Read Online Alive on Opening Day by Adam Hughes - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Adam Hughes
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David Hodges
hurried to the front stoop every morning to see if Aaron had tagged
another home run the night before, and died a little each Saturday
when “The Game of the Week” did not feature Aaron, there were
enough death threats and jeers to make Aaron less than sanguine
about his future.
Aaron told reporters as he
headed home for the winter that he just hoped he lived to see the
1974 season.
Dan, of course, had missed
most of Aaron’s magical exploits the season before, when, at 39
years of age, the legend had smacked 40 home runs in just 495 plate
appearances. What looked like an outside possibility 12 months
earlier, had matured into a likelihood during the summer heat
while Dan slumbered, and now stood as an absolute certainty with
Opening Day just 72 hours away.
“ Do you think he’ll even
play on Thursday?” Dan asked.
David nodded: “Yes, I
think he will. I heard on the news this morning that the
Commissioner is going to mandate Aaron play two of the first thee
games — no reason for him not to play on Opening Day, then. If I
were him, I’d play Thursday and see what happens. No home runs, I
play again on Saturday.”
Aaron and his team, the
Atlanta Braves, wanted to capitalize on the publicity and
attendance boost of the homer chase, so they had planned to sit him
during the opening series in Cincinnati. Then, returning home for
their second series of the season, Aaron would be poised to both
tie and pass Ruth in front of his home fans. Commissioner Bowie
Kuhn quickly put the kibosh on that idea, citing the best interests
of the game.
“ Well, I
hope he doesn’t play on Saturday, then!” Dan said, and grinned at
his father. “In fact, I hope he smashes two on Thursday, you know, just to
take the pressure off himself.”
“ You’re such a good boy,
Dan,” David teased him. “Always thinking of others before
yourself.”
—
Tuesday and Wednesday were
a blur for Dan as he and David prepared for their trip to
Cincinnati. The first pitch was scheduled for 3 pm, put they
planned to be in downtown Cincinnati in time to see the Opening Day
parade and all the other festivities surrounding the start of
another baseball season. They’d leave home around 6 am, which was
way too early for the day’s schedule, but David had suggested the
premature start in order to have more time to spend with his son.
Dan had not questioned David’s timing because he missed his father,
too.
Before their big
adventure, though, Dan and David had two very full days to take
care of. Work was busy for both the Hodges men, and Dan had two
doctors appointments, one on each day. In the 10 days Dan had been
awake, he had seen Dr. Parks five times, for general check-ins and
for specific tests. So far, Parks assured him when he left the
office on Wednesday, everything seemed fine. All his vital signs
were normal, and blood work showed no hormonal anomalies, so it
appeared the crisis had passed. His beard and hair were growing
again, too. Still, Parks wanted to see Dan again on Monday after he
and David had recovered from their trip.
Dan spent several hours
each evening with Gabbie, either at her house or at his, and with
baby Troy. It still seemed unreal to Dan that he was suddenly a
father, and it hurt him that he had missed Gabbie’s pregnancy, but
there was nothing he loved more than holding his own infant son in
his arms. Dan was concerned about his relationship with Gabbie,
though, and wasn’t sure where it would lead. He loved her, and they
had talked briefly about marriage when they were both in high
school, but they always came to the same conclusion: they should
wait until they were finished with college and until they figured
out whether or not Dan had a future in baseball.
Once they were settled in
their careers, then they could decide about their lives together. In the back of
Dan’s mind, he was ashamed to admit even to himself, he always had
felt comfortable
hurried to the front stoop every morning to see if Aaron had tagged
another home run the night before, and died a little each Saturday
when “The Game of the Week” did not feature Aaron, there were
enough death threats and jeers to make Aaron less than sanguine
about his future.
Aaron told reporters as he
headed home for the winter that he just hoped he lived to see the
1974 season.
Dan, of course, had missed
most of Aaron’s magical exploits the season before, when, at 39
years of age, the legend had smacked 40 home runs in just 495 plate
appearances. What looked like an outside possibility 12 months
earlier, had matured into a likelihood during the summer heat
while Dan slumbered, and now stood as an absolute certainty with
Opening Day just 72 hours away.
“ Do you think he’ll even
play on Thursday?” Dan asked.
David nodded: “Yes, I
think he will. I heard on the news this morning that the
Commissioner is going to mandate Aaron play two of the first thee
games — no reason for him not to play on Opening Day, then. If I
were him, I’d play Thursday and see what happens. No home runs, I
play again on Saturday.”
Aaron and his team, the
Atlanta Braves, wanted to capitalize on the publicity and
attendance boost of the homer chase, so they had planned to sit him
during the opening series in Cincinnati. Then, returning home for
their second series of the season, Aaron would be poised to both
tie and pass Ruth in front of his home fans. Commissioner Bowie
Kuhn quickly put the kibosh on that idea, citing the best interests
of the game.
“ Well, I
hope he doesn’t play on Saturday, then!” Dan said, and grinned at
his father. “In fact, I hope he smashes two on Thursday, you know, just to
take the pressure off himself.”
“ You’re such a good boy,
Dan,” David teased him. “Always thinking of others before
yourself.”
—
Tuesday and Wednesday were
a blur for Dan as he and David prepared for their trip to
Cincinnati. The first pitch was scheduled for 3 pm, put they
planned to be in downtown Cincinnati in time to see the Opening Day
parade and all the other festivities surrounding the start of
another baseball season. They’d leave home around 6 am, which was
way too early for the day’s schedule, but David had suggested the
premature start in order to have more time to spend with his son.
Dan had not questioned David’s timing because he missed his father,
too.
Before their big
adventure, though, Dan and David had two very full days to take
care of. Work was busy for both the Hodges men, and Dan had two
doctors appointments, one on each day. In the 10 days Dan had been
awake, he had seen Dr. Parks five times, for general check-ins and
for specific tests. So far, Parks assured him when he left the
office on Wednesday, everything seemed fine. All his vital signs
were normal, and blood work showed no hormonal anomalies, so it
appeared the crisis had passed. His beard and hair were growing
again, too. Still, Parks wanted to see Dan again on Monday after he
and David had recovered from their trip.
Dan spent several hours
each evening with Gabbie, either at her house or at his, and with
baby Troy. It still seemed unreal to Dan that he was suddenly a
father, and it hurt him that he had missed Gabbie’s pregnancy, but
there was nothing he loved more than holding his own infant son in
his arms. Dan was concerned about his relationship with Gabbie,
though, and wasn’t sure where it would lead. He loved her, and they
had talked briefly about marriage when they were both in high
school, but they always came to the same conclusion: they should
wait until they were finished with college and until they figured
out whether or not Dan had a future in baseball.
Once they were settled in
their careers, then they could decide about their lives together. In the back of
Dan’s mind, he was ashamed to admit even to himself, he always had
felt comfortable
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