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| Pam, Alan and Kathryn on grill duty |
Massachussettes with Kathryn was a lovely time. It was here that it truly started to sink in how lucky I am to be doing something like this. Not only am I getting to cross the country going to baseball games seeing old friends, but I am experiencing new places and learning things all with the help and generosity of scores of wonderful people (many I've never even met). With KT as my guide I got to see: arguably the best baseball stadium, the birthplace of the American Revolution, turtles, a funny movie, Walden Pond, crazy-looking ducks, the Concord River from a canoe, Boston, the Lexington Green, and my friend.
I also got to meet Pam and Alan, her funny, generous, and loving parents. Kathryn lives in Vermont now, so I was not their only visitor. They put me up in my own room and provided great conversation while giving me food to eat. Really good food. Dinner and its preparations were my favorite part. We were to have various shellfish, cod, corn on the cobb, potatoes, and tomato salad (there was even a steak in there somewhere too). Alan, Kathryn and I sat outside drinking gin and tonic while we shucked the corn. Pam the chef was busy commanding two grilles, an oven, a stovetop, a microwave, preparing the salad and making sure everybody had their glasses full. Alan and I started talking baseball. I don't know if KT totally zoned out at this point, and I'm sorry if we bored you, but I loved it. We shared some of the best baseball stories there are, Ted Williams stories. I used to love it when my dad told me about Teddy Ballgame and felt right at home with Kathryn's dad doing the same. The dinner was fantastic. I love seafood and was in paradise alternating between the mussels, clams and cod. I'm also from Ohio and am a sucker for good summer sweet corn. Not bad Massachusettes, not bad.
We laughed about funny things and talked seriously about important social and economic issues. I loved how after we had our bellies full we settled in to discuss the consequences of our choices as consumers on industries such as mining. I'm against a lot of mining. Why would I want to put a large hole in the ground, toxic or not, where there was once beauty just so luxuries can become more luxurious? I understand that some mining is necessary. We all did. But what we couldn't grasp was how people living in a pristine mountain environment can feel good about themselves while using materials that come from destroyed mountains to play on non-destroyed mountains. We surmised that it must depend on the mountain. I'll surmise here that it depends on the person too.
Doug- here is a former pitcher that still likes throwing curve balls. He tossed me a couple great ones. One was in the form of third row seats at Atlanta's Turner Field. We sat right behind the Nationals' dugout, acquired a section a friends and got Doug's newborn son a baseball. The other thing I wasn't expecting was to drink beer free of charge all night long. Going back in my mind I've counted 12, but who the hell knows? It was enough to send to the top of a chain link fence to pretend and snag Henry Aaron's 715th homerun. It was enough to let Doug talk Julius the bartender into plugging in Doug's iPod to the speaker system. It was enough make me attempt to record myself singing "You Are So Beautiful" and fail without even really starting. It was enough to have a hell of a good time. I would've liked to meet Doug's wife and son, but there just wasn't enough time. Maybe some other time.
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| Doug's Four Seam Fastball |
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| The Slider |
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| The Circle Change |
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| The Meatball |
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| Cyran and Joe |
I had been on a train from Cleveland since the wee hours of the morning and was anxious to get to my hotel room. The thing was that I couldn't get into the hotel. It was the Wellesley Manor Boutique and when I arrived there was nobody there. In fact, I never saw anybody there for the three days and two nights I stayed. The management had left a phone number, but with my plan from the U.S. the number did me no good. I decided to see if I could get some help at the bar next door. That's where I met these guys.
The first thing Cyran said to me was, "We're sitting here just getting pissed. Shall you join us?" It was nice being invited to drink with them. I was worried about getting to my room for the night and being in a new, large city always produces a little anxiety. After sidling up to the bar with them my only worries were if they were messing with me or not. They were so damn friendly it threw my friendliness/sarcasm detector way off. Adding to my confusion was the thick Canadian accents. Were these guys serious? It didn't take too long until I was trying my own accent on for size. We all laughed about it. That is, when they weren't laughing at me for carrying around a big pack and being locked out of a hotel room that I'd already paid for.
