My sister Siobhan and I sat at the bar at Dempsey’s last night, watching the opening ceremony of Game 4 at the World Series. It is surreal, I must say, to be living in New York City and to NOT have the Yankees be in the Series. That being said, I am a Red Sox fan, although not to the obsessive level of some of my other family members.
I was shocked by how emotional I got watching this opening ceremony, of the Top 10 Moments in Baseball. With Billy Crystal, Andy Garcia, and Ray Liotta acting as announcers. My heart expanded like the Grinch’s, seeing Jackie Robinson’s granddaughter, sitting there, beaming. And Hank Aaron’s wife…and Mark McGuire’s father…(It was all about the proud relatives.) Also, to see Pete Rose acknowledged, after years of infamy and scorn. His ovation was, perhaps, the longest and fiercest. Billy Crystal, who started to try to interrupt the cheering and move on with the ceremony, suddenly stopped himself, and said, “That’s okay. Let him hear you.” And the ovation just went on and on and on.
I was kind of a blubbery mess, I have to admit.
I was horrified, though, that Carlton Fisk’s famous homerun in 1975 was not on the list. That seems like one of the most famous baseball moments of all time. We used to act it out on the playground in grade school.
Siobhan was pissed that Cal Ripken’s most-consecutive-games record was #1. “It’s a stupid record anyway. They kept putting him in the game, and he was BAD, but they kept putting him in so he could beat the record.”
I asked my brother Brendan once what he felt was the most amazing record held in baseball. He said immedately, “Nolan Ryan. Nobody will ever do that again.”
