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Out at the Ballpark

By Alfonso L. Tusa C.

Copyright 2002 Alfonso L. Tusa C.

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The sun had begun to leave daytime in the past. A

bunch of shadows invaded gradually evry space in town.

Children were happy because classes had come to an

end, they didn't know what to do after five hours of

being confined in a room. Their happiness was

contagious. Even people going back home from their

working days changed the seriousness for the smile,

just by seeing all those jumps and screams children

made because they were free again.

This guy has had a very hard working day and he was

anxious to go home and rest. But when he got home

nobody was there. Over the kitchen table was a note

from his wife telling him she would be out with the

kids until nine o'clock: "Dear Steve. I hope you'll

understand this. Patricia came at about five to invite

the children to her little son's birthday party. Since

Pete and Petunia were very excited about it, I thought

it was ok to go with them and have some fun. There's

some pasta in the oven. See you at nine. Love, Pam".

Steve went to the bathroom in order to take a shower.

He was very tired and needed plenty of water to feel

alive again. Before he stepped into the shower, he

turned on the radio and the man on the news was

announcing tonight's game: "Well, baseball is going

to raise its temperature when the classic between New

York Yankees and the Red Sox begins in a few

minutes..." Immediately all his tiredness went down

the drain as he flew to his childhood days when

everything was related to balls and gloves, bats and

caps, competition in an open piece of field or street

with a group of friends. What wonderful days.

Without giving it a second thought, Steve took a

shower, got dressed, and went out to the ballpark.

Walking down the streets to Fenway Park Steve recalled

a lot of Red Sox games filled with so much vividness

that he felt overwhelmed with his emotions. Fenway's

entrance, suddenly appeared as an escape to another

world void of greediness, lies, day or night. Everything

is baseball in Fenway.

Even in the restroom he couldn't help feeling, he

was in a special environment where you breath the

scent of gloves, feel a bat in your hands ready to hit

a great home run and see the history of the sport

hanging around everywhere in each brick of the walls,

in every grain of sand in the infield, in every path

you go to get a hot dog or to put mustard on your

pretzel.

The amount of baseball situations that came to Steve's

memory since he went to the restroom until he got out

of it , for sure completes a whole book of anthologic

moments from his childhood games in the backyard

through his first attendance to a professional

baseball game, until now. It's the kind of experience

we enjoy a lot when we feel like a fish in a lake,

moving in the scenery we love so much that we could

spend eternity there.

Steve was going to his seat in the boxes of first base

when suddenly he heard somebody calling his name.

- ¡Hey Stevie, Stevie!

He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Patrick Thomas

a childhood friend from this treasured moments

recalled a few moments ago, was in front of him with

all his enthusiasm and warmth.

- My goodness, Pat Thomas, you bastard. ! How many

years since we last saw each other 30, 25?- Steve

reacted with a face of not believing what he was

living.

- ¡Oh, Come on man. Don't exaggerate. It's only ten

minutes since we were playing ball in that open

field¡. Don't you remember that just before coming

here I hit a home run and you got mad and threw your

glove against the ground?- Pat answered in a kidding

but serious way.

- You still remember that moment eh¡. Why don't you

remember the day when I struck you out three times in

one game. The last time was with the bases loaded and

you were the victory run- Steve replied laughing

loudly.

The two friends arranged with the security boy for

seating together and they began to talk with such

passion that they didn't notice when the game started.

Tales from far days gone by when there was time for everything,

¡Steve, look at that!. Isn't it the mean monster our

parents used to threat us with when we didn't want to

eat lunch or dinner?-said Pat pointing to the big wall

standing on left field

- Sure my friend, what wonderful time that when we

stayed late in the evening playing on the street until

dad came to our diamond saying: "That's it kids, you

know if we don't go right now then it will come the

green monster and he'll try to eat each one of us".

Replied Steve

- I got really scared when I heard about that

creature. But our baseball fever was so high that we

kept playing for five or ten more minutes when your

father and mine improvised those cavernous voices

using the speakers your father had in the garage. "If

those guys playing ball on the street don't go home

right now to eat dinner I'll go there to stop

everything and then I'll get them to my cave in the

jungle and never ever will see again their families"-

said Pat still very impressed like 30 years ago.

Suddenly a familiar sound flooded the whole stadium

and the two friends had to break the interesting

conversation to know what was happening in the game.

Bernie Williams had smacked the ball for an immense

shot that went so high to the left field that hit the

green monster just between its eyes while Troy O'Leary

went to get the ball at the bounce and throw it in a

rush to second base.

