goddamn you lisa olson!
8.01.2004
i didn't want to be sad.
"Contreras was stunned, distraught, and, said someone who saw him shortly after, angry. Cashman left while Contreras spoke via phone with his agent, Jaime Torres. By 3:40 p.m., "it was getting hairy," said Cashman, but then his Blackberry buzzed. It was Torres, giving the okay. Nineteen minutes later, as the last T's were being crossed, Contreras slipped out of the Stadium, unnoticed by the giddy crowd. It was the eighth inning, and sweat poured down his cheeks as he strolled through the players' parking lot. He never got to say goodbye."
- ny daily news
i am sentimental. let me preface by saying there is a LOT i will not miss: the agita, the uncertainty, the frustration. but i will miss the name el titan rolling off my tongue. i will miss the sight of hitters knees buckling helplessly and moving out of the box in resignation before the umpire gets through declaring strike three. i will miss the sight of those powerful fingers split and stretched in the forkball grip, making the ball look small and lost. i will remember the gentle giant as the first to congratulate the kid on his first major league start, and the joy in his thoughtful eyes as his small daughter slept on his shoulder. i wanted to believe in him, wanted him to believe in himself. what can i say, i'm a sucker for a nice human interest story.
