whoops, been busy with the crazy games and then the crash at the end… I’m slowly reviving.

A definite highlight of last homestand was getting to meet Mr. Monte Irvin, a great baseball player who started playing professionally at 17 in the Negro Leagues. He later joined the Giants, becoming the third African American to play in the major leagues and in 1951 he joined with Hank Thomas and Willie Mays to form the first all-black outfield. Monte was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973 and is now 89 years old, and let me tell you, still kickin’.

Anyway, Kali and I got to pick him up from his hotel (Kali being the one with enough tickets to almost have her license suspended, haha). We jammed a wheelchair in her trunk and rolled it out to meet Monte in the lobby… we introduce ourselves, and into the wheelchair he goes. Somehow I ended up pushing him back to the car via a ramp. This ramp appeared normal, until Monte started gaining speed on the decline, and the wheelchair started slipping out of my hands… he was chatting about the weather in Texas while I was leaning back at the sharpest angle I could manage to keep him from flying free. He was the only one oblivious to the impending threat on his life, or at least his legs, as everyone else was pointing with very concerned looks. Fear not, we made it down almost flawlessly. Besides, who doesn’t love a good ride once in a while?

We chatted about Seattle, salmon, and Derek Jeter. Since I can now call him friend, I asked to take a picture with him. He gladly obliged and wished me the best of luck in my future. Needless to say, I was giddy the rest of the day.

me & monte

me & monte

Not much else stands out… LL Cool J sang on Saturday and managed to keep half of his shirt on. We were all impressed. I watched the Rays in Seattle against my Mariners, which was fun. I miss Seattle, but I don’t much miss those Mariners… let’s cross our fingers for next year.
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