verdugo288

It was a Senior Babe Ruth game back in the summer of ’77. Another big game for the young Gee. This one at Stengel Field.

Gangly, slow….sloth-like, but the big red-headed kid could hit. From either side of the plate!!!! And he could fire the ball. Pitcher, corner-infielder, and to top it all off he could roam that tundra!!!!

Gee could do it all…or so he thought!!!!

Our big catcher Ray Augustines didn’t show up at the game. Our Manager was standing outside the first base dugout while we sat in it and he was saying “we got a problem here…now who’s gonna catch?”

Nobody was stepping up. I had never been behind the plate my entire life.

Being the idiot I’ve always been I knew what I had to do. And without hesitation, I squinted my eyes, looked bravely to the horizon, and said “gimme the fucking gear!” To a rousing ovation from the dugout.

Keep in mind gentleman that I wasn’t just going behind the plate….but I was going behind the plate….at Stengel.

Bad move.

It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I caught one-inning. There may have been a couple of passed-balls. I’m not so sure. Personally, I think they were wild-pitches!!!!

The other team didn’t score that inning. A guy did reach base after these passed balls and he easily stole second base off me. Fucker….

I don’t think the mask came off the entire inning!!!!

I even went out to the mound to calm the pitcher down….regarding the horse-shit job I was doing back there!!!!

But make no mistake about it….Gee was battling!!!! I remember looking up at my dad in the stands at one point and he was just kinda shaking his head.

Definitely a “supportive” head shake….but nonetheless a head shake.

We finished the inning and I was pulled from catching and moved to third base the coach and I agreed to give one of the rookies a shot behind the plate. I figured it was the least I could do.

Truth be told….all I wanted as soon as that inning began was to get the hell outta there.

I volunteered to do it because “the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few”

Right? I was taking one for the team volunteering to go back there!

I was “relieved” of my catching duties because “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few”

In other words, get that fucking guy outta there cause he’s killing us!!!!

And while it was certainly total stupidity courageous to bark out the words “gimme the fucking gear”….Clearly….I was out of my element.

Even during the warm-up pitches before that inning began….the umpire was saying “oh shit you better not get me hurt”

I’m like “what?”

He’s like “you’ve never caught a single game in your life have ya boy?”

Let’s just say that after that one inning….I had a greater appreciation for catchers that I still carry with me today.

And we’re about to talk about a couple of total fucking WARRIORS who handled that for us in ’92.

So stay tuned gentlemen….