One of the benefits of being a female baseball fan is that because of the estrogen that our ovaries produce, it's OK to get emotional over just about anything. Bryce Harper hits a walk-off home run in the ninth inning and we start crying? That's OK. Buster Posey throws out a runner trying to steal second base and we do a happy dance? Totally fine. Eric Hosmer does ANYTHING and our hearts skip a beat? Completely acceptable. But man, last Sunday was an emotional high for me, and now that you've started reading this, you're committed to reading until the end, so sit back and follow along as I re-live my reasons for my many emotions on a beautiful and picture-perfect day.
First and foremost, my long-time baseball crush, Iván "Pudge" Rodriguez was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. You all know how I have endlessly written about Iván and how I threw myself a pity party because I wasn't able to attend the ceremonies in Cooperstown, New York. But watching him from the comfort of my living room, sitting way up close to the TV and clinging to his every word, I could not have been more proud (and yes - I cried!). I was very impatient at first, because Jeff Bagwell, one of the other inductees, took FOREVER with his speech. It was touching, but extremely anecdotal and took way too long. It seems like he thanked everyone from his Little League coaches to the Astros custodians. Bud Selig's speech wasn't much shorter - yes, Bud, we all know how much you did for baseball as Commissioner, but you didn't have to go through year by year re-living everything like a "State of the Union" speech. Milwaukee baseball... labor disputes... the development of the Wild Card...blah blah blah - we could have gotten all this information ourselves from Wikipedia. Plus I never liked you anyway! Finally, over two hours later, it was Ivan's turn.
"Pudge" began his speech by thanking the Lord Jesus Christ for his many blessings. Classy. (That elicited an "Aw!" from me.) Then he thanked a few people, made a joke, and then addressed the crowd in Spanish. He thanked all the fans who were present for their loyalty and support, and asked everyone to raise their Puerto Rican flags way high. Yes, I cried. Reverting back to English, he thanked more teammates, coaches, and managers, throwing in little anecdotes along the way (For example, Nolan Ryan didn't care that Ivan's English wasn't very good at first; as long as he "put down the right fingers," they could communicate just fine). Then, in both English and Spanish, he told young people watching to never let anyone tell them they can't fulfill their dreams. He said to work hard, be dedicated, and always do your best. It was touching. But what got me the most emotional was when Iván thanked his parents. Speaking to them in Spanish so they would understand, he thanked his father for endless hours of batting practice and for convincing him to switch from pitching to catching. He thanked his mother for always emphasizing hard work and making her sons focus on academics as much as on athletics. He called both his parents "hall of famers," and that's when I lost it.
In addition to Ivan's Hall of Fame induction, there was Adrián Beltré reaching an important baseball milestone on the same day. You say you've never heard of Adrián Beltré? Well it's probably because he's not white (he's Dominican), he plays for a team that doesn't wear pinstripes (the Texas Rangers), and he hasn't been accused of using performance-enhancing drugs or beating up his wife. Beltré is a workhorse with a career batting average of .286, has appeared in 4 All-Star Games, and led the National League with 48 home runs in 2004 when he played for the Dodgers. Why is reaching 3000 hits such a big deal in baseball? Because only 30 other players in history are on the list, and if Beltré's name doesn't ring a bell, how about some of the other guys on the list: Pete Rose, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Cal Ripken Jr., and Roberto Clemente? The only other current player on that list is Ichiro Suzuki, who is 22nd on the list with 3,060. For Puerto Ricans, anyone who reaches this important milestone is a special person, because he joins our beloved Clemente. So yes - I cried when Beltré hit number 3,000 - a double against the Orioles in his home park with his wife and kids running onto the field when he reached second base. Who wouldn't get teared up after a moment like that? Now I need for either him or Ichiro to pass the 19th guy on the list, who retired with 3,115 hits. He shall remain nameless, but you all know who it is I can't stand... it's time for a drug-free guy to pass him on the list!
So the season is more than halfway over, the Nationals are 45 games away from clinching the NL East, and Clayton Kershaw is on the Disabled List. But Kershaw will be back (since he's bionic), the Dodgers just acquired Yu Darvish from the Rangers, and October could potentially feature the Nationals and Dodgers in the NLCS. This means a lot of cheering, a lot of late nights staying up to watch games, and yes - a lot of tearing up and crying. Hopefully they will be happy tears!
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