Eventually I was able to borrow the bartender's phone (Cyran and Joe didn't carry cell phones) and call the number left on the front door. While I was calling Kyle sat down and joined us. He was six months removed from prison in Ireland and his presence was noted immediately. It was probably his way of proclaiming himself the "craziest Irishman you've ever seen" before forcing us all to take shots of Jameson that did the trick. Let's just say that the bar was acutely aware of Kyle, even those of us on the phone. The hotel had left a key for me in the lock box. I hung up and promised the guys I'd be back in a bit.
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| Joe, Me and Kyle |
I returned to find a different scene. Cyran and Joe had left, which made me sad. Kyle was still there, which made me a little nervous. He put his arm around me and told me to buy him a drink, for good luck. I told him to go fuck himself. He took his arm away from me, looked me in the eye and started laughing. Then he bought me a beer and another shot. Kyle and I sat and ordered some wings. In between leerings and pectoral flexes Kyle told me about Ireland, jail and his favorite spot in the world: Toronto. He loved it. "So many women buddy. So many. You wouldn't believe it buddy. Red ones, brown ones, white ones, oh buddy."
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| Phil, Mandy, Jules |
There aren't too many people I know that are as kind or as fun as Mandy. She immediately lights up a room upon entering and everybody's always happy to see her. She's come a long way from Five Point road and has built a nice life, with a great marriage, in a cool-ass section of a big city. So I'm incredibly happy for her and Phil. It was a thrill getting to glimpse, even just for a moment, the new life they've molded for themselves. Well done guys. Let's do it again sometime soon.
Becky and Lauren- These two endured the hours and hours of Iowa with me. I've nothing against Iowa. I think it's a lovely state. I do. However, when the train you're on can't seem to make it through the state you're in, sometimes a little help is needed to keep your spirits up. Becky and Lauren did the trick. They were fun to hang out with. We ate dinner together in the dining car, talked about why we need to support our teachers and made music videos while hanging out in the observation car. Lauren is about the coolest 14-year old I've ever met. Which means that Becky must be a great mom. Based on our ten hours together I'm sure she is.
Will, Lane, Mariel, and Jeremy- I met this bunch around 2007 in Crested Butte, CO. We used to have quite a bit of fun together. It's hard not to have fun in Crested Butte, but I'm pretty sure that I could have a good time with these guys anywhere. Some fun things that come to mind: dominating the jukebox at the Talk of the Town (we liked to play the long version of CCR's "Heard It Through The Grapevine" to get our money's worth), sitting in my underwear on the "no pants" couch, 40's and euchre, and of course the chest-deep pow. The crew has dispersed and stretched out to the nether regions of the world, so not everybody from the mountain days is here in Denver. Major players that were missed include Anne, Sarah, Kendall, Megan, Kelly, Nate, Eve, and Kathryn. I'm sure to see Kathryn in Boston and am hoping that Nate and maybe even Eve will make a cameo as well.
Valerie and Bryce- From Sacramento to Reno I hung out with this super mom/son combo. Bryce is a 14 year-old frog-loving, curly haired redhead named for Bryce Canyon. Valerie is a kind, intelligent, thoughtful writer at heart that has headed back to school to pursue a teaching career at the junior college level. They were incredibly nice, but hadn't spent much time on the train before. Fortunately, I was able to show them how to kick up their footrests and in doing so, we got to talking about some very interesting topics.Valerie and Bryce had reservations in the lunch car and they invited me to join them for a meal. After a cheers to our first dining car experience, we talked about Bryce's wonderful website (www.frogsabound.org). I was impressed with his work and the site, which talks about everything you'd ever want to know about frogs. Did you know there are over 5000 known species of frogs worldwide? Next we conversed about writing and how practicing it frequently can actually change your brain by improving conversation skills, increasing confidence, and altering perspective. Finally we finished the meal on the topic of teachers; what makes a good one; the difficulty of their jobs in a test happy environment; and in the wake of the happenings in Wisconsin, their overall lack of respect. Does anybody truly believe that being a teacher is a gravy train job? After we finished eating, Valerie graciously insisted on paying. Thank you Valerie. It was great to meet you and Bryce.
