Rant #2,889: Heroes

Everyone has seen it, whether you are a sports fan or not.
 
During the New York Yankees’ 11th victory in a row—a streak that ended last night—Aaron Judge hit another one of his moon shots over the outfield wall and into the stands for a home run.
 
That, in itself, is not unusual, as Judge currently leads the league in home runs.
 
But what was unusual was what happened after the ball was retrieved by a Toronto Blue Jays fan.
 
The man got the ball, and saw a younger fan sitting near him wearing an Aaron Judge jersey.
 
So what did the man with the ball do?
 
He gave the ball to the kid, and the kid hugged him, cried and did all he could to thank the man in his own way.
 
The video of this nice scene was viewed by just about all of us, as not only did it heed mention in the sports reports, but it made national news.
 
And yesterday, the young fan—named Derek, and yes, he is named after Derek Jeter—and the man who actually caught the ball got to meet Judge and the rest of the Yankees, and the kid was in complete awe, once again breaking down with glee.
 
And to show you what a class organization the Yankees are, they will be flying the young boy, the guy that got the ball, and their families to New York during a future game, so they can take in Yankee Stadium for themselves.
 
What a moment, showing sports the way they should be, not as sports actually are.
 
So the kid met his idol, and he was completely in awe … what would you have done in a similar situation?
 
I have to tell you, if I met the Yankees’ Bobby Murcer and Roy White and Mel Stottlemyre when I was nine years old, or if I met the New York Knicks’ Walt Frazier or Willis Reed when I was that age, I might have just broken down like the kid did.
 
Have you ever met one of your heroes? I mean, one of your honest to goodness heroes?
 
My real hero was my father, who worked hard, provided for our family, and was solid as a rock during his life … but I am talking about what you can call your “outside-of-the-family” hero, a man or a woman that you respected beyond reproach for whatever reason.
 
Unfortunately, I never met those types of heroes when I was a kid, but when I was an adult, I did meet two of them … and it demonstrated to me that these people are just that, people like you and me, but in circumstances that go far beyond what the average person goes through in their lives.

 
My first “hero” that I ever met was George McFarland, and if you don’t know that name, then you are simply not a Baby Boomer.
 
George McFarland was “Spanky” in the “Little Rascals”/”Our Gang” shorts that were made when our parents were young and which found a new audience when TV was new.
 
He was the leader of the Gang, and along with Alfalfa, Darla and the rest of the Gang, were part of our childhoods and helped us grow up after constant viewings of these shorts.
 
I met Spanky at one of those old Blockbuster stores. I was with my daughter, who was about two or three years old at the time, and Spanky was making a personal appearance to push the then-recent release of the “Little Rascals” shorts on VHS tape.
 
I went there specifically to meet Spanky, and buy one or two of the tapes.
 
I thought there would be a big and long line to meet him, but alas, no one was on the line at all.
 
I went right up to him, introduced myself and my daughter, and shook his hand … and for a moment, I was nine years old again.
 
I told him how much I admired him and the others in those shorts, and that they were a firm part of my childhood.
 
He thanked me for saying that, and looked at my daughter, and said, “I bet she has no idea who I am.” And he was right, she was too young to know.
 
No one else showed up, and I spoke with Spanky for 10 minutes or so.
 
He signed my VHS tapes boxes, and that was that.
 
Spanky passed away a few months later, and I really was happy that I got to meet him and tell him how I felt.
 
The other time I met my hero took place in a Manhattan hotel room when I interviewed the Monkees’ Micky Dolenz for a freelance job I had.
 
We met in the lobby of the hotel, and we went up to his room, which was as large as a house.
 
His manager only gave me 15 minutes to do the interview, but I ended up staying there for about an hour, because Micky and I connected from the get go.
 
We were both going through divorces at the time, and we both needed shoulders to cry on, and every time his manager came into the room that we were in, Micky waved the guy away.
 
And yes, I really had to watch myself, because I was there to do a job, not to idolize this once-and-future Monkee.
 
When the interview was over, he knew that there was something more on my mind, and he said something to the tune of, “It’s time to be a fan now,” and yes, I became nine years old once again.
 
He signed some things for me, and then, the interview was over and I left the room and the hotel.
 
After meeting both Spanky and Micky, I was on absolute cloud nine, so I know just where young Derek was when he met Aaron Judge.
 
That scene brought back such memories to me … and maybe one day I will meet some of my other idols, and I will be nine years old al over again.