Val, Sandy and I flew down from CT & NJ to WPB on 2/27 and arrived at approx. 10:20A. By the time we picked up the rental and got to Thomas White Stadium it was 12:35P(thank God we make it before they lock the gates at 1:00P!) We spotted Garth on practice field #1 and seeing him up close in that uniform was a sight to behold.(can you say drool :-) I must admit though that the pants the teams wears for the games do fit pleasingly more snug, except for Derek Bell's.
Garth began to exit the field on a golf cart and announced that he would not be able to sign but in typical Garth fashion, he got off the cart and started signing; that's when things got rather ugly. He was sweating profusely and exhausted and we pleaded with people to give him some space, as we thought he might pass out at any moment; how he was able to breathe, I'll never know. It seems that an over-zealous autograph seeker got under Garth's skin and it was obvious that Garth was upset, so he grabbed a little boy's hand and took him to a small fenced in area near the batting cages where he signed for children and their parents and took photos with them for a while, until it was time for him to leave for the Meet the Mets at Centennial High School.
Knowing we had several days ahead of us, we left and went to get something to eat, then returned around the time we thought the team would return to the stadium to pick up their vehicles. We arrived just in time to see Garth walking to his truck(he always backed it in for quick access and perhaps so the TN license plate wouldn't be readily seen.) He said hi to everyone and said he had to get home to dine with Sandy and the girls and waved to everyone as he drove off. An SUV sped after him and God only knows what happened then but the next day, a police car seemed to be escorting him away.
The next day an inter-squad game was scheduled. Got to finally meet Virginia, whose been staying in FL, after almost 2 years of emails. (what a treat that was!!) Also met Marla, Cathy, Debbie, Marilyn, Maryann, SandyToo, Terri(who I never knew lived so close to me- hey girlfriend, we'll definitely do another Garthadventure together!), Shalom and Cindy (what can I say...it was totally awesome seeing her and Garth interact and hearing the way they joke around with each other!) After the warms ups and team meeting, it was off to the main field for the game where I got lots of photos and video; that was really big fun! Before 1:00P, it was off to the practice fields while the game was still going on. Mary Lou said he'd most likely sign at the 10' fence near the batting cages. She was one of the staff at the stadium who kept us informed as to what was going on with Garth and she's one of the sweetest people you'd ever meet. All of the staff were sweet but Mary Lou really went out of her way.
When we got to the main gate, we ran right into Sandy and the girls who we'd seen in the grandstand during the game. They were on their way to the beach but stopped to sign some autographs; the girls are sooo cute and believe me when I say that cameras do not show just how pretty Sandy really is. I shook her hand, introduced myself and thanked her for sharing Garth with us, while Marla kept an eye on the girls so that they wouldn't stray off. After a few hours Garth emerged and began to sign but said he couldn't stay because he was taking some people to dinner. I told him it was really great seeing him again since we last met in NY and he remembered me.(very cool!!) I also told him that a group of us were getting together for the week for the first time and that we had to pick up Sue and Summer from CA at the airport. He signed the photo I had of him and I at GMA and the George Magazine for my evil twin in Arkansas :-) I did not want to ask for more than that then. Sue's plane was due in at 5:12P and we were late! Summer is Sue's 3 yr. old daughter and is unbelievably adorable and a natural actress. The whole week, Val insisted that Sue try to get her into commercials or something. My nicknames for Summer are Camile and Scarlett, but I won't go into details as to why.
Up early the next morning and off to the field, we were told that this should be a normal practice day. So once the gates were opened around 9:50A(after the team meeting), it was follow Garth from practice field to practice field and photos, photos, photos; all the while keeping an eye on the time, as people normally lined up at 11:00A at field #3. Garth had indicated throughtout the day to various people that he would sign after batting practice, so we were pretty psyched!
When he left one field, he kissed Terri & those who were leaving the next day goodbye, so I asked for one too...o.k. I AM shameless afterall but it's not like I hadn't gotten kisses from and given kisses to Garth before. He said, "okay Cheryl", then Sandy got one and Val too. Oh, I finally met Cathy from Toronto earlier that morning(Cathy saw me give Garth flowers at the 1st Philly concert in '98- hi girlfriend!!!!)
We lined up at the aforementioned field but found out that he would be signing at the field #4, that was enclosed on one side by a 4' fence and with the assistance of some of the staff(including Mary Lou), he allowed children and their parents(if present) in first to take care of them. I told Mary Lou that he promised not to forget Summer, so they let her and Sue in once she was able to get through the crowd. Sue told him she and Summer had come from CA and he said, "oh, you're Cheryl's friend". (what a memory!!) At one point I yelled out, "tell him we love Chris Gaines" and that brought a chuckle from Garth. All the while, I'm calling Ann(line busy) and Cheryl(not home) on my cell phone, hoping he'd talk to one of them. :-( People were literally passing infants over to be held by Garth and watching him cuddle and kiss those babies was worth the trip alone! (hi Susan- halliford and Valerie!)
Once the kids were taken care of Garth decided to proceed to work his way back to the clubhouse and sign as he walked. He made it clear that any reoccurance of Sunday would result in his ceasing to sign more. I had letters people had sent me to give to Garth and a check from me for the foundation, so I was determined to give them to him and I barked at people to keep moving right along with one of the young male staffers. He offered to give them to Garth for me but I wanted to give them to him myself. As we walked with Garth, Val managed to give him her photos to sign and she had her arm around his hip. He signed them, talked to her about them and told her he hoped that was her hand on his hip-LOL! I snapped photos of her with Garth and she was worried I wouldn't! :-)
Garth then stopped at the small area near the batting cages and a few people got stuff signed and photos. Just before my turn, Garth said he may have to leave for a minute to call Sandy to tell her they were having 4 people for dinner, but one of the staffers offered to let him use his cell. So right there in front of us, he called Sandy and apologized for springing dinner guests on her at the last minute and asked her if 5:00P was o.k. She apparently said yes and he repeatedly thanked her for being so understanding and he told her he loved her than he returned the cell phone and returned to the crowd. I gave him the B/W 8 x 10 promo photo of Chris Gaines to sign and he asked if it was for me. I told him yes if he didn't mind and I also gave him the letters and the check. (he looked at each envelope and I told him who they were from, paying special attention to the one with a letter about a friend's son who is battling lukemia.) Then I got a Garthsqueezie(thanks for the photo Cathy!) and I kissed him on the neck...yummmm, salty sweet! and thanked him for his time. Then it was Cathy's turn and I took her photo. Sue and Summer were around the corner of one of the tarped fences and Summer started to cry. Garth stopped what he was doing and looked around the corner and asked Sue if she was alright.(geez, the man's concern never ceases to amaze!) He tugs at my heart tighter and tighter and I love him more and more each time I see him. We then left and met back up with Sue, Summer, Val and Sandy.
Now it's off to a 1hr. photo place, then something to eat. We picked up the photos, told Cathy we'd see her in the AM and headed to our motel rooms.
