Rick_Garcia's Blog

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How cool was it for Billy Crystal to get an at bat for the New York Yankees the other day!?
The funny man signed a one day contract with his favorite team and made a plate appearance during a spring training game the day before his 60th birthday. He worked the count full against Pittsburgh's Paul Maholm before striking out. I had someone tell me Maholm should've let Crystal get a hit. I'm glad he didn't. Made it more realistic. Plus you don't want 60 year old celebrities making appearances in a Lakers or Kings Hockey game do you? Oh wait! That's got reality show written all over it.
I am jealous though. I would love to play just one series at quarterback for the Rams. Problem is it would've made more sense to do that at 26 and not 46. I did have a fantasy moment back in 1987. I had just arrived on the scene at FOX 11. Back then the Dodgers would play USC's baseball team before flying off to spring training. They had a home run hitting derby featuring ex-major leaguers before the game. After they were done slaughtering the baseball the media had it's chance to show what we could do. Only this time they put orange cones short of the warning track probably to taunt us. The pitcher? A wily left hander who goes by the name Tommy Lasorda. I've played baseball most of my life and prior to my at bat our other sportscaster at the time Rick Monday (the former Dodger) took me to the Dodger Stadium batting cage for a tip or two. Admittedly I was warmed up. First pitch from lefty and I smacked a one hopper over the cones in left center off the warning track dirt and into the left field seats. In other words a ground rule double. I could tell Tommy figured out I knew what I was doing so he really brought the next one. The extra speed worked to my advantage as I turned on the pitch and hit it into the left field bullpen for a REAL home run. The treat of my life as a Dodger fan. I'll admit I used an aluminum bat. But that swing was home run all the way. Funny but a couple of years later I was covering an NFL combine where a former USC quarterback was showing off for scouts. He approached me and said, "Hey Rick! Hit any balls out at Dodger Stadium lately?" I asked him how he knew about that. He said he was there on the field at the time playing first base for the USC Trojans. His name. Rodney Peete. And even though I had a believable witness I was still lucky to have this gem on tape. The guys in the sports office are sick of seeing it!
Talk about an amazing fantasy come true!
Even if for just one day ...Whats yours?