Boys of Summer book Entry #76

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

July 18, 2004 - Dad

Wheeling, WV

I wake up at 7:30 excited to watch television coverage of the final round of the British Open in our hotel. Our schedule allows time to watch most of it.

We are on the road by noon and stop at the Wheeling Casino where they have Greyhound racing. We stay for one race. I bet $5 on number 4 to win and he does. We leave right away so I don’t have a chance to lose the $22 I won.

The next stop is the Cracker Barrel for lunch where the manager donates two meals. The food is not fancy but very tasty and the service is friendly.

Bob:

We’re really at the halfway point calendar-wise today – one month in and about one month to go. We’ve seen 13 parks and  a lot of country.

We’re going to a Reds game tomorrow night. There is a Parkinson group that has promised us a host house to stay in, but I haven’t gotten the details on that. If it doesn’t work out the weather looks good for camping tonight.

Dad:

We drive to King’s Island a theme park with a campground just outside of Cincinnati. The weather is warm and it is a good opportunity to dry out our rain soaked gear.  Tonight  we barbecue, enjoy a campfire and play a game of cribbage. Bob wins again!

Bob:

Checking the big picture to see how many of the states we’re scheduled to touch:

CA, OR, WA, NV, AZ, CO, NM, TX, KS, AR, LA, TN, AL, GA, FL, SC, NC, VA, WV, DE, MD, NY, PA, CT,RI, MS, NY, OH, MI, IN, IL, IA, WI, MN, MO, UT, KY, NE

That’s 38 out of 50 – not bad work for two months. Maybe we should be running for office.

The Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa is just two days away. Just seeing that on the page shifts my perspective. I’m understanding the peaks and valleys of this trip more clearly and with a healthier detatchment right now. I repeat to myself: “Believe”.

Later...

I spoke to Cincinnati Reds Public Relations Chief, Rob Butcher on the phone about our visit. I hoped that he might be able to arrange press passes or aces to interesting parts of the park to show it in its best light, just as we’ve done with all the other parks. He adamantly said he’d never heard of our group or request. I asked if I could fax him over our info (for what would be the third time) and he said “fine” (gruffly). After receiving our media request he called back to say he’d received it at least three times already and sent me e-mails saying they do not honor such requests. He added that he didn’t know if I was checking my e-mails or not, but that’s where he’d sent the info.

I do check my e-mails regularly. I received emails, phones or faxes from every other team. Rob Butcher never sent me an email. Lorrie Platt (with the Reds Community Relations Department, who very kindly got us tickets for the game) did send me emails which got to me just fine.

What’s not adding up here, Rob? I don’t understand how he could go from not knowing who we are to telling me I’m not paying attention to the emails he allegedly sent denying the request he’d seen at least three times in the span of five minutes?

I understand they get a large number of requests and do their best with what they have. I also understand timing – maybe I hit Rob on a bad day? I don’t have any problem with being told no. I do have a problem with being treated rudely, especially with no provocation!

I wrote two passages of an adaptation of the Tao Te Ching this morning and they flowed quite nicely. It is refreshing to be in an open-hearted position and to write in a quiet, clean and composed manner. It’s especially important to remember the centering words in that book when I get as fired up like I have been since my conflict with Rob Butcher. 

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

Boys of Summer book Entry #75

You can see the complete film "Boys of Summer" for free by clicking here. 

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 


Interviewing Karl Bailey

Karl Bailey is a great friend and tremendous piano player who helped support us by getting the crowd to donate at the sing-along bar he plays at, "Sing Sing". Between sets, I pulled him outside and asked him to share a favorite baseball story.

KB:
I haven’t been to a MLB park in 20-25 years, and I got a gig at Anaheim Stadium. And I forgot, they’re such religious places. I got there and it wasn’t a baseball night. It was just a (private) party. So I got there early and it was me and the grounds people. So I walk in and came out the tunnel where the seats are and every hair on my arm stood up on end. It was like a holy place. And I remembered an interview with Paul Simon where he was talking about a song he wrote where the words were “Crosses in the ball field, crosses in the ball field” and he was talking about how he used to go to New York and he used to see their church revivals and the whole thing just hit me. It just -- I’m getting it again right now an eerie feeling -- then the groundskeeper said, “Do you want to go stand on home plate?” And I said, you’re kidding me. And he said, “Nobody’s here, man. We can do whatever we want.” I said, yes please. So he took me down and I walked out onto the Major League field and walked up and put my foot on home plate and just looked out at the field. That’s my baseball story -- and it’s really not even baseball, it’s music.

July 17, 2004 - Dad
Wheeling, W. VA

I wake up to a steady rainfall. Bob has gone to take Annamaria to catch her train. He stops at his office away from home, Kinko’s, then arrives back at the camp in the early afternoon. We decide to pack up and figure out later where we will sleep. Karl and his fiancée, Darah, have invited us to lunch at the Rock Bottom Brewery. The food is delicious and the conversation is lively and interesting. 


After lunch we make our way to PNC Ballpark. It is a beautiful facility, my favorite of the new/old ballparks and a solid second to Fenway overall. Our seats are excellent, behind 3rd base in the first level under the second level. It turns out to be a beautiful night interrupted by some light showers that the players don’t seem to notice. 


The game is an exciting one that the Pirates end up winning, their 9th home win in a row. After the game we take our time to film some of the many visual opportunities around the ballpark.  Since we are packed, we decide to drive a ways to find a motel. We end up in Wheeling, West Virginia.