17 years ago today, I woke up in Half Moon Bay, got into my car and headed north on Highway 1…
The fog had already burnt off and it was an absolutely gorgeous HMB morning.
While on the drive I got a call from Brendan Royer, aka Smokey Pokey, one of my best friends who wanted to let me know he was headed to the Giants/A’s game I would be playing in that afternoon in San Francisco…
Brendan was going to be sitting in the front row of the centerfield bleachers and insisted he and his twin brother Brian, aka Buckwheat, would be rooting for the Giants and heckling me every chance they got.
I told him to fuck off & to make sure to catch the ball I was going to hit to them…
A few hours later in my 3rd at bat, I sent a ball headed straight for the Royer twins in the centerfield bleachers… Unfortunately I hit it a little too well and the ball flew right over their heads…
That was my 3rd hit of the day… I had singled in my first at bat, doubled in my second and now homered in my 3rd… In my fourth at bat I hit another double and came to the plate my last at bat against flamethrower Felix Rodriguez with a chance to go 5-5 for the first time in my career and also with a chance to hit for the cycle if I could somehow find a way to hit a triple…
With 2 strikes, Felix threw a nasty slider down and away that I was able to serve into centerfield… I was elated that I just fought off a filthy pitch for my 5th hit but then something funny happened. Carlos Valderama, who was playing centerfield, slipped and the ball went over his head…
I turned on the jets and raced around first, then second… As I pulled into 3rd base I slapped 3rd base coach Ron Washington then looked into the dugout where I saw all the boys standing on the top step clapping…
Wash then chimed in:
“Your crazy ass just hit for the cycle… And look at these mother fucking people in the stands… They are giving you a standing O!!!!”
Tough to describe the emotions and feelings that went through my body at that moment. I had just hit for the first ever cycle at Pac Bell Park against the team I grew up rooting for with what I would say was hundreds of family and friends in attendance…
When I ran out to the outfield after the inning I got another standing ovation from the crowd that was notorious for roasting me and every other opposing outfielder… I was in left field but I looked over to the Royer twins in center, waited for them to look my direction and then very discreetly gave them the old one finger salute.
After the game my family was waiting for me outside the visitors clubhouse. My Dad used to love using the word “magical” but usually refrained to ever use it around me because I thought it was dorky and I would typically roll my eyes…
When I saw him he looked at me with a big ass grin on his face and said 2 words…
“Magical Day!”
EB
P.S. To celebrate the 17 year cycle anniversary, we figured we would chase another June 29th epic feat and run 72 miles around Lake Tahoe today… Check in on the adventure and progress on my Instagram Story Time. Of course, we use any ridiculous endurance undertaking as an opportunity to raise funds for the Let Them Play Foundation. Please click link below to support youth activity organizations all over the country:
Much LOVE… See u on the other side. 👊