Anyone who knows me knows that Bagwell has been my favorite baseball player (not including Brady) since he first took the field in 1991. That was the year the Astros were, well, awful. But I watched just about every game anyway. Steve Finley and Luis Gonzales patrolled the outfield and Pete Harnish was our staff ace while Curt Shilling was a middle reliever. Ken Caminiti was our third baseman, we had an undersized catcher named Craig Biggio (wonder what ever happened to that guy . . . ) and a rookie first baseman out of Boston via Killingsworth, Connecticut named Jeff Bagwell. He wasn't terribly big or powerful looking, but he was a redhead and from New England, and that was good enough for me. My friends joked that I was the first Houston Jeff Bagwell fan. In June I told everyone he would win the rookie of the year award and no one believed me until August. And he did.
My dad had heart bypass surgery that year, followed a week later by surgery to relieve pressure on his brain caused by a benign pituitary tumor. Mom, Jill, and I spent many hours in hospital waiting rooms, and we spent quite a few of them watching the Astros on TV. With all the stuff going on that year, it was comforting to change the channels and find an Astros game going on. They were awful, but they never gave up, and it was nice to know they would be there through the first of October.
In 1994, Bill and I went to Spring training in Kissimmee and patiently waited to get autographs. Not only did we get Bagwell's autograph, but Bill got a picture of us:
OK, he was walking away after signing a ball for me, but you can see that we are both there. And how sweet that Bill kept me in focus. LOL. That August, I gave birth to Brady Joseph, the MLB players went on strike, and Bagwell won the NL MVP award.
Years later, the kids would have some opportunities to have their pictures taken with Mom's favorite player:
2004
2005
Poor Brady didn't get to go to his first Astros game until 1995 because of the strike, but the girls both went to their first game in the Dome before they were two months old. We all went to the very last game in the Astrodome and the very first game in Minute Maid park.
Today, we saw number 5 take the field to say goodbye. It's sad in many ways, because his career ended not because he was ready to walk away but because he was just no longer physically able to play anymore. It was sad for me in many ways because it reminds me that I'm a grownup, too, and the days of wondering what I'm going to be when I grow up are now firmly behind me. But cheering for Bagwell with my wonderful kids beside me was such a joy, and I'm happy that both Bagwell and I can look forward to many more years of watching our kids grow up and follow their own dreams.
We've been through a lot, Bags. I watched you win rookie of the year, I watched you win the NL MVP, watched you and Biggio in the playoffs in the Astrodome and Minute Maid, until we finally got to watch you both in the World Series in 2005. In 5 years, I plan to watch you inducted in Cooperstown. Thanks for the memories, number 5. It's been great watching you. :-)
1 comment:
What a cool thing to be a part of!!
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