Copyright 2003 Daily News, L.P. Daily News (New York)
October 3, 2003, Friday RACING FINAL EDITION
SECTION: SPORTS; Pg. 93 BLEACHER CREATURE
LENGTH: 588 words
HEADLINE: HAVING A BALL - THEN A GUILT TRIP
BYLINE: BY FILIP BONDY
BODY: Forty-five
years coming to the Stadium, and to the pre-renovated Stadium, and the
Filip Creature had never caught a foul, a homer or a batting practice
ball. But there I was yesterday, scrambling for a baseball before the
game under the benches in Section 37, trying to outrace a bunch of Navy
servicemen in uniform who no doubt had young children at home dreaming
of baseballs.
I got there first, too. But
then, instead of reveling in the moment and pocketing the prize, I
started feeling guilty. This is the problem with being such a
big-hearted Bleacher Creature, as all of us are in
right field. So I gave the ball to Electronics Technician 3 Kevin
Scharky, who is stationed in Groton, Conn., who has a son, Jordan, and
who has several medals on his chest.
I have never had medals on my chest, and now I don't have a baseball, either.
Anyway,
I figured this act of generosity would change the karma that had been
so awful on Tuesday, when Major League Baseball was spiteful enough to
play a game in daylight, before the Creatures could get in the spirit,
or even swallow any spirits.
There were omens, early on, that last night would be very different, much better, than Game 1.
First,
the Red Sox lost again in Oakland. This was good news for Bald Vinny,
who was selling "1918" T-shirts, among other things, in front of Stan's
on River Ave. If the Red Sox ever win a championship - and whom are we
kidding? - Vinny's inventory of T-shirts would immediately become
obsolete.
Then, Paul Kaplan showed up in
Section 39. Kaplan hadn't been to a game in two years, but there he
was, screaming, "I'm out of retirement. You need me!" He was right,
too. Kaplan promised to bring back his tradition of rolling around the
rows whenever the Yankees are leading or tied going into the bottom of
the seventh. He is the Mariano Rivera of bench-rollers.
So
the mood was above average to good, despite the blustery winds that
caught us underdressed. Tina Lewis told Little Mike to shut up with the
negativity, and then she told Mike March, aka Knoblauch, to shut up
when he started jeering Bernie and when he told Juan Rivera, "You'll
always be a Columbus Clipper."
The roll
call went well. Soon enough, the Yankees started off the game the way
they are supposed to begin all postseason games, grabbing a lead in the
first. The Creatures felt better about life, though things are never
quite perfect.
We worried about the
fragile condition of Milton Ousland, the cowbell man. Milton reportedly
had tripped yesterday near the ESPN SportsZone off Times Square, and
was last heard from a cell phone with a sore ankle while waiting for an
ambulance. Kaplan showed little sympathy.
"The first Spanish man without rhythm, and he plays our bell," Kaplan said.
Milton
will no doubt offer a retort during the ALCS, once his ankle recovers.
Meanwhile, others offered retorts on other matters. Debbie said that
Blue Lou should not have cast aspersions on women in the bleachers, as
he did in the column on Wednesday.
"That was pretty funny - the rugged drunk guy calling all the women rugged drunks," Debbie said.
And
a couple of policemen had a retort of their own. They said the guys
busted Tuesday for selling caps on the top deck of the garage - and
treated sympathetically in this column - were also charged with
attempting to bribe a cop. There is supposedly a tape from a wired
patrolman.
"You don't even know what you're writing about," a cop told the Filip Creature.
Document 95 of 407. 
