Today, Jazz and I, took off on a sort of quazi planned and hopeful trip up to Vero Beach. We left with a hope of catching up with Joe Torre and getting his autograph as he started a new chapter in his life and career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. They began spring training today at Dodgertown. Today just the pitchers and catchers of the previous year and the hopefuls for the up coming year all met to begin their bids for the starting lineup for the new season.
"The grass feels really good and cool," Jazz said, as his he accidentally had a shoe slip off while we were standing there watching and he immediately said, "Dad, take your shoes off and feel this grass. Is this real!"
I asked a guy standing in the shade if he had seen Joe Torre this morning. He told me that he had and that he was still way up in the north field. We turned and headed to towards that field in order to increase our chances of getting a picture and his signature. For the occassion I had, somewhat inappropriately, worn my old Official Yankees Cap for him to sign if we got that close. As we got closer to the field where he was reported to be, it became obvious that he was in fact there. It had to be him, surrounded by the mutiltude of fans pressing him up against the fence at his back, just outside the diamond where some of the coaches were about to begin bunting practice. (NO one even noticed that going on)
The scene was just a little brutal as the grown men pushed in and shoved, quite physically, to get their chance to say Hi to Joe, wish him encouragement (as if their comments alone would make his season completely successful) and have the wide variety of baseball paraphernalia signed by one of baseballs legends, as he began his new seasons away from the ongoing controversy of New York and the current congressional hearings that have been creating a black spot for baseball of late.
Standing in the crowd and not being pushy, I tired my best to get my hat close enough for him to see and sign. Feeling as though my efforts were not going to work, I also tried having Jazz get in close enough, straight thru the closed off group of big guys, who had little regard for the fact that he was even there, as he got pushed around and shoved as they jockeyed for position, as soon as one lucky person moved from the front of the group. I made a few semi loud comments for certain guys, to watch out for him and to not get him hurt, but it all but fell on deaf ears. I pulled Jasper back to protect him.
The next thing I know, Jazz is standing right behind Joe and calling to me and signaling me to give him the hat and marker by his reaching for it. He evidently went to the left and squeezed in along the fence to get in perfect position right next to Torre. I handed him the gear knowing that a kid had a much better chance of breaking rank and size. And just as I did, we heard Joe say, "I really have to go now and get to work." I thought for a second that we might just miss this opportunity to get what we came for but in that moment Torre turned and saw Jazz standing there with the Yankee cap in hand and raised in his direction. He took the cap and signed it for
him and as he did I snapped the picture to the right. (You can see the cap being signed and Jaspers head in the lower left corner of the picture.) Jazz came out of the group and over to me. We were both really happy and satisfied for having gotten the signature we came for on this special day.
I imagine I was probably more estactic than Jazz for just having a deeper sense of what was going on and knowing and appreciating who the guy is and having watched him for the past decade and a half in New York. Also there was this little repeat of history going on that really moved me to misty eyes, crackling voice and joy in this very moment.
Back when I was 8 years old my Dad brought me to some field in either Fort Lauderdale or Miami for my first glimpse of a spring training team and field. At that field, that morning, I walked up towards a fence with many people gathered around and pushing and shoving for positon just like they were on this very beautiful day in February at Dodgertown Field. The only difference is that it was 1963 and that there was a man that I had only heard of and had never actually seen, sitting on a chair on the inside the field behind the backstop fence to the right of home plate. The man was none other than Casey Stengal. As I got close enough to the fence where we could actually see each other, I got pushed to the side by a guy who was very enthusiastic to get into the gap that appeared above the heads of the taller guys waiting in the area. (My shortness in the group apparently made it look as if there was a gap between Casey and the fence and he was looking to get into the gap) As I got moved to the side Casey stopped the signing and asked people to stop shoving and wait while spoke with this young fella. He signed my score card that was printed with the list of players on the field that day. He talked to me for a minute or so and gently wished me well as he handed the signed card back to me thru the fence link.
Jaspers experience was much less tramatic when he actually got next to Joe Torre. He was feeling successful and reacting to his Dad's apparent happiness about getting the cap signed. So when I told him that I really would love to get a full frontal picture of Joe with him, he simply said, "do you want me to go back up there?" I told him that if he thought he could get there easily that that would be great. So he just walked back to the same side angle that he went in the first time through and I just followed him. As Joe was really trying to leave this time, Jasper patted him on the back, facing him and looking directly at him, he asked if he could take a picture with him. Joe reached down and placed his hand around Jaspers head and gently turned him towards me to stage the picture for us. I snapped it , we thanked him for taking the time and we left feeling satisfied and complete. Knowing all of the bad press that baseball is going through right now, it was a sincere pleasure to meet up yet again with one man who has the presence of a true hero. That is how he appeared to each one of us in that group. He is truly gracious and kind in a time when it is most appropriate. We are thankful for this shining moment and example of a great man!
