when looking back at all my game numbers from 2012, i get a little sad that i did not set any new
records for myself this year. i wish i could have gone to more games. truthfully, there
were 3 games i planned on going to that i did not make it to Cleveland
for, and i'll get into the specifics of that in a minute. when i did go to
games, i remained consistent with all my regular "work" that i do
regarding taking photos and videos and parking lot stalking lol the Indians had
a big year, even getting to play in one playoff game. they provided me with so
many great memories, things i'll always treasure and that can't be measured.
for the third straight season, i did not miss so much as one out of one
inning of one single game in real time. (i won't say "watched"
because i have to listen to the majority of games on my computer.) i went 162
strong, plus the wild card game. i was present for every game dating back to
the preseason games. i was lucky enough to be able to arrange my
schedule/social life/doctor's appointments/tests around Indians games again
this season. and that was a bigger task this year than ever before.
2013 was not a great year for me healthwise, and it was a struggle for me
just to get to some of the games i went to this season. as you will see in a
minute, i went to 8 games this season. but we paid for 10 games*. i was unable
to attend 2 games due to health issues beyond my control. even one of the 8
games that i went to, i was pushing through pain that started acting up once i
was already at the ballpark. and there was another game that i really wanted to
get tickets to, but decided against because i wasn't up for it. i haven't had
problems like this in quite a while, so it was a tough year to say the least.
now i'm going to be as real as i've ever been publicly, because i want the
truth to be out there and told by ME. starting at the end of 2012, i had been
having pains in parts of my stomach and back, and that continued through 2013. in early June, it got so bad that i was too ill to go to one of the June games we had bought tickets for
back in March. so that's the first game i missed. and even though i was in pain
physically, my emotional pain from not being at that game hurt me too,
exacerbating the situation. i was upset about that for the entire day and a few
days afterward. it was devastating to me.
after seeing a few different specialists, the conclusion was that i had an 8 millimeter kidney stone in my
right kidney along with fluid in my left abdomen. after talking with my
urologist, we decided i would undergo a lithotripsy procedure to break the
stone. i had this done a week before i was supposed to go to a game in July, to
make up for the June game i was too sick to go to.
well i was not at all
prepared for how lithotripsy was going to affect my body. the Indians had a
pretty intense schedule after my shock therapy (as it's also known) and i was
really pushing myself hard. they played a long doubleheader requiring me to
stay up until the AM hours so i wouldn't miss any of it. and i couldn't sleep
in that weekend because they had early afternoon games both days. this just so
happened to coincide with the end of the month, when i had to write up my
monthly Brantley blog as well. consequently, the lack of proper sleep really
took its toll on my already weakened body. i was still too drained to go to the
July game one week after lithotripsy, and once again had to miss another game. i
was so angry and distraught over this one. and nobody had any clue about this
because i kept it all to myself.
there was actually another game in June that i really wanted to go to after
i missed the first one, but i still wasn't sure what was going on with me at
that point. i didn't want to get tickets again and then have to cancel. so i
did the smart thing and decided to pass on it. had everything gone right, i
would have totaled 11 games for the year, same as in 2012.
i know i should just be happy that i went to any of the games that i went
to, but i can't help but be disappointed. i've fought through health problems
before, but what was going on with me this year was too much to fight. sadly, i
recently discovered that my kidney stone did break, but it's still in my kidney,
now in smaller pieces. idk when i may have to deal with those again, but i hope
it's not during next Tribe season.
now here are my 2013 #s:
i went to 8 games this year*, including that crazy
rain delay game that went until 2:53 am.
--compare this to 11 games last year and i really disappointed myself.
i took 4809 pictures
--including during batting practice, warm-ups, the actual game, and of
course parking lot.
of those pictures, 853 were of Brantley
--3 of the 8 games i went to, he didn't play in, hence a severe decrease in
photos from 2012.
i took 199 videos
--down 101 from last year.
other mentionables:
--i got 3 baseballs
--i got 16 autographs
--1 from Brantley
--i did not get my picture taken with any players this year.
now let me make a few comments about the autographs. it was very hard to get
autographs before games this year. usually when the gates open, a large crowd
of kids would fill up Rows A and B along the 3rd baseline in an attempt to get
player autos during warm ups. these kids would scream every guy's name and
believe it or not, that helped bring some guys over to sign. this year, the
on-field staff guys and ushers were kicking kids out of Row A a good half hour
before the players even came out to warm up. so, unless you had a ticket for a
seat in Row A, you weren't allowed there. normally, there aren't a bunch of
kids sitting in Row A. so when the players finally came out, there weren't many
people in Row A screaming for them to come sign. sometimes players would see a
couple kids and go over to a certain section and sign for a few minutes, but it
was no longer easy to get players to come over. i didn't get any autographs
before games this year. everything i got was in the parking lot. and not every
player will sign after games in the lot, so it's just going to be very
difficult to get autographs from now on. fuckin sucks.
also, because i did not go for BPX this season, i didn't get the opportunity
to have my picture taken with any players. nobody took pictures with fans after
games in the parking lot at any of the games i went to either.
and between game tickets, food, souvenirs, merchandise, and hotel costs for
the overnighter trip, we spent just over $2500. the same amount
we spent in 2012 and 2011. that's kinda crazy to me. however, had the
Indians made it to the ALCS, then that would have added another $611 to the
total. i tried, i certainly did my part lol
despite my displeasure in not acquiring more of the above, i still consider
myself very lucky to have gotten everything that i did. i will cherish these
things forever, and as always, i will use them to help me get through my
offseason withdrawal. thank you to all the Cleveland Indians for bringing me joy
during a year that i otherwise would rather just forget.
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