Those of you who know me know that I love baseball.
Those of you who know me ALSO know that I love the New York Mets.
Tomorrow, the New York travel to Minneapolis to play the Minnesota Twins in the first game of a three-game series.
I'm excited. And a little scared too.
I used to be in the employ of the Minnesota Twins. I started out as an usher in 1989 when they played at the Metrodome. I was an usher and later an usher's supervisor through the 1995 season. It was a great deal of fun and I got PAID to do something that I would've done for free. ThenI got a break. I had the opportunity to take a position in the front office of the ballclub. I had hoped to have a different position in the organization but the fact that I got one at all was waaaay cool.
On February 26 1996 I became a full-time employee. I had a great time at it. I envisioned that this would be the last organization I would ever work for. I thought that I would be there for 31 years or so and then I would consider retirement. During some seasons I spent more time at the ballpark than I did at my own home.
But that didn't happen. I left the organization on January 10, 2002. Other than the day that my mother passed away, it was the worst day of my entire life.
I watched no baseball during the 2002 season. I avoided baseball to any extent. I didn't watch SportsCenter on ESPN for 9 solid months. I watched a lot of NASCAR and Wild hockey. I couldn't even think about the games. I swore that I wouldn't go back to any Twins games. I was there during the 1991 season which ended in a World Championship. To be on the field as that series ended was an incredible experience. By the time I reached front office status the team had turned into a laughingstock and the bloom was quickly off the rose. We drew some very small crowds and those crowds saw some pretty bad baseball. But by century's end things were starting to look up.
The 2002 season found the Twins in the postseason for the first time in a decade. I succumbed to the temptation and bought a ticket to game one of the American League Championship Series against Anaheim. It was a last-minute decision and I enjoyed the game as much as I could. But after that I decided that I wouldn't darken the gate at 501 Chicago Avenue until the team of my youth, the New York Mets, came to town.
That was a different ballpark and a different address. Each year, when the following season's schedule is released I would take a fast glance at the Mets' schedule to see if they wold be playing in Minneapolis the next year. Keep in mind that seeing Mets road games is fairly easy, given my occupation in working for an airline. I saw Mets games in four different cities in 2011.
So when I discovered that the Metropolitans would be playing less than 15 miles from my home I got excited. I made a posting on facebook so that some of my friends would know that I would see them in about 7 months. I have not seen some of these people since my last game in September 2001. I have missed a great many of them, front office personnel, ticket takers and ushers whom I enjoyed working with a great deal.
But this weekend I will get to close the circle. I look forward to it with great anticipation and mild anxiety. It's gonna be cold, as the brain wizards at Major League Baseball have obviously forgotten that the Twins play in an outdoor stadium now, and they play in South Manitoba. So games in April make little to no sense.
But no matter what happens it will be a memorable experience. I will have gloves on and probably a heavy coat and ear muffs. But I will be at a baseball game. The Mets will be on the field and I, the biggest Met fan in Minnesota, will be in attendance.
Thomas Wolfe said "you can't go home again". But tomorrow that changes for a few days.
But the curse will continue.
I'm just sayin'
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