A Fan's Perspective (Tues., Feb. 10)

Meg Goldsmith 

As far as attending camp as a “Guest,” the first piece of advice that I can offer is don’t sit in the dugout!  Following the lead of another camper’s father, someone who had been in camp all week long, I wound up getting busted for sitting on the bench in the dugout by the camp coordinator, Lenny Johnston.  I tried to explain to him that I was safer there than in the bleachers but he didn’t want us in there at all.  Not a problem, I resumed my spot directly behind the cage material around the field just to the side of home plate.

During much of the first day, I stood alongside Elrod Hendricks and we chatted.  I asked him how difficult it was to go from the warmth of Florida back north for the start of the season in April.  He told me that he didn’t concentrate on the weather and just broke the season down into parts—the first few weeks, early summer, the All-Star break, August, the pennant push, and the post season.  (I’m paraphrasing so might not have these exactly right.)  He also commented that he thinks the World Series should be played during the day, not at night.  He acknowledged that TV dictates everything now and noted that he falls asleep during the games.  So he now leaves his computer on and when he wakes up he checks the score there. 

Elrod was obviously “taken” by me because after the Awards Banquet, he came over to say goodbye and give me a kiss!  It should be noted that his wife was back in Baltimore.  (Kerry’s note:  I just wanted to mention that Elrod is a good guy.  I’ve known that for some time, but I’ve only gradually gotten to know him a bit since he only comes down for the last weekend of the camp each year.  This year, he made a point of seeking me out at the end of the banquet and congratulating me on the awards that I’d won.)

I caught part of a conversation Leo Gomez was having with another family member about his time in Japan.  He said it was agood experience for him and his family.  I asked him what he’s doing these days.  He said he’s a house husband, staying home (in Ellicott City!) and coaching his 14 yr. old son’s games.  He wants to focus on his family right now. 

Inadvertently, I wound up spending quite a bit of time talking to Ken Dixon’s wife.  I asked her what it was like to be a baseball wife but they met after he was out of baseball so she didn’t have to deal with that.  I asked what Ken is doing these days and she said he’s involved in marketing.  Perhaps I should’ve introduced him to Kerry but given how well Kerry hit him in the Pro Games I decided that might not be such a good idea.

There are a lot of autograph hounds who attend the camp.  The Orioles can’t control this because it’s a public facility.  Some of the pros were clearly irritated but Brooks was just as pleasant with the first autograph seeker as he was with the last.  A number of these people were clearly Orioles fans, bringing an old jacket they had to be signed by players they didn’t have signatures of or a team photo or other such memorabilia.  A few even asked for a personal greeting on the item they were getting autographed.  But many did not fall in this category.

I spoke to one gentleman who was as interested in watching the campers as he was in getting autographs and he had a few nice remarks to share about George Steinbrenner that I thought were worth repeating here.  He said that there were seven Yankee fans in Tampa when Clemens was doing his rehab assignment last year and George gave all of them a Yankee jersey, then called Clemens out of the clubhouse to sign for these guys.  And when George served on the committee for the Florida State Fair last year, he had the players sign autographs for $5 and everyone left with a Yankee hat as well.  This is a side of George Steinbrenner I’d never heard about before so it was an interesting perspective on the man most of us here on the Belfry really dislike.

The one thing that wasn’t up to par was the food that was served.  Kerry has complained about this to me in the past but I now understand why he complains.  The breakfast fare was fine.  But the lunch was mediocre.  Fortunately, nobody is there for the food!  The camaraderie of the campers was amazing.  Even though they each wanted their team to win, especially the big games, they were always pleased when others won their games and they rooted each other along. 

Previous Reports from 2004 Fantasy Camp:

Sat., Feb. 7 -- Pro Games & Final Stats 

Fri., Feb. 6 -- Fifth Day of Action

Thurs., Feb. 5-- Fourth Day of Action & Meg Joins in the Festivities

Wed., Feb. 4-- Third Day of Action

Tues., Feb. 3-- Second Day of Action

Mon., Feb. 2-- First Day of Action

Sun., Feb. 1-- Veteran's Tournament Day 2

Sat., Jan. 31-- Veteran's Tournament Day 1

Fri., Jan. 30 -- Preparing for Camp