The All-Star game does not count towards the regular season. It's the showcasing of the finest players in baseball. All the stars in one place, for one game, and it all went down in my back yard. A couple months before the game, I received an email telling me I could put my name in a drawing to get early access to buy a strip package for the All-Star Break. This meant than not only would I have the opportunity to buy tickets to the big game, but the Home Run Derby and the Futures All-Star/Celebrity Softball games as well. So I registered my email. Then a week later, I got another email saying I had been selected. The excitement began to build and the hype was real.
When the day came to buy the tickets, I eagerly awaited for 10am to roll around as that's when the tickets went live. I knew they were going to be a bit pricey, but for the whole package...yikes! When I saw the number, I briefly second-guessed it. But then the voices that drive the way I live life perked up. "You have the means right?" they said. "You love the game of baseball right?" "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity right?" I answered yes to every one of those questions. "Then stop hesitating and DO IT!" Well you know the what happened. I listened.
Pause for a minute. Here's something about me. Everyone in life has a way they spend what they make. Excluding what is saved for retirement, a house, kid's college fund, emergencies, etc, the broad stroke is bills, debts, necessities, charitable contributions, and life enjoyment. Many people have may different ways of spending the life enjoyment portion. For me it's the experience, who I'm experiencing it with, and the lifelong memories, rather than the material possessions. I'd much rather spend that money hanging with friends, going to Cedar Point, traveling across the US and the world, and even witnessing the All-Star game, over a big TV, the best tech, or even an expensive car.
I'm not going to describe the three days in detail (I have a vlog for that). What I really wanted to highlight this post with are the moments in the major game that mattered to me. So here we go.
1) Michael Brantley, former All-Star outfielder for the Cleveland Indians, was voted to the game as a starter by the fans. Even though he plays with the Houston Astros now, he's still well loved here. The majority of his votes came from Indians fans. Then when they introduced the players for the game, he received are roaring ovation from the crowd. In the game, he got a double that scored the first run and again got a loud cheer. Cleveland showed their former player the love.
2) Being the All-Star game, many fans of other teams showed up. But the Indians fans showed up in full force. The stadium was bathed in Tribe red and white. Unlike Game 7 of the world series where it was clear a good number of Indians fans had sold their tickets to Cubs fans, the fans team represented Cleveland well.
3) Every time Carlos Santana appeared, the fans showered him with love. When Santana left Cleveland for the Phillies a year ago, he never sold his house here, knowing he'd eventually be back. His love for the city is real and he deserved first team All-Star.
4) Fransisco Lindor. A once in a generation player. One of the best shortstops in major league baseball. He got his 4th All-Star nod. When he was at the plate, the crowd started chanting "Frankie! Frankie!" Yet another great fan/player moment.
5) After the 5th inning, a special event took place. Everyone inside the stadium (fans, players, broadcasters, everyone) was given a Stand Up 2 Cancer card where they either wrote someone's name(s) or displayed phrases like "Those we've lost", "those fighting", "Survivors", etc. Then, on national TV, everyone stood up and held those signs up. Even though I myself have never had the disease, I've still been affected by it. People I've love have fought it, lost to it, and beat it. That moment was moving. But even more so, if you haven't heard, Indians pitcher Carlos "Cookie" Carrasco, is battling leukemia. If you've ever seen him pitch, seen his interviews, read the things he's written, you know what an amazing person he is. And that night, all his Indians teammates, including Michael Brantley, had his name written on their signs. The cameras focused on him and the fans started chanting "Cookie! Cookie!" Such a touching moment. Get well soon Cookie.
6) Shane Bieber, a young Indians pitcher, got the All-Star nod as a replacement. The inning he pitched, he struck out all three batters he faced. The crowd erupted with "Let's go Bieber!" chants. It gave me the chills. And guess what. His performance awarded him with the MVP of the All-Star game. How about that. What a moment.
7) In the top of the ninth, with two outs, AL pitcher Aroldis Chapman was pitching. Suddenly the entire infield came in and someone came out of the dugout and entered the huddle. It was not the manager. It was Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia. The AL manager planned the whole thing. Sabathia is retiring at the conclusion of this season. His first 7.5 years in the bigs were with the Tribe. He was crucial to the Indians 2007 playoff run. So, in honor to him, they sent him out so the fans could cheer for him one last time at Progressive Field. And even though he plays for the Yankees, the fans cheered in recognition of all that he'd done here.
Now there were many other moments deserving of recognition, but these were my favorite. This was a once in a lifetime experience. It was money well spent. These are the moments I'm going to remember.