- ¡Oh man what a hit!- Steve shouted in a very

enthusiastic way.

- It seemed to me even the green monster was afraid

of that connection. I'd like to have that kind of

weapon to confront that monster at the times when our

parents made this monster go out to our baseball game

to terrify us and make us go home- Pat added in a

very emphatic way.

- Anyway we enjoyed a lot running desperately home

feeling that our lives were in trouble and nobody else

was going to help us but ourselves- Steve stated.

- Well as I see you still live here in Boston, don't

you Steve?

- Oh, but not exactly Boston right now I have my house

in Roslindale- answered Steve.

- Come on, that's not so far from Boston.

- Tell me about you, where have you been all these

time?- inquired Steve

- Right now I'm living in Detroit, I've been there

almost since I got out from college- said Pat

- So, I guess by now you'll be a diehard tiger fan?

- No, no, no, I'm still in the first line of Red Sox

followers, and you'll see this will be the year.

- The year of what?, come on Pat don't pull my leg

please. You know this team is only good to break the

fan hearts- Steve answered in a very sad mood.

- Don't let pessimism invade your mind. For harder it

seems to be reality we have to face it and make it

change- answered Pat

- What are you now, a philosopher?- Steve joked.

Now the game was on the sixth inning and it was tied

2-2. The two friends seemed not to care about the

action on the field, until it came this barbarian home

run that flew very high upon the green monster. The

score was now 3-2 Red Sox over the Yankees and the

stadium submerged in a complete ecstasy  that made Steve

and Pat stop for a while their memories to see how the

horrendous beast of their childhood was beaten for such a blast.

- Wow Steve, what can you tell me about that uh?- Pat

asked with the amazing of the shot still in his face.

- Well, let me tell you, that I was waiting

desperately for it since a while.

- But how! Weren't you talking to me? - Pat continued

surprised.

- Yeah, but I still followed the game with the tail of

my eyes- Steve answered and continued watching the

game in this particular way.

- You always get me out of balance. Remember when you

proposed me to come to Fenway, late at night after

that game of that fabulous season of 1967?- Pat

recalled with the emotion shining in his eyes.

- Sure my friend. That was because we wanted to know

if it was true that in Fenway Park left field was the

green monster home, as our parents told us? Steve

replied while shaking his head since a Red Sox batter

got the third strike.

- I can't even explain myself how two ten year-old

kids were capable of escaping home at eleven at night

to run for more than fifteen blocks to arrive at

Fenway- Pat spoke with his breath uncontrolled, as if

he had finished that run just now.

- Well, you know, when we are kids, we take a lot of

risks for what we want no matter the consequences

because most of the time we want it sincerely from the

bottom of our hearts. I think if we kept behaving that

way when we are adults maybe we didn't hesitate at the

time of taking risks. And going back to that

situation, it was really a warm and friendly

experience the talk we had with those guys in the

park. Both the watchman and the guy who was beginning

to take care of the grass were really great with us- a

big smile lighted Steve face.

- Only of thinking how the watchman said yes to our

question of going inside Fenway to see the monster

that lived in the left field, my skin gets like hen's,

I got really happy and excited because that was going

to be my first time ever at Fenway Park- told Pat very sensitive.

- And the expression of harmony and joy reflected on

the watchman face completed a magical moment that I'll

never forget in this life and whatever I'll go in

eternity. He was as excited as us that he immediately

called the grass man to tell him about us like a

little child when he's going to ask his parents for

permission to go playing outdoors- Steve continued

floating in a very special place.

- I remember how I hit my head three or four times to

see if I wasn't dreaming, but I still was walking

through the grass and the sand of Fenway. First we

went to the mound and there, the watchman gave me a

baseball and you went as a rocket to the catcher's

place and then we had out particular game of the

century in an unforgettable midnight when our parents

thought a lot of things but that we were on Fenway

Park. Pat even stood up from his seat and made a wind

up remembering that moment.

- When we arrived to that wall in the left field I

couldn't avoid feeling scared only of thinking that

whenever we got distracted the monster could grab us

and get inside the wall in an extrainning with no

final outs. But everything became funny and nice when

those two guys began to talk to us about Ted Williams,

Babe Ruth, Jimmy Piersall, and then Carl Yastrzemski,

Tony Conigliaro, Reggie Smith and José Tartabull. It

took like two hours of pure baseball and long runs of

us through the whole gardens of Fenway, until the

watchman and the grass man told us it was time to go

and we felt as if our great dream was gone with the

wind- recalled Steve.

