Hello Boys and Girls!
This has been probably the saddest day of my life. I went to my final game at Civic Stadium this afternoon. It was a very somber, bittersweet, and emotional day that has been filled with a lot of reflection, tears, and memories. I'm just going to run through what happened today at the park and try and keep my emotions in check.
I got to the park shortly after my last posting. When I got to the park and clocked in for my day at work, I noticed that a bunch of my co-workers were gathered in our food disbursement center talking about the memories we have had. The Assistant Director of Concessions is just finishing up his first year here at the park, and he didn't grasp the enormity of the occasion today. Interestingly enough, he referred to Civic as the "shit-hole" and he was glad to leave. Our main grill cook responded with this: "It may be a 'shit-hole', but it is our 'shit-hole'!" This literally brought a tear to my eye. We realize that Civic was falling apart, but we had a sense of ownership in it. We had put so much work and sweat into this park that we all felt, myself especially, that it had become a sort of child or sibling to the staff here.
About 30 minutes before the first pitch, the Ems management held a small ceremony behind home plate. The President of the organization, the Ems manager, and a few other people got up and said a few words about Civic and the fans. The most interesting part of the entire ceremony was when the Assistant GM, Bryan Beban, said that this was the final game at Civic, and everyone in attendance booed. It was a reflection of how the community feels about all of this.
As my picnic wore down, I was hit with the realization that this was the last time I was going to work on the VIP Deck. It was the last time I would fire up a grill or cook a hot dog in the name of Civic Stadium. I borrowed a Sharpie pen from a friend, and behind the grill on the wall, I left my mark saying "A.J. was here VIP Grill Cook 2003-2009".
The Ems ended up dropping another heart breaker to Salem-Keizer 5-3. The final out was an Edinson Rincon ground out to third base.
After the game, all the fans were allowed on the field to mingle and reminisce. A bagpipe band played Amazing Grace, and that was when I started to lose it. I began tearing up and my eyes were welling up. I had to put on my sunglasses so that people wouldn't see me.
I went onto the field and wandered for over an hour. I got many pictures with people I had become close to at the park. I took a lot of pictures of the grandstand, scoreboard, and field. People had ripped up clogs of grass from all over the infield, stolen bulbs out of the scoreboard, and pulled down billboards and banners that lined the outfield wall. It was a sad sight to see such destruction, but it was also heart warming in a way. People were so intent on keeping some sort of memento from the park that they would have done anything.
I walked out off of the field and took one more look around. This is where I grew up. The memories I had there flowed through my mind almost in an instant. It was one of those moments when your life flashes before your eyes.
I'm going to miss that place immensely. My entire outlook on life has changed because of what has happened. Today, I left a home that had been with me all of my life. I will never forget the memories I had there and I will pass on the stories and experiences gained there to my children and grand-children until I die.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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