A Memory!!!

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What a great time.

The Yankees just had to hold on to win that game because Sam had worked it all out in his head.

Father’s Day week and he was sick of Covid and of the sound reasoning of:

“When are we going to ever have this chance again?”

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but as the game started I remembered that I truly love the atmosphere of a baseball game.

And I thought of so many games that I attended with my Dad in Oakland, and how we were the only ones at Candlestick rooting for the Dodgers back in 1983. (We were treated pretty rudely).

I recall seeing Tom Seaver pitch at Candlestick on a July day when it was so cold there because of the wind that we had to leave!

Then all the games with my brother and my buddies at Camden Yards.

I also went to 40 games with my buddy, Fluffy at Memorial Stadium.

“I still love baseball,” I thought as I sat there, watching the Yankees get one-hit through 6.

“They won’t lose,” Sam reminded me.

And we laughed about a lot of things as the game went along.

Then Sanchez stepped into the box.

“He’s been hitting well,” I told the boys.

“Homer or strikeout here,” Jake said.

And on the pitch the crack of the bat was clearly heard and we had great seats near the left field corner to see that ball just rise, and rise and rise and rise.

It cleared everything.

Ended up in the middle of the road well beyond the wall, screen and new lights.

“He hit that to Chef’s,” Pops texted.

But Sam wanted to make a memory and as the entire section of Yankees fans roared, and as I high-fived 2 out of 3 of the boys and Jake’s girlfriend…

…I was pretty freaking thrilled.

Sports can do that.

And I thought of all the people I wished were there beside me.

Kathy couldn’t make it because of the stairs…

…and siblings and friends and Matt…

…but it was great to be in a crowd of people too.

I saw a lot of smiles on faces of the people who suffered for all of 2020.

The bottom of the 9th started with two Blue Jays hits.

Runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs.

“They can’t lose this,” I thought. “We’re in section 123.”

23 was Jeff’s number!

And of course, Chapman got it done to make the memory complete.

“That was pretty damn cool,” Sam said as we walked to the car.

Yep.

A great one for the memory bank.

(And man, Buffalo is a good baseball town and the city looked great from our spot in the seats).

But $12 for a cheeseburger?

Come on!

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