Billy strikes out for the rest of us

Before Thursday, I had never witnessed a major league spring training baseball game in person. I watched two of them that day and saw some great things. I saw the Mets’ scrappy and talented Endy Chavez gun down the Cardinals’ Chris Duncan, who was trying to score on a fly ball to left. I saw Albert Pujols’s sweet swing in person for the first time and witnessed him rip one of his patented line shots into the left-field corner for a double. I saw the Nationals’ Ryan Langerhans make a great catch in right field and slam into the wall and still hold on. I saw a rising star in the Marlins’ Cameron Maybin blast an opposite-field home run over the wall in right-center.
But I wish I could have seen what TV, movie and Broadway star Billy Crystal saw. He saw live pitching in a real major league baseball game, living out a dream by playing for the Yankees in a spring training game against the Pirates.
I’m sure there are some folks who might begrudge Crystal and his big day as a thing that could happen only to a celebrity. After all, it was arranged when Crystal ran into Yankees’ shortstop Derek Jeter on a Costa Rican beach in the offseason. And for sure, that wouldn’t happen to you and me.
In most aspects, Billy Crystal is not a regular guy. He’s a celebrity who is recognized everywhere he goes. But when it comes to baseball, he’s just like many of us. He’s just a fan who loves the game and has had dreams about playing it at the highest level since childhood.
Thursday, he took his hacks for the rest of us.
I won’t pretend that I would even do as well as Crystal did. He fouled off one pitch – came close to getting a hit even – and ran the count to 3-1 against Paul Maholm before striking out swinging.
I’m quite sure I’d swing at the first three pitches I saw, no matter where they were, and walk back to the dugout.
Even if I knew for sure ahead of time that’s what would happen, I’d do it quicker than you can imagine. It would be the one time looking bad really wouldn’t matter.

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