For the Love of the Game

The first trip I had made into the City after 9/11 was to go see a Yankee game with my now husband, his father and his cousin. I had been to Jersey City in the immediate aftermath from the attacks, and could see the pile still smoldering. This was the first trip in...and it was a little unnerving. All the years of crossing the GWB, and I never gave a second thought of being stuck in traffic mid-span. That night, I kept up a silent mantra, get across don't stop keep going. Yes, the thought in the back of my mind-what if some lunatic had a truck bomb like they used in Israel? (this was in the days pre-Iraq, pre-war on terror)
The game was delayed by a speech from President Bush. We got into the stadium just before the Star Spangled Banner. We were seated at the first base line, and I could make out the players facial features. I was debating whether or not to go back to school-perhaps even law school at that point-and was wanting feedback. And really wanting a hot dog.
It was the first time I had seen Jason Giambi play. He was the Oakland 1st baseman at the time, and this was when he looked-and batted-like he was taking steroids (he later manned up & admitted to it). I usually don't get into it about baseball players, but there was something about him that intrigued me. Maybe it was because like Joe DiMaggio he had a brother who also played pro ball, though to a lesser degree and less fame. So, I watched him and his team win against a team that was playing for the heart and souls of an entire city...and then he wound up as a member of the Yankees the following season.
I have to admit, being married to a Yankee fan is like a never ending loop of post season highlights & heroics. Me, being a Mets fan, are not used to this since my team rarely sees the post season. Our season usually ends in, September, when we choke. But I digress, one of the more interesting features for several years was Giambi and his ever changing neck size, his comeback in 05, the stache...and then at the end of a miserable (by Yankee standards anyway) season, he was sent back from whence he came from-with little fanfare.
Imagine my surprise a few weeks back when watching a Met game (yes I am a glutton for punishment-I still watch) and they announced Giambi, pinch hitting for the Rockies. The Rockies are not red headed step children, but they are a step down for a powerhouse like Giambi-more like the minors than what I had anticipated for a former Yankee star. He can still hit, albeit less than in his prime. It makes me wonder, was his power and his stats due to natural prowess or was it chemical enhancement? It questions really any baseball accomplishment for almost two decades-as exhibited by Barry Bonds and where the asterisk should be.
I tell my son to be fair when he plays, to take turns and follow the rules. Yet I am fascinated by a game with players being paid ridiculous salaries (I remember the days of Reggie Jackson and Dave Winfield and what was thought to be outrageous then)doing irreparable damage to their bodies, for the love of the game.