And the game arrived to the always intense ninth

inning with Pedro Martínez hurling a great game, but

the tying run in second base with two down. Pat and

Steve spoke less and watched more to the center of

diamond where that Dominican magician put all his

effort to confront Derek Jeter. A spicy smell filled

the air of the whole stadium while emotion increased

with non stop until everybody felt anything but

baseball. Then it came another tremendous shot to the

green monster. It was going right upon the old

scoreboard in left field. O'Leary ran desperately

trying to get the ball and when it was almost hitting

the monster the Red Sox left fielder made a

spectacular jump that made him fly to grab the ball in

the edge of his glove, afterwards he went down on his

head but he didn't lose the ball for a cardiac ending

that made the whole team rush to that part of the

park in order to check on their valuable left fielder.

Steve proposed Pat to go to the park watchman's office

in order to ask him a permission to play a little

around that unforgettable field as so many years ago.

Pat was not so convinced of doing that because he said

it's not the same asking for being allowed to play on

the Fenway Park field when you're a kid that asking

for it when you are an adult.

- Don't think like that please. If you feel like you

want to be there and still feel the magic of enjoying

baseball as you did when you were a kid, there isn't

any difference between asking for permission then and

now- Steve justified his proposal.

Pat accepted Steve's reasons and went to the

watchman's office. There they got completely amazed

when they found the same old fellow preparing his crew

to go to the field to make the maintenance of it.

After explaining him in detail how they had gone to

talk with him 33 years ago for playing for a while in

the place where their heroes played everyday, the man

began to remember that far day when those guys were

just two innocent boys, he got really excited like the

two friends and suddenly they shook hands and hugged effusively.

- Of course you can go playing again to that field-

expressed the old man with a spark in his eyes.

Steve and Pat began to run desperately to the infield

of Fenway. They felt baseball fever like two little

kids in their first time at a baseball field. They run

through the bases and made all the movements of the

infielders or the runners, getting in contact with the

grass and the clay. Then they ran to the outfield and

simulated fantastic catches against the walls. When

they arrived to the left field, they retired like

three meters for getting the bounce in a genuine

Yastrzemski or Rice style, and then prepared the

cannon of their arms to throw to second or home for

getting an spectacular doubleplay. Then the watchman

called them because it was so late and he had to go

home. Steve and Pat showed how much they appreciated

what the old man had done allowing them to go playing

at Fenway Park and the fellow told them it was a great

pleasure for him to help people in having wonderful

times.

The two friends said good bye to each other while

making plans to meet more frequently in order to spend

very nice moments of childhood memories. It was almost

two o'clock in the morning when Steve arrived home.

- This is not a good time for arriving home for a guy

with a family!- Pam aimed at her husband's face in a

very angry mood

- Darling please don't get mad. I was at the ballpark

and there I met this childhood friend. We began to

talk about those great days, and when I saw my watch

it was 1:30 a.m.

- You think I'm going to believe that simple tale,

come on Steve don't be cynic!.- replied Pam.

- You have to trust me, because it's the truth.

- Well my friend, take this blanket and go to the

sofa.

- What does it mean Pam?

- From my point of view you are going to sleep in the

living room tonight.

- But this is not right.

- It's not right that I have to wait for you until

this time at night.- answered Pam in a very angry way.

Steve went to try to rest on the sofa. Anyway, and

against all the quarrel he was having with his

lifemate, he was happy in some respect because he knew

he was saying what really happened and besides that

what a magnificent experience he had lived that night

with a friend from that marvelous stage of each one's

life: childhood is the best moment of our lives

because there we begin to plan the sense of our

existence. Being at Fenway once again with all those

feelings of baseball competition flowing through every

seat in the stands and every grain of sand in the

infield was really a gift that life gave him in such a

night when he thought nothing interesting was going to

take place. So, he got into his dreams as fast as a

baby and didn't wake up until his kids, Pete and

Petunia, took the blanket away from him and began to

shout so loud that it was impossible to rest anymore.

- Aaahum!, well, what's the matter kids?

- Daddy! Is it true that you were playing ball

yesterday? -Pete asked very excited.

- Ahh, let me remember. I think I did. But let me know

how do you know that.

- Well mom is talking to the washer machine something

like this: "Look at this pant, where really was Steve

last night?. After all maybe he was telling me the

truth. This orange spot on the backside of the slacks,

and this other green spot on the knees make me think

this bum was maybe telling me the truth"- Petunia

said with a shy smile in her innocent face.

- Sure I was playing ball yesterday fellows. It was a

big, big space where you could throw and bat the ball

the farthest you can, and then begin to run behind it.