Matt, Lucas, and Bob- "The people here are the real fans" Matt said to me from the end of the aisle. I thought to myself, "Well I'm glad I'm here." I may not be an A's fan, but I hope that I could include myself in the real fan category. Plus, who the hell wants to hang out with fake fans? The thing is: as big of a fan as I may be, I cannot compare with each of these three, which for me was too easy to see. That is, of course, if your asking me. Bob, Lucas, and Matt as they were known to me, rooted emphatically, emotionally, informatively, and constantly. They cheered for strikes, they even cheered for balls, they groaned at bad plays and loudly booed bad calls.My first reaction was, "Who are these guys?" But I was soon saying to myself, "These guys are awesome."
Lucas told me that there is a big east coast bias in baseball media coverage. He cited the relatively meager amount of press the Giants received in getting to, and winning, the World Series. He continued picking on the AL East in particular, "See Steve, when you watch this game here it goes: pitch, catcher throws back, pitch. If you watch a Red Sox or Yankees game it goes: pitch, catcher throws back, batter steps out of the box, unhooks his gloves, spit, spit, rehooks his gloves, spit, digs in, calls time, spit..." They're like baseball royalty out there. I agree with Lucas.
"If you take away the Yankees games our pitching staff is like... walk on water." Bob mentioned this and I thought it was a great example of the type of fans these guys were. Nevermind that Oakland was 12 games under .500 and 13 games out of first place. They were proud of the A's having a strong pitching staff, loved the team, and were unabashedly positive. They spoke with enthusiastic reverie about Grant Balfour (even though his name is a poor name for a pitcher), Jemile Weeks, and Andrew Bailey. And they were INTO the game. I remember when Balfour came in and put the Rays down 1-2-3 for the top of the 8th. I will always have the very pleasant memory of Bob shooting out of his chair (in unison with his two sons) at a called third strike to end the inning. Balfour painted the corner and Bob, smiling fantastically and imitating the umpire, was having the time of his life while looking like he was pretending to start a lawn mower. Cheers Bob!
Nyki, Matt, Tony, Kyle, Mike, Sam- What a group! None of these
lovely people had ever been to a baseball game and I was lucky enough to sit next to them and help them understand a bit about what was occurring on the field at the Giants/Brewers game. Tony is the patriarch and originally from South Africa. Now he lives in Vancouver, BC with Kyle and Sam. Mike and Matt hail from New Zealand, but Matt and Nyki have paired off and reside in London. Got all that? It sure took me awhile. All I knew was that they were all from countries with an English influence and the only bat and ball game they were familiar with was the game of cricket. Although they picked a low-scoring affair for their first game, it couldn't have been in a better place. The home of the defending World Series' champs was buzzing with the excitement of their team's 2-1 triumph over the NL Central's first place team. I sat closest to Matt and Nyki and they were excited to learn as much about the game as I could teach them. Although at one point I had to convince Matt to try some sunflower seeds, "It's traditional Matt. You sure you don't want some?" I truly enjoyed the experience of seeing the game through a first-timer's eyes. It helped me understand more about why I enjoy baseball so much while meeting some great new people.
Lisa, Lora, Shane, and Connor- We sat next to each other in the bleachers at the Giants' game. Lisa and Lora are twins originally from the Chicago area. They each moved to California 20 years ago and had boys (Lisa-Connor; Lora-Shane). Lisa and Connor now live an hour north of San Francisco in the Sonoma valley. Lora and Shane came up from Orange county. Shane's favorite players are Aubrey Huff and Tim Lincecum, "It's a tie." Lisa sat next to me for the majority of the game. I really enjoyed her company while answering all of her questions about my trip. Like most everybody you meet at a ballgame she happy and fun. It was a good time.
Diana H- A gypsy by heart, Diana loves to travel. She is from Germany and I met her on the train taking us north through the San Joaquin Valley. Diana is a delightful person that was visiting the western U.S. for the first time, but she is no stranger to the America. She spent her mid-teenage years attending high school in Boston. Because of her previous time spent here she has many friends that she enjoys visiting. I enjoying meeting Diana and talking about everything from the Kingdom of Galicia to our favorite foods. I was advised to someday try one her favorites from the homeland, koenigsberger klopse (meatballs and potatoes). 
