On Wednesday I went to Coney Island to see the Brooklyn Cyclones play the Greensboro Grasshoppers at the Cyclones beautiful Maimonides Park. The only reason I remember the corporate name is that my friend practiced at Maimonides Hospital for years and it’s where my mother was born. Is it odd that a hospital is a corporate sponsor? I guess not, I hear ads for my hospital system, Montefiore all the time. I made the hour and forty minute trip because they had a great sale. I was able to get seats in the second row behind the visitor’s dugout. I would do that again in a minute. I went with David. He’s not just a good friend but a big Mets fan and lives in Brooklyn. The Cyclones are the Mets’ High A affiliate. This was our view
Let’s see how well you know me. We met at the place we had dinner, where was that? How can you not know it was Nathan’s? Not just Nathan’s but the original Nathan’s on Surf Avenue. Nathan’s has the best hot dogs and best fries and the hot dogs in extra good at the original. That’s because they sell so fast that they are always fresh. The Nathan’s you buy are Citi Field are not the real deal. Those are skinless. There is no comparison.
We did not go on any rides and went right to the stadium. We got to our seats as the National Anthem was being sung. I thought the singer was excellent, but I couldn’t see who it was as from our angle we saw her from three-quarters behind. A little after that anthem, the Cyclones Surf Squad, the dance team took their positions on the dugouts. One walked by and looked familiar. She should, it was Brianna! I’ve known her since 9th or 10th grade. She just graduated college. Her grandparents are friends, and they often took her to concerts. Brianna and her grandparents are part of the First Acoustics family. I called over to her, she saw me, was as surprised to see me as I was to see her and ran over. My longtime Gentle Readers know that I value the instant smile when someone sees me before they have time to think about anything, as the surest sign that the affection is sincere. I bet many others feel that way. I know how many people think that others just pretend to like them. How do I know? They tell me.
I checked out the Cyclones roster and found the Mets’ #4 prospect, 19-year-old Alex Ramirez the centerfielder. David and I scouted him. He looked great at the plate but misplayed one fly ball to deep center. It looked like he could have caught it, but he stopped short and fielded it off the wall. He’s 19, he’ll learn. He certainly looks like a ballplayer.
Photography is a great advantage of those seats. Doesn’t he look good? He will fill out as he gets older. I now have a rooting interest in him. He’s my guy in the Met system. That’s how it works when you see a guy in the minors. He’s yours, or should I say you’re his forever. As for the game, the Cyclones beat the Grasshoppers. 6-5. It started as a blowout, but the hoppers closed the gap in leaps and bounds before being stopped short.
It’s not just the game of course, but also the company. I had the kinds of conversations with David that I usually have with Carey. We talked about Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and the other shows of our youth. Like me David is very geeky and gets the obscure references. Having the same frame of reference is an important part of a friendship.
After the game I waited for Brianna, and we took the D home together until she had to change trains. The commute goes faster when it’s shared. I love randomly running into people. I used to keep track of everyone I ran into over the course of a year. That’s happens less often in the plague years. If I go to another game, it won’t be serendipity, I know she works there, so it won’t be the same.
I didn’t do anything on Wednesday so I’m not longer behind in my blogging! Tomorrow I can write about today’s adventures. Catching up was pressure.
Wise Madness 