It's not heaven. It's Port St. Lucie

 22 November 2024

It's not heaven. It's Port St. Lucie.

They were originally called Dream Weeks. To the best of my knowledge they were begun in the early 1980s by former Chicago Cubs catcher Randy Hundley. They're available to fans of different sports and different franchises. They give fans a chance to live out dreams of taking the field, court or ice in the uniform of their favorite team. They are opportunities to leave the cruel world behind and revel in a place where time stands still, causing you to realize how short life as you know it really is. I had that opportunity this week. Along with about 110 fellow fantasy campers we collectively attempted to use our minds and varying levels of physical prowess to give us one more week of summer. Today marks the end of that attempt.

I opted out in order to give myself more time to go through the sad task of packing my stuff away and cleaning out my locker. With that process having been completed I headed to my hotel to start some of the packing that would need to be completed before my drive to Tampa tomorrow.

It was picture day with the coaches, where we each take a seat in the middle of the coaches staff. There were also photos taken of us individually. I had a chance to take one with Greg Cockrell before they were done. I will post those as soon as I have the opportunity.

The awards banquet was a great event. Each team was introduced and team MVPs were announced. To no one's surprise the week's team MVP went to Michael Parenti Jr.  There was one new inductee into the Hall of Fame. That person was Tony Abraham. A truly class act and deserving of this honor he is. During the awards banquet a slideshow of photos from the week showed on the large screen at Tradition Town Hall. I appeared in three or four of them. In one I am seen in mid swing at the plate, blowing a fairly large bubble. I chewed bubble gum for most of the week. I've chewed gum while playing baseball for some time now. It helps keep me from grinding my teeth. But very often I would be at the plate with a bubble showing when the pitcher went into his delivery. There's a part of me that's hoping that it could be a distraction to him and that maybe his pitch won't be where he wants it to be.

Fantasy Camp is about brotherhood, friendship and a love of the New York Mets. He's exactly right. One of the beautiful things I saw tonight, and as I have at every camp, is as I looked around the room I saw people from all walks of life. Different ages, different races, different genders, different political views, different religious views, different health issues, and other differences too numerous to name here.  But the one thing that bonded us all is the love of the New...York...Mets.  We are dyed-in-the-wool Mets fans, some of us since birth. But that is our common bond.  We live is such tumultuous times right now. I just wish that the comraderie that I saw in the room tonight could carry on to everyone from far and wide. To be able to talk in respectful tones and not need to shout above one another. To want to be the part of the greater good and to be compassionate to one another in times of need and stress. It was a great experience and I'm glad that I was here for it.

Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this past week. So I won't even attempt to do so here.  All I can say is that it was a dream come true. The feeling of putting on the uniform of my favorite sports team is took me back to my youth.  It was as close to heaven on earth as I may have ever experienced. For that I am truly grateful. 

All week long I was given accolades from other campers for my writings and told how much they enjoyed them. I have found out that there are those who find my entries so pleasing that they put them in a better mood on days that might not be going that well. A couple of players have asked how I do it. I told them that when you love something as much as I have loved baseball all of my life and loving this team for over 50 years, it just flows out of me at times.

I grew up as a Mets fan. Always have been. Even during my employment with the Minnesota Twins (1989-2002). But orange and blue run through my veins. I was born on the same day on which ground was broken for what would later be known as... Shea Stadium. That pretty much summed up why I felt connected to this team.  

If you have been following this blog since the beginning I thank you for taking this journey, albeit vicariously, along with me.  I hope you enjoyed it.  I certainly enjoyed bringing it to you.  Some of you have told me that it gave you an insight into who I am and you may have learned things about me that you never knew.  If you got anything out of it at all, then it was worth my efforts. 

I would like to take this time to thank all of my teammates this week. Manny Fantis, Jefrey Gold, Jeremy Mand, Michael Parenti, Michael Parenti Jr., Chet Striplin, Juan Soto, (no not THAT Juan Soto-this ours is a far cooler dude), David Levy and of course my brother from another mother, Greg Cockrell. Also getting to play for Eric Hillman and '69 World Series Champion Duffy Dyer was phenomenal. We even had a mascot in Andrew Fantis, Manny's son. I taught Andrew one of the elaborate handshakes that Kirby Puckett taught me back in the 90's and I expect him to practice with his father and hope that he shares it with his buddies back home in the D.C. area.

Huge props go out once again to Doug Dickey who makes this all happen- somehow. I nicknamed him "Magic" a few years ago because that's seemingly what he performs every year for our group. Having worked in the front office of a Major League Baseball team I know that it's tough to get things approved. I've been in those full staff meetings where proposals come up from different departments and are often shot down because of various reasons, most revolving around how much potential income it will bring the organization. I know that he "goes to bat for us" with so many things and we are the benefactors of those at bats. Things may be different now with this organization given the new ownership of "Uncle Steve" who dropped by for a visit during week 1. But Uncle Steve is one of us. He's lived and died with this franchise for decades. This is why we appreciate him so much. I would also include Gary Cohen, our amazing play-by-play announcer. He's one of us too. It's what makes this franchise "richer" than many because even though we may have fewer World Series trophies in our case, we will defend this team to our graves. Not many other fan bases can say that.

I wish you only all the best in the future. Thanksgiving is less than a week away. It has always been my favorite holiday. I am thankful for the past week that I have spent on the Treasure Coast of the Sunshine State and everyone who made me feel appreciated. May you all have a great holiday season, whatever your particular observed holiday may be. 

The next Fantasy Camp is 14 months away, but I am already looking forward to it.  

Special thanks go to my late wife Bryn, who allowed me to use part of my MLB pension money from my time with the Twins to attend my first camp in January of 2013. She knew how much it meant to me and she attended along with me my first 5 camps. This was my second camp since her passing, and she's still with me on the field with me. 

I will close with one of my favorite quotes, which also appears in rotunda at CitiField:

"A life is not important except for the effect it has on other lives" - Jackie Robinson

With this in mind, go out and have a positive effect on someone's life. That's what I'm gonna try to do.

Thanks for spending the last few days with me. I hope you enjoyed it. 

I love this game.