It’s not always fresh roses as the fantasy paints it.
However, that’s not saying you’re not allowed to have fun.
One of the reasons I collect baseball cards is because it allows me to remain a fan even when stuck at an extra-inning game that already had a 97-minute rain delay. Collecting baseball cards allows me to enjoy the parts of the game I loved as a kid and made me want to pursue this vocation.
Once you stop being a fan, you become those crotchety old men who only know how to complain and forget that you write about a game for a living.
This past week I was on vacation and told myself I was just going to be a fan. I went to the Eastern League All-Star Game on Wednesday night. I got there around 3:15 p.m., for the autograph session and came away with just one signature.
It was Yankees prospect Jesus Montero, who is playing extremely well in double-A. (He hit a grand slam on Saturday.) It was the only thing I wanted.
I almost didn’t get the autograph because there were literally two minutes left until the session was over - after standing on line for 40 minutes – and about seven or eight people in front of me. I looked at Montero, waved the ball to him, he reached out, grabbed the ball and signed it.
I felt a little strange doing this considering just two weeks ago I interviewed Montero for a little piece I did for The Cardboard Connection. I hoped he didn’t recognize me, but I wore my glasses that day. That disguise always worked for Superman.
On Thursday, I went to Lakewood to watch the Phillies single-A club. It was Cole Hamels bobblehead night and I got nice bobbing head doll of Hamels holding the World Series MVP trophy. Bowling Green won 14-11, but was up 9-1 at one point.
I saw a little bit of everything in that game, including an inside-the-park home run.
It was good to be a fan this week. Now, I get back to vacation feeling refreshed.
