Onto today. When Adam and I got married, the A's were in the midst of their historic 20-game win streak. (Literally. Our wedding took place the same day as streak win #4, with Mark Mulder on the mound against the White Sox.) We, of course, didn't catch that particular game, but we watched the streak play out from Hawai'i during our honeymoon, and then were in the house for a few of those exciting late-inning comebacks once we returned to the mainland. Along with the time I got Cal Ripken's autograph during his good-bye tour in 2001, those games rank high on my list of Great 'I Was There' Sports Moments. I wasn't there for today's nostalgia-filled Barry Zito versus Tim Hudson showdown, but I saw it on TV. And it took me back to simpler times.
Huddy and Zito are about the same age as Adam and me, so in a strange way, I feel like we grew up and began navigating the challenges of adulthood together. Of course, that's not entirely true; I may know all of their stats from their time as A's players, but they know nothing about us. (And that's totally cool. I'm happy not being famous.) But that doesn't mean I didn't watch today's game and feel a sense of loss knowing that it was the first --and last-- time they'd ever face-off in Oakland: Huddy is retiring, and Zito may well follow suit. It's a reminder that life operates on a continuum, and nothing ever really stays the same (except God!).
Anyway, today gave me the chance to revisit some really dear memories, and made me feel an even deeper sense of gratitude for having had those good times in the first place.
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