Part I. The Bay Double-Dip
Sports fans' taste buds absolutely on fire with all the great events taking place currently: NHL and NBA semi-finals, baseball is rolling along (hello there Blue Jay Fans), the Chrome Crown is building, and even the World Cup fright around the corner! The French Open is underway and the Men's US Open Golf Tournament is short Par 4 away. (Visalia Rawhide are home this weekend too--busting out Teal jerseys on Friday!)
May 28 will always be a special day. In 2005, my son Noah joined the human race, in very dramatic fashion. Noah's dropping heart rate minutes before birth the longest 2-3 minutes of my life....he is becoming one heck of sports nut!
Nine years later in 2014 the tantalizing opportunity to take in an A's and Giants game on Noah's Birthday (or Cubs game, as I loving say to all the followers who love to hang out over near McCovey Cove) simply too enticing! Perhaps most importantly, on this May 28, we could create a special, "memory forever etched deep in the brain kind of day."
I have to got to give credit to my childhood chum Old Man Sacramento River for planting the idea in my cranium. River, is one of a rather large group of older guys who grew up in my neighborhood of Iselton CA, that loved sports, and looked after me. River is a little confused-he likes the SF Giants and the Raiders-but hey, it is what it is. Anyway, he recalled fondly how he took his son to the Double Dip years ago, and how later his son recalled the day. Hmmm, very cool. Then, my dear college friend, a Bay Area Native, also shared his tale of the Dip--I was hooked. This same gentleman, he's a Big Time A.D. well this who single handedly flung open the world of writing, and sports writing into my soul. He also is why I carry a soulfull appreciation and love for copy editors!
Thus, with the Cool Aid of "two games in one day" down, I was all in. The next step was to convince the Spouse to allow our young tike to miss the last day of school. (I believed this to be the cake topper, man style!) My dear spouse, well, she is a gamer, (loves the big games too!) recognized the moment, and approved. I could see in her eyes, she knew this year trip meant a little more...my father's health was failing at the time...and well, the O.Co, the Coliseum as I like to call her....she appears to be on her last legs too. Many dear memories at the Coli, and May 28 looked like too a good a hanging curve to pass up.
My chic, hip, 70's cool farmer big brother likes the Gigantes and I anticipated I could lasso he and my delightful sister-in-law in for part of the trip. My original game plan called for their participation of 50%, well it ended up closer to 66%! With a couple of other zany A's fans on the hook (a future hall-of-fame hoop coach and his passionate Philly style sports fan spouse!) the trip was coming together like a Billy Beane off season.
There was a little work to do as we live in the Central Valley, just down the road from where the Carr brothers and Trent Dilfer her tossed the pigskin about. I needed to make this day special for my son, to hit one on the screws! Typically my Portuguese/Euro "Does anybody really know what time it is "roots come into play, as do my, oh let's just say fondness for the 24th hour decision, and last second audible! Another go to pal, a real New Yorker--Go Rangers-once told me I like to schedule 72 hours of activities in a single day.
Slightly overbooked, it was go time!
Part II. coming soon, let's say withing 24 hours. Well what do you know, a real tease......
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