So, okay...I didn't watch the All-Star game last night. I wanted to, but considering the game actually didn't start until almost 9pm, and I had midnight movie plans...it just didn't happen.
Rock on to Ichiro for getting the first ever inside-the-parker in All-Star history. I'm really not that surprised it was him who did it first.
I did get to see some of the pre-game ceremony with Willie Mays. Very classy...and I loved that he was throwing balls into the stands while being driven around. Imagine growing up watching him, then catching a ball he threw out. How cool would that be.
I'll admit that although I respect Willie Mays, I don't revere him because I never saw him play. But it got me thinking about who my Willie Mays is, or my Mickey Mantle...my Babe Ruth. You know, the player that is more than just a player, more than a memory, more than an athlete you enjoy watching. The player that for inexplicable and intricate reasons is so wrapped up in your love of the game, that it's somehow gotten bigger than you and them.
It doesn't take me long to come up with the answer, a very short list. Carlos Delgado, Roy Halladay, Joe Carter; in that order. I won't bore you with the details, but those three players for me are bigger than the game especially King Carlos. Joe Carter will forever be the strongest memory I have of my first major league baseball game.
My roomate recently asked me why I didn't get the players to sign the bat I have displayed in my room. It's one of the silver bats the Jays gave out at the '05 home opener to commemorate King Carlos blasting 4 homeruns in a game in his last season with the Jays. I'm saving it. I might be saving it in vain...but alas, I'm still saving it in hopes that one day I can get Carlos to sign it. I got his autograph on his last day in Toronto...and it meant a lot to me.
Anyhoo...inumerable "Rock On"s to Alexis Rios. I got so tired of the announcers talking about how no one knew who he was during the homerun derby because he plays in Canada. You know what? So what. Jays fans know him, love him and appreciate him. I get really tired some times of the media surrounding baseball (usually coming from the States) making it seem like playing in Canada is a bad thing, a negative, a con. Personally, I think it's a bonus, a positive, a pro. Where else would you get people screaming for hockey highlights during the World Juniors at a baseball game. As much as I begrudge my countrypeople sometimes for their hockey obsession, we still approach baseball with a hockey mentality. Where else to you get that?
So, congratulations Alexis Rios on your coming out party. People know who you are now, and Jays fans still love you. You represented us incredibly. I can't say as you're my fave Jay, but I've always been impressed how you quietly go about your business. Never overly flashy in the field, nice compact easy swing. But I appreciate you all the same.
How cool would it have been had Matt Holliday and Alexis squared off in the final round of the derby. The two guys from teams that aren't that well covered outside their markets. And, who when they were announced, most people scratched their heads and asked "who?". I'm not sure how long ago, but I've been hearing about Matt Holliday for a few years, and was always impressed. I always thought it was weird since he played in Colorado (kinda far from Ontario), but I always knew who he was.
Anyhoo...that's it for today. Enjoy the rare Wednesday offday. I can't wait for the Jays to get back into action tomorrow, and I'm betting Lyle Overbay is thinking along the same lines.
Until tomorrow,
JaysGirl5
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