Jim Thome returns...and life is good again.

Friday, August 26, 2011

“John…I’m at the Indians ticket office at ‘The Jake’ and they’re selling out for tonight for Thome’s return. I’m guessing you want to go,” Don said when I answered his call. Jim Thome, one of two players (the other being Omar Visquel) from the glory Indians teams of the late ‘90’s still playing baseball, had been re-signed by the Indians in an effort to help their pathetic line-up with some home run muscle. He has been my favorite big league player since he came to the Indians in the early 90’s and remains so to this day. He recently smacked his 600th Major League homer to join an elite few in baseball history to have scaled such heights…one of the few in recent history to do so without the taint of performance enhancing drugs. To me, he’s always been the kind of guy that plays for the love of the game and relishes the opportunity to be there when it’s all on the line. He seems like a genuinely nice guy…and ‘aw shucks’ kind of player…never overly impressed with what he has accomplished as a player and recognizing its just a game, after all. “I’m there, Don. Thanks for thinking of me,” I said.

I now had a change in plans for the evening. It was going to be a long ride night, but with a 7 p.m. start time and not wanting to miss Thome’s first at bat, I knew I’d have to do something faster…which pretty much meant a run. I decided on the same course I’d done a week ago when I’d cranked through the first 22 minutes before slowing noticeably from the lack of running. I hit my first check point about 15 seconds faster than I had a week ago, but this night I knew there would be no slowing. I wished I would have had the time to go the entire Clear Creek trail and crush my pr on it, but I had to settle with crushing this course…which I did by finishing it 90 seconds faster than I had a week ago.

I went home, showered, made a smoothie, grabbed a chicken breast and my camera and was winging my way to ‘The Jake’ by 6:15 p.m. I soon discovered that 43,000 other people were doing the same thing and had to drive around the flats below Ontario before finally finding a place to park for free (I refuse to pay for using pavement to store my car while at a game). I missed the top half of the first, but was in my seat in time to see Thome walking out to the on-deck circle to take his limbering, warm-up swings. The noise in the stadium grew to a deafening roar as he approached home plate and, through tears, I snapped pictures continuously during his at-bat. Somewhere deep inside of me, I felt the emotion the ’95 and ’97 Indians and Jim Thome had sparked in me coming out. I don’t know how to explain it…only that after suffering through over 25 seasons of losing baseball since moving to Cleveland, that team and this man had managed to shed the blanket of misery under which I and so many others in ‘The Tribe’ had resided for too many years. I don’t care if he never hits another homer or whether or not he helps us get into the playoffs again. I’m glad he’s here and hope he stays to take his final swings of his stellar career in an Indians uniform. Thanks for coming home, Thominator…I missed you.

Run workout: 33 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 140 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 600.