Blue- It is appropriate that I watched a Dodger game with my old friend. So many years ago now I used to call him by his middle name, Chris. His given first name is Blue and not only is that what he prefers to go by now, but it is also a symbol of the Dodgers. Their motto is: Think Blue. Although it was fine to call him Chris, I kept telling myself to "think Blue".Other than the name, not a lot has changed since high school. Blue is still hilarious, astute, erudite, mildly inappropriate at times and kind. So is his wonderful wife, Tess, whom I met for the first time. They let me crash at their cozy and inviting West LA pad for two days. We went out and had a FANTASTIC burger the first night at Father's Office, which is a very "LA" upscale pub with a great draught selection. I got to know Tess and learned about the days of the young couple's burgeoning romance and a bit about the life they've built together so far. It was an enjoyable time and for me a moment pregnant with hope for my own romantic future. I'm happy to report that loving, fun, respectful marriages are still alive and well.
I laughed quite a lot at (with) Blue and Tess over the two days and I hope I was able to provide a little humor for them as well. It felt good to laugh hard. Blue's baseball announcer (part Hank Azaria, part Vin Scully) had me bent over from hilarity for the first five innings of the game: "Here comes Jayson Werth who signed a $126 million deal this off-season to prevent the Nationals from competeting for a pennant this year"; "Kuroda kicks and deals to the listless Werth who's down 0-2 and has probably given up all hope for a hit this turn at bat"; "Friends remember that Thursday night is Let's See If We Can Win One night at Chavez Ravine. Come on down and show your support by staying at least five innings."
We traded Jayson Werth shots back and forth all night long with his friend Eric who also joined us. Of the four games yet, this one ranks number one for baseball banter. Players discussed included: Wade Boggs, Rick Sutcliffe, Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell (you can't have one without the other) Kirk Gibson, Joe Carter, Tony Gwynn Sr. and Jr., George Brett, Dan Quisenberry, Brady Anderson, Howard Johnson, Jose Vizcaino and Jack Morris among many others. Thanks guys, it was fun.
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| Myself, Blue and Eric within range of RF Jayson Werth |
I took the train from the south, James from the north. We met at the station for Angels' Stadium. This park was incredibly convenient to get to. The train essentially drops you in the parking and it only costs $6 coming from LA. Why doesn't everybody take the train there?
We saw one of the fastest played games possible. I think it lasted less than 2 hours 30 minutes. But we had enough time to drink some beers and chat about everything from the bewitching, mercurial, labyrinthian splendor that is Woman to our old mountain days. We revelled in our acheivement of similar viewpoints through contrasting experiences. Sometimes two people just know what the hell they're talking about. Cheers James!
Henry F - I was talking with my housemate David, before my trip began and he was asking me about where I was going to stay along the way. I mentioned that I'd like to stay with friends or people I meet, not only to save on cost but also because it would be exciting. David asked me if I had a place to stay in San Diego and I responded that I didn't and was kind of concerned about what I was going to do for lodging there. Then David put me in touch with Henry. Henry is incredible. In fact, from now on when I am referring to something that is "awesome" or "supercool" I'll frequently use some form of the root henry. What exactly made Henry so henrilicious? Many things: his trust, his brain, his love of hats, and his willingness to help others are forefront on the long list of reasons.
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| Henry's wall of hats |
I arrived on a Friday night. Henry was there, but not for long. He left for Sacramento in the morning and left me with full access to his place for three days, which was very henrified of him. But before he took off we had a feast of fresh vegetable stir-fry, rice, beans, and some crispy kale chips (thanks for a great meal Henry). While we devoured our tasty dinner we found ourselves immersed in a rich and lively conversation that touched on baseball and it's varied levels of entertainment; the San Diegan sweet spots I should be sure not to miss; and a multi-layered discussion revolving around the human animal's physical capabilites, the evolution and modern application of these proficiencies, and the opportunties to access and use these intrinsic gifts in today's world. Some day Henry and I are going to chase down a gazelle together.
