Tuesday, May 10, 2011

My Son Snubs Jeter and Reggie Jackson Steals a Pen

So I'm walking home from work and I pass by a watch store that sells very expensive, high end watches. There's a red carpet out front, photographers and a small crowd. I slow down as I pass by and peek into the window and I see a NY Yankee's uniform on a mannequin, with the number 44 on the back.


Now, every New Yorker knows that 44 was Reggie Jackson so now I'm really curious as to what's going on.

Turns out Frank Meuller is selling a Reggie Jackson line of watches and this was the launch party.

I race home and tell my son that Mr. October himself is around the corner and, if he wants, we can try and get a baseball signed by him.

He starts jumping up and down, stripping out of his pjs and scrambling to get dressed and find a ball and find a good pen and off we go.

We get into the elevator and he asks me who Mr. October is.

I explain the legend of Reggie Jackson. I explain how integral he was to the yankees in the 70's, how he hit three home runs, on three pitches, in a game once and how he was, at the time, the biggest, baddest yankee around.

My son then asks why we're going if we're mets fans and I explain that it's a ball signed by one of the most famous baseball players around and, sometimes, it's ok to respect the talent and skill of the opposing team or player.

We get to the watch store and we set up camp right outside the front door. We're leaning against a tree and I'm explaining to him how, when Reggie comes out of the store, he has to walk up to him, pen and ball out and ask if, please, Mr. Jackson, can he get an autograph.

I said that, since there are no other kids around, Reggie will have to do it or he'll look like a jerk.

So, we stand around talking about baseball, the yankees of old and whatnot and my son says "the girls inside
like me."

I ask him what he's talking about and he motions with his eyes to the store. (so cool is he, knowing not to point and mess up the stare). Sure enough, there are three women inside and they're all ogling my little boy. They're clearly smiling and talking about him.

The women come out of the store, hang around the front, check out the little stud, whisper while staring at him and head back inside.

This goes on for about 30 minutes. The women work at the store and they are, clearly, getting some air and enjoying the sight of a small boy waiting to get a hero's autograph, even if he isn't really a hero to my son.

Suddenly, a woman comes out, walks over to a photographer and whispers something to him.

The photographer starts checking his gear.

I tell my son to get ready, someone important is coming.

Several large, black SUV's pull up behind us and the doors to the store open up.

Out walks C.C. Sabbathia and Derek Jeter.

CC comes right at us. I lean over and tell my son to go get CC's autograph and then hurry and get Jeter's.

Jeter seems to slow down, to allow the boy enough time for both guys to sign.

CC basically stops in front of my son and looks down at him.

My son sits there, frozen, staring at Jeter and Sabathia.

Sabathia looks at me. I shrug and he jumps into the car.

Jeter jumps into the SUV behind CC's SUV.

Just as I lean over to mock my son for not getting the other Mr. October's autograph (two Mr. October's on one ball) the doors to the store open up again.

Out walks Granderson, Chamberlain, Swisher, Cano, a few other players who I don't know but saw while watching the game on sunday and then, the last player out was Tony Pena.

As the players filed out, I'm nudging my son, telling him to ask anyone for an autograph. Telling him they're all yankees and he looks up and says "we hate the yankees. why would I want them to sign my ball, especially jeter."

The players that were in earshot laugh.
I look down at the boy,smiling like a loon, and say "but Reggie was a yankee" and he says "yeah but you said he's famous and he was really cool so I'll let him sign my ball"

Made sense to me.


About 20 minutes later, the store employees start cleaning up the outside of the store. The red carpet is rolled up. The sign is taken down and my son asks why they're closing if Reggie Jackson is still inside.

I walk over to the security guard out front and he says the Reggie is still inside and should be heading out any minute so we should wait.

We do.

The young women in the store are still checking out my son and now they are pointing him out to some of the guys that work there.

Suddenly, the doors open up and a man walks over to my son. He leans over and says "I hear you've been out here for hours waiting for Reggie Jackson."

My son says he has been and he can't stay much longer because it's almost past his bedtime.

The man laughs and tells my son to come into the store. He says I can come too and in we go.

The employees all start handing my son things to get signed for them (seems they aren't allowed to ask for autographs) and the man escorting us takes them all away from my son and gives them all back to the employees.

He tells my son to wait at the bottom of the stairs and suddenly, there he is, Reggie Jackson.

He comes down the stairs and the manager of the store leads him over to my son, explaining that this young boy has been waiting for 2 hours to meet him and my son stands there, mute as could be, holding up the ball and the pen.

Reggie takes the ball and the pen, never looking down, signs it and gives it back to my son. I try and get pictures of them but Reggie is not very receptive to the boy, or me, so I snap a shot of Reggie handing the ball to my son, who's face is obscured.

That's it, we're done, Reggie has moved on to the next person and I turn to thank the store manager for being so nice to my son when, suddenly, very loudly, you hear "DAD, MR. OCTOBER STOLE MY PEN!"


That's right, Reggie Jackson stole my son's pen.

We did get the ball though so it's a fair trade.

1 comment:

Vodka Logic said...

Very cool..

Sounds like the son is like his dad.