten a new glove for Father's Day. I figured, why not have it along; you never know.
I was nicely rewarded when a batting practice ball hit by Seattle's Jack Hannahan came rushing towards me. A step and a half to my right and raise my arm...the ball smacked neatly into my glove, the thwack of leather on leather sounding smart, sharp, and gratifying. I now own an almost unused official Major League Baseball.
Of course the kid in me was tickled, and the ball sits on my dresser where I can see it all the time. Yet that was not the highlight of the evening.
I was loitering around a statue of the great Ernie Harwell as a couple friends who wanted daquiris purchased their drinks at the nearby stand. A man in a Fox Sports pullover approached me and began asking about what kind of Tigers/Comerica Park/Tiger Stadium memories I had. Among several short and admittedly mundane tales, I mentioned that I was once naked in Tiger Stadium.
"That sounds interesting. Tell me more," he, Justin, asked. So I did. It happened when I stumbled into being a paid extra when they filmed the movie 61* at the old ballyard. I had to change clothes from what I wore into things which looked more like the time, 1961, in which they were filming. It was in a tent set up as a dressing room, so it was not like I was exposed as such, but it's still a different sort of story put the right way.
I was a little surprised when Justin explained that he worked for Fox Sports Detroit interviewing fans about Tiger memories and would I like to put the story on camera? Of course I would!
He interviewed me, the two of us being careful not to mention the naked part (his company, as this was for family viewing, deciding it inappropriate) and to concentrate instead on being an extra in a baseball movie. I have been promised that the clip would be on the Tigers pregame show either July 22nd or 24th at 6:30 on Fox Sports Detroit. I can't tell you how excited I am; I hope it's tonight so that I don't have to spend an extra 48 hours worrying that, as, sadly, happened with 61*, I ended up on the cutting room floor.
Check it out if you can and would like. Hopefully it'll be worth it; either way, I have to thank Kim and Leisa for wanting daquiris and asking me to tag along. I would not have been in the right spot at the right time otherwise. Thanks, ladies!
Could this be the start of something big? Surely not. But as I mentioned the other day, our memories may be the best gifts we have. This particular one came wrapped with a great big bow.
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