What a maroon...

Hello friends (old and new),

So, I thought you all would appreciate my stupidness. A true story for your enjoyment...

Back in May Shonda and I went to a Rangers game. You know how they're usually giving stuff away when you walk in? One time a tshirt, one time a program deal, whatever. Well, this time they were handing out "yearbooks" (no, I did not go around to get my signed...but should have! ha hahaha)

Not being a die-hard Rangers fan, at this point I do not know anything about the players. None of them. No name or face recognition. So after the game, Shonda and I went to the shop behind center field. I wanted a pennant for my sports room. A cheap pennant, too. None of that $30 business for me. I'll take the $3.95 one. Thanks. Upon checkout, the clerk asks, "would you like to purchase a ball used in tonight's game?"

My response was, "uh, no. well, how much are they?" :-) $35 bucks, no way!

So on our way out, there's a man in a baseball uniform looking all sweaty sitting in a folding chair by the door of the store. He's holding a sharpie. I look at Shonda and ask, "Who is that?" She's not sure. So I ask him, "How are you?" and smile. He says, "Exhausted." in a really exhausted sort of way.

So what am I to do but..."oh. can you sign this?" And I hand over my pennant. I guess my compassion for his tiredness was nothing compared to the fact that I wanted his autograph...

Again, I have no clue who this is, but he has on a uniform and he's sweaty. :-)

When we get outside and are walking to the car, in the dark, Shonda and I are trying to figure out who he is with our brand new "yearbook". The only thing we have to go by is his scribbly name (something with an M) and a scribbly number (twenty-something????). And why would a player be in the store after a game and not in the locker room showering up?

And ever since then I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out who it is. We went to another game, and still no luck. And of course by now I recognize names: Michael Young, Milton Bradley, on and on...but it wasn't either of those guys! (too bad, huh Jared?)

Well, Saturday, we went to the game. And a thought had been gnawing at me. Really, it was a joke, but I asked Shonda, "What if that guy was the mascot?"

We looked at each other like the skies had parted from a thunder storm and the glorious rays of heaven shone upon us. (Which, it was storming at the game Saturday, but the parting and rays didn't really happen.) :-)

So, now we're waiting for the horse to turn around so we can see his jersey....doh! almost! ACK! just turn around!!!

And sure enough, he was # 20-something (maybe 23 or 25). Huh. So I have the mascot dude's signature on my Rangers pennant. Which I guess I could play off as normal since I was a mascot, but let's be honest, I was an idiot. I wonder how many other idiots have his John Hancock hanging on their home-office wall?

And Jared, I'll do my best to get a Michael Young autograph for ya...really, man. I'll try!