Boys of Summer Book - Entry #83.1

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

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

Robert’s Rant on the Jake

RC:
All right, the ticket situation is resolved. We got our tickets on the inside (of Jacob’s Field) after making a few phone calls. Earlier, as I was waiting in line (to try to get our tickets), there are three windows available for the will-call. So I’m waiting in line for any of the three windows to open up. I’m the only person in line. (I’ve been waiting a while and I’m a bit irritated as I’ve already gotten the run around. This is my second time here.) Then a few other people come up and start to line up next to me and I tell them, excuse me, I’m in line here so I could make sure which ever window opened first I’d be able to go there as I’d been waiting the longest. Some people were kind of here and there with that, saying to me, “are you in this line or are you not”. I respond “Yes I am. I’m waiting for any of these windows to open up.”

And then a lady from the Indians staff comes up and starts to put people into other lines and I said, “Excuse me I’m waiting.” And she said, “Well you need to pick a line.” And I said, “Well, if I pick a line and one of these people goes in front of me to another window that opens that I didn’t pick, then just because I picked the wrong line now I’m going be waiting longer than the person who showed up after me. So if I have one line, that feeds all three windows, it ensures the person who got there first would be the first one to be helped”. And she said, “Yeah but there’s three lines”. Which I enjoyed.

DC:
The world’s not perfect.

RC:
It’s not about it being perfect. There’s a simple solution and it’s not being used for some reason.

DC:
That’s because the world’s not perfect.

RC:
Anything else?

DC:
That’s it.

Park Number 17 (of 30), Jacobs Field

Cleveland 4, Kansas City 3
 WP: M. Miller (3-1)   LP: S. Sullivan (3-3)

Oak 6, Tex 2

July 25, 2004 - DAD
Max V. Shaul State Park, NY

We stop for gas in the middle of the night in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I return to the car and find Bob interviewing five young ladies – recent college graduates who are returning from a cross country trip.  They are all baseball fans so Bob leads them in an energetic version of "Take me out to the Ballgame."  We wish each other a safe trip and say goodbye. 

Later we would wonder if we dreamed the whole thing up – I’m not sure.  We arrive at Bob’s friend from Caesars Palace, Jen, who shares a two bedroom, one bath apartment in Queens, at about 6 a.m. We blow up the mattress and sleep on the kitchen floor until about 10 a.m. 

Breakfast is at Burger King across the street where there was some shouting by a couple of unhappy customers. We are just one block from the subway that will take us to Shea Stadium. Bob is able to get us media passes so we get a real good look at the facilities.  We watch a very exciting game between the Mets and the Braves.

After the game, we take the train back to where the Explorer has been parked for 12 hours and find it untouched. We load up and drive 160 miles to Albany after a brief stop at Yankee Stadium to shoot some video we missed the first time through. We stop at the Kinko’s in Albany for an hour and a half then are off to find a campsite. Our direction is west towards Cooperstown, where we find "Max V. Shaul" State Park shortly after midnight.  We set up camp and are sleeping in record time.

Boys of Summer Book - Entry #85

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

100% proceeds go to the Michael J Fox Foundation. 

INTERVIEWING DAD AT COOPERSTOWN

RC:

Absolutely fantastic. Can’t say enough great things about this place. I’m sorry we didn’t allow more time. But that’s been kind of a recurrent theme for the trip. It’s kind of a sampler plate. It’s beautiful and adventurous to get to all these places -- you get somewhere like this and you see all the little streets and parks and there is just so much to experience but there’s not time because we have to go to a ball game. And the ball game has to be tonight because we have drive back through Canada because we have to get to the Young Onset Parkinson’s conference. It’s a series of dominos tumbling one after the other. I’m not complaining at all. Everything’s a wonderful opportunity. But to have just over an hour here -- time as my sister mentioned back in Dallas, is the one thing you wish you had more of. But I am grateful for the time I have. Grateful for the time that we have.

DC:

This is a little like traveling with my wife Paulette. By the time [Bob] finishes talking there’s nothing left to say. I don’t know what else to say.

RC:

It’s also like traveling with [mom] because we’re sleeping in the same bed. 

(laughs)

DC:

Well, I wasn’t going to talk about that. (laughs) This is a great place. Reggie Jackson was here today and I was happy to see him. This is a trip of a lifetime and it’s a new adventure every day. That’s the happy part. The sad part is that we’re over the hump. We’re over half way done. And it will be the 20th of August before you know it. So that’s the sad part. The happy part of that is going home to see Paulette. 

RC:

Does it almost seem like this trip is a bit timeless? Do you get that feeling?

DC:

When I’m not reflecting or looking forward, it very much seems that way. Which is where I’m trying to stay. I think I’m successful most of the time. 

RC:

One of the things this place reminds me of is greatness. Dennis Eckersley is one we both talked about who certainly carries what it is to be great, in terms of just being dominant. You get a sport where everyone is doing all they can to be successful and then you get a performer who is a cut above. And I don’t know how to describe it -- something/someone who is that great.

DC:

I read a little bit about his acceptance speech. He talked about some of the troubles he’s had in terms of alcohol and women. He seemed like a very focussed or singular person. Whatever he’s involved in, he seems to be able to make it the only thing. That’s probably why he was the kind of dominant performer he was. It’s one thing at a time -- that and his tremendous natural ability. 

RC:

That’s an interesting question. To be almost savant like and have it be a good thing, something else has to lose some focus. It ends up being -- how do you find your balance within the greatness?

DC:

When you’re around people like that, I suppose you have to understand they may not be able to do two, three, four things at a time. They have to find their happiness within their own personality. We all do. 

RC:

What have you done in your life that you have been great at?

DC:

I don’t think I’ve been really great at any one thing. I’ve been pretty good at a lot of things.

RC:

Is that something you think was intentional or more how things turned out?

DC:

Probably a combination. I probably would have had to sacrifice family (to potentially be great in something else). In order to be a great father I probably would have had to have given up some other things. In order to be a great golfer I definitely would have had to have given up some other things. Whether I would have been one had I done those things I’ll never know.

RC:

But the way things lie in the balance now, you feel good?

DC:

Yeah, I feel good. I’m happy with my decisions.

RC:

That’s probably the best sign of all.

DC:

Regrets, I have a few, but then again, too few to mention.