Seven Years
“So I went to that bakery Chet told me about this morning,” Oxbear told me, setting a bag of fresh bagels on the table. “And it was closed. So I found this bagel place instead. I go in there, and this guy says, ‘Check or cash only.’ And I didn’t have either, so he just said, ‘It’s eight bucks. Just pay me when you can.’”
Mayberry.
So after we ate those good bagels (egg bagel for me like the old days) for our first breakfast in the new house, Oxbear left with the boys to bring eight dollars to the bearded bagel man.
Puck was not paying attention during the sermon that morning. It didn’t take too much to figure that out. At one point he nudged me. I looked over at him where he had wedged a mini red paper airplane up his nose.
“Crash landed,” he whispered, grinning.
It wasn’t the happiest game in the world to attend – I knew that before it started – but it had to be attended. The Cards’ last shot, Matt Holliday’s final appearance… it had to be done.
Mom, Carrie-Bri, Rose, and I got to our seats just minutes after the National Anthem. And slowly watched the guillotine fall on 2016 as the Giants quickly threw up five runs against the Dodgers.
“This is conspiracy.”
“Totally rigged.”
“I bet Clayton Kershaw called an emergency meeting before the game today.”
“Yeah. He’s such a pansy.”
“Too scared to meet us again in October.”
While Carrie and I continued the light trash talking throughout the game, we still got to see Yadi throw out a runner at 2nd, Waino pitch a decent game, Carp hit a home run, and a slow coast into the final home win of the season.
But by that point, it didn’t matter anymore. The Giants had won, the Cardinals were out, and the only thing the sell-out crowd cared about anymore in the light drizzle of a gray afternoon, was seeing Matt Holliday on the field once again for the final time.
“HO-LLI-DAY! HO-LLI-DAY! HO-LLI-DAY!” 44,615 voices shouted in unison through the stadium.
And then, at the top of the 9th, Mike Matheny sent his veteran left fielder out onto the stage he had owned the past seven years, to the thunderous applause and shouts of his grateful, and even tearful, fans and teammates. Matt did everything he could to choke down his own tears as the applause wouldn’t end, but it wasn’t going to work.
The end of another era…