Saturday, June 21, 1930 - New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers

Section 23, Aisle J, Seat 5

David had looked at his ticket stub a dozen time and probably would a dozen more.  His morning had started off like any other Saturday morning, with the smell of fresh bacon coming from the kitchen as he walked down the stairs.  His father was sitting at the small table, reading the newspaper as he sipped on a cup of hot coffee.  His mother busily moved around the kitchen, fully in command of her favorite work space.

Upon noticing David's entrance, his father set the paper down and he smiled with a twinkle in his eye.  "Hey there sleepy head, thought I was gonna have to go by myself!"

David, hair sticking in every direction, finished a yawn before responding "Go by yourself?  Huh?  Are we going somewhere?", as he pulled out a chair at the table and sat down next to his father.

His father picked up an envelope that had been lying near his coffee cup and reaching inside, pulled out two rectangular pieces of paper.  Handing one of them to David, he said "Know what this is?"

David rubbed his eyes as he read the words New York Yankees vs Detroit Tigers.  Carefully looking up at his father, he questioned "Is this a ticket to a baseball game?"

David's father laughed and replied "Yep David, I'm taking you to your first baseball game today.  One of my vendors was kind enough to give these to me and I figured it was time for your first game.  That is, if your interested". David's father picked up his coffee and held it to his lips to cover up his grin.

"Oh Papa, Yes I'm interested" blurted out, excitement in his voice. Then he glanced to where his mom was cooking breakfast and looked back at his father.  With a sigh, he continued "But what about Mom?"

David's mom looked at him with a sideways glance, then walked over and kissed the top of his head before saying "Honey, baseball is not my thing.  You boys go have your fun."

David continued to stare at the ticket in his hand, mesmerized by the lettering as he committed every detail to memory.

David grabbed his baseball mitt from the shelf and pulled on his Yankee's hat as he closed the door to his room.  Running down the stairs, he jumped, clearing the last three and landing with a thud on the hardwood floors of the entryway to their home.

The morning had been a blur after finding out the plans for the day.  David's mother had scolded him for eating to fast, barely chewing each bite of his breakfast.  His father just smiled, enjoying the excitement that was obvious in his son. 

His father had instructed him to take a shower and put on his Sunday clothes, as baseball games were considered high profile events.  David hated wearing his formal attire, but nothing was going to put a damper on his day.  Skipping his way into the kitchen, his father stood and grabbed a coat from the back of his chair.  Approaching his mother that was preparing yet another meal, his father kissed her on the cheek and said "See you tonight baby".  

"You boys have fun and see you tonight" came her response as David and his father walked down the front entry way.

David asked as they entered the sedan parked in the driveway "How far away is the baseball field?"

"Well, it's about an hour drive from here.  So, not too bad" 

"An hour?  That's like a really long time." replied David, in disbelief.  Continuing, "That's as long as those horrible trips to Aunt Sue's!"

David's father let out a loud laugh as he looked at his son and questioned "Horrible trips, eh?"

The walk through the stadium had been amazing and he found himself slightly overwhelmed with all the sites and sounds as they had traversed their way through the crowds.  As they worked their way around the complex, David was so focused on the players warming up on the field that he didn't hear his father ask him if he wanted a hotdog. Finally after two attempts, his father, showing the patience of a saint, put his hand on David's shoulder, pulling his attention back.

"Oh yes Papa, I would love one.  Can I have mustard on it?"

Several minutes later, David sat in his seat, eating his hotdog with his mitt safety tucked beside him.  The seats were in the right field, behind the fence, just inside the foul pole.  As the players ran into the dugout in preparation for the start of the game, David's childhood hero walked past first base.  Babe Ruth, even in his later years of his career, was still a dominant force in the baseball world.  With excitement, David looked at his father and pointing toward the Yankee star, said "Look Papa, look.  That's him.  That's the Babe!"

David looked at the scoreboard as the number "8" was set in place, signifying that the 8th inning had started.  The Yankees had jumped to an early lead with two runs in the first inning, but the remainder of the game had been scoreless.  With both pitchers performing at the top of their game, David was a little disappointed.  While his dad had tried to down play the chances of catching a home run ball, David was confident it would happen.  But as the innings passed and no runs were scored, the chances for bragging rights of showing his friends a real baseball from a Yankee's game seemed to be slipping away.

As the Tiger's players took the field, David looked over and saw his hero, the Babe, warming up in the on-deck circle.  The Tiger pitcher, Chief Hogsett had calmed down after the first inning and had been untouchable for last seven.  As Babe Ruth walked to the batter's box, David slipped his mitt onto his left hand and stood up in preparation.  Looking to his father, they smiled at each other, then David's gaze became fixed on the Yankee Right Fielder.

First pitch was a strike that Babe just watched go bye.  Stepping back, out of the batters box, the batter took a couple practice swings before stepping back in and preparing for the next pitch.  The next pitch came inside, pushing the batter back to avoid getting hit.   David could see Babe glare at the Tiger's pitcher as he took more practice swings, keeping his body relaxed and loose.  Babe stepped into the batter's box and shifted his feet back and forth, auguring in for the next pitch.

David watched as everything seemed to slow down.  Chief released the ball and it appeared to be a fastball aimed high and inside.  Babe watched and David held his breath as he saw him begin to swing.  CRACK came the sound as the bat slammed into the ball, sending it streaking through the sky.  David, already standing, extended his arm out and above his head, pleading that the ball would come his direction.  Excitement grew quickly as he saw the ball getting closer and closer, no longer rising against gravity, but falling in his direction.  As if no one else was even in the stadium, David watched as the ball became larger and larger before it finally slammed into his open mitt.  With elation, David began jumping over and over, looking toward his cheering father.  

While the crowd was cheering for the Babe's 23rd home run of the season, David was lost in a memory that he would keep for the rest of his lifetime.