It was to have been the highlight of his trip to New York City after an absence of 25 years. This was his fifth visit, but even if he was a diehard Yankee fan, he had never stepped inside the stadium (a.k.a. the House that Babe Ruth built).
So he wasn’t about to pass up a chance this time, especially with news that the stadium would be closed for demolition this year. (It did last Sunday.) He made sure that he and I had tickets to the start of the Subway Series (Yankees vs. Mets) courtesy of his nephew Andrei Marquez who picked out the prime seats and paid for them online from his computer in Los Angeles.
We were blessed with four consecutive days of fine weather. On the day the game was scheduled, rain poured non-stop. Our NYC host, cousin Telly Valdellon, said she’d keep us posted through SMS. Meanwhile, we stayed indoors at the Metropolitan Museum, he zipping through all the galleries from antiquity to contemporary, me being slow, selective and concentrating on certain periods in art history.
At 3 p.m. Telly texted that the game was on. We walked, the spring rain causing us to huddle deeper in our three-layered clothing, to the subway entrance where we hopped into a train that took us to the Bronx. We made good time despite getting on the wrong train and being guided by a guy in dreadlocks to the right exit.
Our coveted seats in the stadium were soaked. We moved up to a dry level. Some Met players were warming up on the wet field so we assumed it was still playable. He bought sodas and burgers. I was about to bite my third chunk of the tasteless, cardboard-like bun and meat when it was announced that the game was cancelled because of the foul weather and spectators were advised to leave the stadium. We asked the usher if we could just finish our snacks before standing up to leave.
But the usher was more like a bouncer. Meanwhile, I could feel the blood of one Yankee fan roiling. He barked at me to get rid of my unfinished snacks and to snap his photos pronto. Outside we tried getting in the Yankee souvenir store with other fans, but no dice. Management was closing shop early. “They don’t want our money?” a perplexed man asked.
When Telly picked us up about an hour later and drove towards home, she said she’d forgotten to buy a lottery ticket. I said the Yankee fan should stop to buy one that minute; if he was unlucky at the stadium, maybe he’d be lucky in the lottery. From the back of the seat, his tired voice said, “I don’t find that funny.”
And what do you know? The next day was sunny and dry again, but the tickets couldn’t be used for that day’s game nor could we get a refund. I tried to console him: “This only means you’re meant to return to this city and to see the Yankees play ball.”
Today he monitors every Yankee move at http://www.mlb.com/. Meanwhile, he prizes these photos of the historical stadium, sometimes referred to as The Cathedral. If you look closely, you can see his eyes tearing up. Photos by BABETH
So he wasn’t about to pass up a chance this time, especially with news that the stadium would be closed for demolition this year. (It did last Sunday.) He made sure that he and I had tickets to the start of the Subway Series (Yankees vs. Mets) courtesy of his nephew Andrei Marquez who picked out the prime seats and paid for them online from his computer in Los Angeles.
We were blessed with four consecutive days of fine weather. On the day the game was scheduled, rain poured non-stop. Our NYC host, cousin Telly Valdellon, said she’d keep us posted through SMS. Meanwhile, we stayed indoors at the Metropolitan Museum, he zipping through all the galleries from antiquity to contemporary, me being slow, selective and concentrating on certain periods in art history.
At 3 p.m. Telly texted that the game was on. We walked, the spring rain causing us to huddle deeper in our three-layered clothing, to the subway entrance where we hopped into a train that took us to the Bronx. We made good time despite getting on the wrong train and being guided by a guy in dreadlocks to the right exit.
Our coveted seats in the stadium were soaked. We moved up to a dry level. Some Met players were warming up on the wet field so we assumed it was still playable. He bought sodas and burgers. I was about to bite my third chunk of the tasteless, cardboard-like bun and meat when it was announced that the game was cancelled because of the foul weather and spectators were advised to leave the stadium. We asked the usher if we could just finish our snacks before standing up to leave.
But the usher was more like a bouncer. Meanwhile, I could feel the blood of one Yankee fan roiling. He barked at me to get rid of my unfinished snacks and to snap his photos pronto. Outside we tried getting in the Yankee souvenir store with other fans, but no dice. Management was closing shop early. “They don’t want our money?” a perplexed man asked.
When Telly picked us up about an hour later and drove towards home, she said she’d forgotten to buy a lottery ticket. I said the Yankee fan should stop to buy one that minute; if he was unlucky at the stadium, maybe he’d be lucky in the lottery. From the back of the seat, his tired voice said, “I don’t find that funny.”
And what do you know? The next day was sunny and dry again, but the tickets couldn’t be used for that day’s game nor could we get a refund. I tried to console him: “This only means you’re meant to return to this city and to see the Yankees play ball.”
Today he monitors every Yankee move at http://www.mlb.com/. Meanwhile, he prizes these photos of the historical stadium, sometimes referred to as The Cathedral. If you look closely, you can see his eyes tearing up. Photos by BABETH
6 comments:
I will give yet another baseball book when I pass by the office this Sunday. I picked it up in Lao PDR
Thank you, Frank. I guess that's Rolly's consolation prize.
this is your funniest entry so far! :) it shows how much a child tatay is inside that old looking body. hahaha
this is your funniest entry yet! haha. it just shows how much a child tatay is in spite of his senior citizen look haha.
this is your funniest entry yet! haha. it just shows how much a child tatay is in spite of his senior citizen look haha.
Hey Nanay! Please show this collection of Yankee Stadium Memories to Tats: http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1145462/1/index.htm
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