Mission Acomplished!

  It took 25 miles short of 3,000 to do, but finally, something that I had set my mind to do, I did! The purpose of the road trip was a simple one really, even though it was something that I have always wanted to do. I drove down to Tampa Florida to catch the tail end of the Yankee's spring training. A long trip to catch one game, I caught last Tuesday's game against the Phillies. I sat in the best seats I have ever had, the kind that every baseball fan dreams about! I was no more then three or four rows from the field, and a section over from the Yankee's dugout! But that wasn't the best part? I arrived at Steinbrenner Field early enough to catch practice. Standing with some of the other fans, pressed up against the chain link fence, no more then ten feet from the players, I watched as a strange and wonderful transformation took place among the adults. We all became kids again as we stared out at our heroes! For myself, even though I am closing in on sixty five, and most of the men on the field were young enough to have been my sons, I felt like I was twelve years old again, as I stared out on the field in awe! As an added bonus, most baseball fans, and certainly all Yankee fans will remember the "flip play" made famous by our own Derrick Jeter, when they nailed Jason Giambi at the plate! Well, it appeared as if they were practicing that very play, how sweet is that?
  Americans love our sports, sports of all kinds, but for most, baseball remains America's pastime. But why is that? I think that like the season itself, baseball represents a leisurely pace, a way of relaxation from our labors. Unlike other sports, baseball has no time limits. It is played for a minimum of nine innings, however long that takes. The same pace that some claim as a problem, allows the fans to discuss things like pitch selection, and the strategies of the game. But even in those times when the game itself is not a good one, the fans can sit in the warm summer day, discussing whatever else comes to mind while the game plays out. Even if you are all about action and suspense, baseball can give that too at any moment. Interspersed in any game, there are always fantastic plays and plenty of suspense. It is simply a great game!
  Because I am a Yankee fan, it wouldn't be right for me to write about the game, and not mention one of the greatest players to ever play the game, our captain, Derrick Jeter! The last of the "core four" who were responsible for no less then five championships, Derrick like the other three before him, will retire this year, and he like the others represents all that baseball strives to be! Not just for his exploits on the field, but for his character and demeanor both on and off the field. He, like Mariano, Andy and Jorge, came up through the Yankee farm system, and like the others, lived up to the role model tag that fairly or not, is expected from our sports heroes!
  So I traveled three thousand miles to witness this. Crazy? Possibly? But here's the thing, I'm glad I did it, and I would do it again!