"The grass feels really good and cool," Jazz said, as his he accidentally had a shoe slip off while we were standing there watching and he immediately said, "Dad, take your shoes off and feel this grass. Is this real!"
I asked a guy standing in the shade if he had seen Joe Torre this morning. He told me that he had and that he was still way up in the north field. We turned and headed to towards that field in order to increase our chances of getting a picture and his signature. For the occassion I had, somewhat inappropriately, worn my old Official Yankees Cap for him to sign if we got that close. As we got closer to the field where he was reported to be, it became obvious that he was in fact there. It had to be him, surrounded by the mutiltude of fans pressing him up against the fence at his back, just outside the diamond where some of the coaches were about to begin bunting practice. (NO one even noticed that going on)
The scene was just a little brutal as the grown men pushed in and shoved, quite physically, to get their chance to say Hi to Joe, wish him encouragement (as if their comments alone would make his season completely successful) and have the wide variety of baseball paraphernalia signed by one of baseballs legends, as he began his new seasons away from the ongoing controversy of New York and the current congressional hearings that have been creating a black spot for baseball of late.
Standing in the crowd and not being pushy, I tired my best to get my hat close enough for him to see and sign. Feeling as though my efforts were not going to work, I also tried having Jazz get in close enough, straight thru the closed off group of big guys, who had little regard for the fact that he was even there, as he got pushed around and shoved as they jockeyed for position, as soon as one lucky person moved from the front of the group. I made a few semi loud comments for certain guys, to watch out for him and to not get him hurt, but it all but fell on deaf ears. I pulled Jasper back to protect him.
The next thing I know, Jazz is standing right behind Joe and calling to me and signaling me to give him the hat and marker by his reaching for it. He evidently went to the left and squeezed in along the fence to get in perfect position right next to Torre. I handed him the gear knowing that a kid had a much better chance of breaking rank and size. And just as I did, we heard Joe say, "I really have to go now and get to work." I thought for a second that we might just miss this opportunity to get what we came for but in that moment Torre turned and saw Jazz standing there with the Yankee cap in hand and raised in his direction. He took the cap and signed it for
him and as he did I snapped the picture to the right. (You can see the cap being signed and Jaspers head in the lower left corner of the picture.) Jazz came out of the group and over to me. We were both really happy and satisfied for having gotten the signature we came for on this special day.I imagine I was probably more estactic than Jazz for just having a deeper sense of what was going on and knowing and appreciating who the guy is and having watched him for the past decade and a half in New York. Also there was this little repeat of history going on that really moved me to misty eyes, crackling voice and joy in this very moment.
Back when I was 8 years old my Dad brought me to some field in either Fort Lauderdale or Miami for my first glimpse of a spring training team and field. At that field, that morning, I walked up towards a fence with many people gathered around and pushing and shoving for positon just like they were on this very beautiful day in February at Dodgertown Field. The only difference is that it was 1963 and that there was a man that I had only heard of and had never actually seen, sitting on a chair on the inside the field behind the backstop fence to the right of home plate. The man was none other than Casey Stengal. As I got close enough to the fence where we could actually see each other, I got pushed to the side by a guy who was very enthusiastic to get into the gap that appeared above the heads of the taller guys waiting in the area. (My shortness in the group apparently made it look as if there was a gap between Casey and the fence and he was looking to get into the gap) As I got moved to the side Casey stopped the signing and asked people to stop shoving and wait while spoke with this young fella. He signed my score card that was printed with the list of players on the field that day. He talked to me for a minute or so and gently wished me well as he handed the signed card back to me thru the fence link.
Jaspers experience was much less tramatic when he actually got next to Joe Torre. He was feeling successful and reacting to his Dad's apparent happiness about getting the cap signed. So when I told him that I really would love to get a full frontal picture of Joe with him, he simply said, "do you want me to go back up there?" I told him that if he thought he could get there easily that that would be great. So he just walked back to the same side angle that he went in the first time through and I just followed him. As Joe was really trying to leave this time, Jasper patted him on the back, facing him and looking directly at him, he asked if he could take a picture with him. Joe reached down and placed his hand around Jaspers head and gently turned him towards me to stage the picture for us. I snapped it , we thanked him for taking the time and we left feeling satisfied and complete. Knowing all of the bad press that baseball is going through right now, it was a sincere pleasure to meet up yet again with one man who has the presence of a true hero. That is how he appeared to each one of us in that group. He is truly gracious and kind in a time when it is most appropriate. We are thankful for this shining moment and example of a great man!
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