Saturday, May 31, 2008

No need to be disappointed!

I didn't have to feel disappointed for long. On Tuesday afternoon, my friend KC and I drove up to Baltimore to stay the night with her step-brother and go to his game: Orioles v. Yankees. Although Johnny had spent the night on Monday, I didn't want to get my hopes up. Sure enough, he had moved to the hotel that night, and I couldn't expect to meet him or any other Yankees that evening.

At the game, we sat behind home plate with her step-brother's wife as she blew him kisses every time he glanced back at her before going up to bat. His son had given both he and Johnny Damon "home run kisses" that morning at breakfast, and within the same inning they proved to be effective. :) After sitting out the rain delay in a suite with several other baseball wives, we watched the Orioles take the game. We were then given player guest passes and allowed to head to the basement after the game. I sat in the hallway right outside the locker room, just waiting for the Yankees to begin exiting in their street clothes, ready to head to the hotel for the night.

The first guy I cared to meet was Joba Chamberlain, a 22-year old Nebraskan who was just moved up to the major leagues last August. He has so far been an excellent relief pitcher, but it has just been announced that he'll have his first start on Monday! I was able to chat with him briefly about our home state and what I'm doing in the area, and of course have my picture taken with him.




Before long, Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi were walking down the hall together. They stopped to talk to KC's step-brother's wife and suddenly they were turning and reaching out their hands to shake mine! My hat was taken note of, and after exchanging a few words, I was having my picture taken with them as well!

Just moments after Johnny and Jason had left, I saw him - one of the best all-around ball players in the major leagues, A-Rod. He stopped to shake the hand of his pilot (a man who I would spend the evening with, even staying at the same house) but continued walking. And that's when I did it. I annoyed Alex Rodriguez.

"Alex!" I called out, trying to maintain a friendly tone. Nothing.
"Alex!!" I shouted again. He still kept walking.
One more time, "ALEX!" I yelled as a final attempt. And then he turned, but only his head.
"HI!" I said, excited that my shouts had been successful.
"Hi," he said unethusiastically.
"I just wanted to meet you," I said sweetly.
"Nice meeting you," he said in an insincere, annoyed tone. And he walked away.

More like A-hole, seriously. And even the people that coordinate his flights on his private jet agree. They call him that when he's not around. Throughout the rest of the evening, I was let in on the gossip, and it was interesting (and sad) to have that glimpse into someone's life. I would never want to marry a ball player. But I'm thrilled that I got to meet some!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're a Yankees fan? Seriously? Why? There are so many better teams out there. Did you get an autographed syringe from Giambi? The A-rod story was hilarious. I always knew he was an A-hole.

a tall sassy gal said...

A-hole...good story. I am sure the stories were sad of the men who cheat while on the road.

Anonymous said...

i've heard that a-rod is a jerk like that. even though i'm not a yankees fan (go o's!), it's still awesome you got to meet those guys.

Erin said...

I'm glad you got to meet Johnny D! I still have secret love for him but don't tell... as for A-Rod -- he's such a dick. I'm totally not surprised. Try not to let his behavior effect your amazing meet and greet opportunity.

k said...

on detailed examination of your pictures from this post and your last, johnny damon and i would get along well, going multiple days without changing our clothes :)

Trish Ryan said...

It's amazing to get a peak at that life! It's a fun place to visit, but i wouldn't want to live there :)

(Is it just me, or does Giambi look like an extra from a mob movie???)

my life is brilliant said...

Oh my gosh, so the Jerk's dad was the VP of two different MLB teams (at different times, obviously). A-Rod played for one of those teams. I heard LOTS of stories about him and his lovely, pleasant attitude (sense the sarcasm?).