But you had to be careful because in the left field

there was an immense monster.

- Ah c'mon dad. You see why mom doesn't believe what

you say, please don't lie to us- Pete complained in a

very serious way.

- But it's true. I can prove it. I and Pat were in

that place and even touched the monster- Steve

explained as if he were really touching the monster in

that specific moment.

- I don't believe you, don't believe you and don't

believe you! -shouted Petunia while jumping through

the whole living room.

- Well, and what's happenning here now.- It was Pam

that came from her domestic tasks to know why the kids

were shouting.

- Mom, dad says he went playing baseball last night,

and that in the ballpark was a monster. Can you

believe it?- Pete spoke in a very emotional way.

- To be honest with you kids, at the beginning I

thought it was just a lie from your father. But now

I'm almost sure that he was playing something in a

place with clay and grass. I don't know if it was

baseball that he was playing. Let's think it's true,

he was playing baseball last night. What I don't

understand is why so late at night.

- Darling, I went to see a Red Sox - Yankees game. At

Fenway I met Pat the friend of mine I didn't see since childhood. We spent the whole game talking about those times when everything was going to school and playing our favorites games, and baseball was our number one

amusement- Steve said trying to persuade Pam.

- Aha, and which team won the game? asked Pam

- Of course Red Sox defeated the Yankees with a great

Pedro Martínez performance and a fantastic catch of

Troy O'Leary.

- What I don't believe you is the fact that you were

allowed to play on Fenway Park. That's like a child

dream come true- complained Pam.

- Mom, please let's dad explain this part of his

experience. This way we could say if it's false or

true- Pete stick up for his father.

- Well, after the game we went to the office of the

man that do the maintenance of the field and asked

him for playing at the field for a moment-Steve said.

At this moment Pam showed an expression of skepticism

and said: "So, now you're going to make me believe

that you and your pal were allowed to play around at

Fenway Park, nowhere else but Fenway Park. It seems to

me that you don't rest in your attempts of showing

your imagination. You know what?, you should try

becoming a writer".

- Let's continue dad, I want to listen to your tale-

Petunia asked her father in a very enthusiastically

manner that Steve recovered from the bitter Pam

comment and moved on his last night adventure at

Fenway.

- That watchman in Fenway was the same that worked

there when 33 years ago we went to that place in

order to ask for permission to be on that magical

ground where all those great ballplayers performed the

game we enjoyed so much. You can imagine the face of

this guy, he was completely shocked by that vision,

he recognized us and suddenly it was 1967 again and

a lot of happiness floated in the air. "What a marvelous

surprise you've given me kids, of course you can go playing there".

- Dad!, and you went running through all those bases,

where the big leaguers play? Pete asked very happy.

- Sure Pete. We went running with no rest for the

whole infield, simulating different plays, sliding on

the bases, throwing at home. Then we walk around the

outfield and all of a sudden got impressed by that

enormous wall standing there as a fierce dinosaur. We

stayed there contemplating the green monster and then

called the watchman to inquire about how many balls

this monster eats per game.

- A lot my friend, sometimes it could be very

voracious but on other occasions it doesn't have the

pleasure of getting any ball on its net.

- When are you going to take us to Fenway to play some

ball, dad? Pete jumped through his father's arms.

- That's what happens when you talk a lot of things

from your imagination!- Pam talked to Steve with a big

smile in her face.

- I'm afraid this is not going to be possible just for

the near future. But we could play some baseball

around the house today Petey- Steve tried to keep

smiling his kids.

- Sure you don't- Pam took part of the conversation as

fast as she could.

- But why not mom? Petunia complained almost crying.

- Well, today is Saturday. You and Pete have to do

your school duties and after that you must help me

with some domestic tasks- Pam explained very

seriously.

- And what about if we finish all that and still have

time to play ball- Pete asked hopefully.

Pam began to see her husband and after some exchange

of sights she said- Well I don't know you have to ask

your father if he can still play with you in the

afternoon.

The kids went to their father and they began begging

him for playing baseball that afternoon. Steve said it

was not a sure thing because he had some errands to do

that evening at downtown.

- When are you supposed to be back Dad?- It was

Pete's question.

- I think around 5 o'clock.

- Great, at that moment we'll be ready to play ball.

We'll be waiting for you- Petunia said while she and

her brother jumped on the living room.

- Let's see if you are going to be able to complete

your whole assignments for today, because if you

aren't, there won't be anything similar to a ball game

around this house- Pam spoke in a severe tone.