Mike and Dave - I took in the second half of the Padres and Giants game with these guys. Mike was down from San Jose and is a big Giants' fan. I'm not sure where Dave is from, but he was pullinng for the hometown team and had spent some time living in many exotic locations, namely Hawaii and Pakistan. They knew their baseball and were fun to watch the game with. Mike wants to do a trip to all 30 parks with his wife one day. Do it Mike! And if your wife sees this, do it Mike's wife! Seriously. Why the hell not?  |
| Richard |
I met him on his way back home from a golf tournament with his old buddies (he grew up in L.A.). It turns out one of those old buddies is Larry Yount who is the older brother of Hall Of Famer Robin Yount. Richard told me about being friends with those guys and how he went to Cooperstown in 1999 for Robin's H.O.F. induction.
Naturally I told him about my trip and we talked a lot of baseball. One of the more interesting topics we covered was Larry Yount's career in the majors. Evidently Larry was a pretty good pitcher and one day made his way to the majors for what is surely the quickest cup of coffee anybody's ever had. Poor Larry didn't even have time to stir in the cream because he injured himself warming up on the mound before ever taking on his first major league batter. So he was inserted into the game (and into the record books) and immediately taken out without throwing a pitch. Larry never made it back to the show. Check it out:http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/yountla01.shtml
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| Forrest P. |
Forrest's friend Ed was moving to Washington and he decided to help his buddy move while also taking a good old-fashioned road trip. On their first day in Olympia Forrest met Ariana at a potluck type dinner. The thing is that neither of them were supposed to be there. Ariana had plans to go to another dinner, but was talked into changing her mind by a friend. Forrest was arriving in Olympia eight days behind schedule due to a problem with his '87 Volkswagon Fox. Needless to say they were smitten immediately, spending the rest of Forrest's eight day vacation together. Three months later he was living in Olympia.
I caught him on his way back down to California to see his family, including his identical triplet sisters. His brother was on leave from Afghanistan where he is a medicine man with the Navy/Marines and Forrest was excited to see him.We both hoped that all of those guys get to come home for good soon.
During the 16 hours we spent on the train together we had many conversations that often included one of Forrest's signature analogies or jokes. Here's one: A guy and a dog walk into a bar. The bartender says, "Hey man, you can't have that dog in here." The patron says, "Well, he's a talking dog. What if I get him to say something? Can we stay?" "I guess." So the guy says to his dog, "What's on top of a house?" "Roof." The bartender begrudgingly slides the man a beer and says, "One beer and that's it." The man finishes his beer and asks, "What if I get him to say another word?" "Okay." So the patron turns to his dog and asks him, "How does sandpaper feel?" "Rough." Now clearly irritated, the bartender gives the man his second beer and says, "Finish and please leave." Remonstrating one last time the dog owner faces the bartender, "C'mon, just one more. It's hot outside. Do you like baseball? You've got to let me stay if my dog talks some baseball, yeah?" "That dog ain't talking no baseball." "Sure he can. Watch." He turns to the dog and asks, "Who's the greatest baseball player of all time?" Sure enough, the dog responds with, "Ruth." At this point the bartender forces the two out and tells them never to come back. Now standing in the street the dog quizzically turns to his owner and asks him, "DiMaggio?"
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| Kate and I at the starting line |
A fun thing happened at the crossroads of our summers: we crossed each other's road. Here's a picture of Kate and I at Portland's Union Station. She was getting off. I was getting on.
Have a fun summer in North Portland Kate and enjoy the comforts of the gold chair.
Tanya T - video producer, artist, all-around wonderful person
Ryan B - moral support, grammatical critique, thought trampoline, idea generator
Larry and Scott - Portland Amtrak Station Agents
Willie and Tucker S - A fantastic Portland dad/son combo that let me shag some flies with them. Tucker is a super 10 year-old P/C/OF that crushes the ball to left but keeps the defense honest by spraying outside fastballs to right with authority.
