I was barely holding it together last night while ESPN showed ballplayers in stadiums all over the country remembering Miami Pitcher Jose Fernandez, killed the night before in a boating accident. If they couldn’t hold back their tears, how could I?
Then during the Cubs-Cardinals game, David Ross, Cubs catcher who in only two years has endeared himself to the fans in Chicago, came to bat in what was to be the Cubs’ last home game of the season. Ross, 39, has announced this is his last year in the big leagues. When his name was announced, the crowd gave him a rollicking standing ovation. He was moved. So was I.
When he came up to bat for the second time in the game, the Cub fans again got to their feet and cheered him noisily. He thanked them by hitting a home run. That alone could have put me over the edge, but then they broke away for a special news break saying Arnold Palmer had died.
Later in the game, with two outs in the seventh inning, Joe Madden came out of the dugout and ambled toward the pitching mound. Nobody could understand why he was doing that since Jon Lester was pitching a fine game and in no trouble at all. But Madden went out there not to relieve the pitcher but to take Ross out of the game so the fans could shower their appreciation on him all over again. Ross was moved. So was I.
I blinked the tears out of my eyes, trying to put myself back together as I watched Ross leave the field, waving his thanks to the fans. I had almost succeeded when the picture switched to a shot of the next St. Louis batter, Catcher Yadier Molina, standing at home plate sincerely applauding Ross as he walked toward the dugout.
No more holding back. More Kleenex, please.
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