Tough

So, hit up Dodger Stadium last night for the “game” against the Nationals, thanks to a buddy who out-bid me at a silent auction but then couldn’t make it (thanks Alex, I owe you one, great seats).

On the way to D-Town, I pull this up on my phone:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=17123187&source=MLB&gid=2011_07_20_milmlb_arimlb_1#

Pretty cool, right?  Inspiring, right?

The seats are field level on a beautiful LA summer night – Firework Friday no less, and we’re sittin’ pretty.  My boys head down and ask the ball boy if he’ll flip them a foul ball.  (Check out an earlier post to see how foul-ball-obsessed my older son is).  Ballboy Sergio says yes, unequivocally, and so the boys scoot out to the aisle and begin the wait.  About the 4th or 5th inning, a ball goes over to Sergio, my little dude springs into action like Action Jackson.  By the time I look to find him to tell him to go, he’s gone.  So I pick my glance up to try to find him down the aisle, but NADA.

Then all of the sudden he pops up bawlin’ and looking like he just got in some hand-to-hand with Wolverine – check it out:

But the kid is tough, not going to say, “like me,” but what fazes him would cripple my older son.  He gets patched up, but he’s out of commission.  I tell him, “you know what a good story would beIt would be that you took a header, but you got over it, stayed in the game and got the foul ball from Serge.”  He rolled his one good eye and curled up in a ball.

About the 8th, he comes out of his coma – re-determined.  The game ends and Serge (true to his word) flips the ball, but he flips it to my OLDER son.  Head back to the car ride…the inspiring video of the kid giving the ball to the little guy.  Remember that my kid looks like Scarface at the END of the movie…here’s what happens:

He says, “here this ball is for you buddy,” and I get a little throat lumpage.  The physical exchange is in the process of occurring – both boys now have their hands on the ball, but my older kid THOUGH SAYING IT, doesn’t relinquish the ball they’re both now holding.  And he never did.  Funny S.

Had some DAGS & some homemade Bud Light Lime.

The fireworks after the game were pretty legit, if you get a chance to check them out, I would.

Oh, the Dodger Game?  They gave up a Grand Salami in the top of the ninth when they were down 3-2.  You think you gotta be tough to take a header into a Section 36 seat??  Try being a Dodger fan.