19 Reasons: The Things We Carry

The introduction to 19 Reasons can be read here. Here's reason One and reason Two. And Three. And Four. Officially, this is Reason Five.

It was 1987. Friends had hopped on a plane to visit their long lost friend in San Diego, California. We journeyed to the beach, zoo, and other notable points of interest discovered over my first year living here.

And then we went to a Padres game at Jack Murphy Stadium . . .


While sitting in batting practice my best friend Matt caught a ball. A real ball. Touched by big-leaguers. I was incredulous! Why not me! I put aside my bitterness, congratulated my friend, and took solace in the consolation that my day would come soon enough.

Twenty-four years later I finally got a ball. 

The 2011 season was the one in which I finally left for home with a ball from a Padres game. The when, where, and how of this ball was a bit unique, and if we're speaking candidly, illegitimate [I wrote about it here]. I'm not about to apologize for this ball, it's mine. But I also thought it to be an omen of sorts -- perhaps a harbinger of balls to come during the season. I had one but I still wanted the thrill of catching a ball during a game.

My seats were good in 2011, perfect for caroming foul-balls. In the spring, I brought my friend Mark to a game. I erred when I gave him the seat closest to the aisle . . .

How could I have known? I was happy for him. With a gentle nudge, he decided to give the ball to the young girl sitting with her father behind us. Before the offering we did get this picture for posterity, though. 

There would be another close call in 2011 where a ball ricocheted off a stairwell, flew over the person's shoulder in front and to the right of me, skinned off my left ring finger, and continued over the shoulder of Rick from RJ's Fro. There would be a mad scramble for the scuffed ball in the aisle behind us, but again nothing for me to claim.

I got one ball in 2011 (illegitimate as it may be) and fell short on a couple of other occasions as I did in 1987 with Matt. Getting a foul ball at a game would be a thrill (I imagine) but the more memorable part seems to be the recounting of the circumstances, who you were with during the moment, your friends. When it comes to baseball games those are the things we carry . . .