A Boy's First Baseball Game: The Infamous Tale of Concourse Joe

EDITOR'S NOTE: To celebrate my son turning 2 years old on Feb. 16, this is Part III of a four-part series describing my Crash-course initiation into daddyhood. With pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training in one week, this is the PERFECT post to share. It was originally posted on June 6, 2010.

– – –

I've had more than one person say,
"I really hope Crash likes baseball."

My college roommate was the first person to plant this nightmarish seed of doubt in my head. He was admiring the Texas Rangers mural painted on the wall of Crash's nursery (right).

My response (in all seriousness): "I didn't know that was an option."

My friend tucked his lips, which created an unsure smirk, and shrugged his shoulders.

Me: "Crash will love baseball, right?

RIGHT?!?!?!

If Crash's first Rangers' game is any indication of his "love of the game," my buddy's rhetorical comment is actually valid.

Before I get into the details of this failed experiment at the Ballpark in Arlington, I will acknowledge that Crash might be a little too young for this kind of adventure. That became obvious when the 14th person said, "I never would have brought my infant to a game."

Our thought process: Since Crash loves being around people, loves being outside and has the ultimate baseball name, we thought this was going to be a wonderfully great exprience.

WRONG!

– – –

I really thought our biggest hurdles were cleared before we ever got inside the Ballpark.

We wanted to get to the game a little earlier than usual – we normally allow just enough time to grab a cold beer and sit down before first pitch. But I wanted Crash to experience it all – from the National Anthem to the Rangers taking the field for the first time.

I'm so glad we gave ourselves the "extra time" – we used it to haul the full set of luggage we brought with us to the game. (I've taken less bags on a week-long vacation.)

There were a couple other things that cut into our pre-game festivities:

• We made a couple trips back to the parking lot for things we forgot in the car (e.g. pacifier)

• We were stopped countless number of times by people who wanted to share their parenting beliefs. (Reminder: "I would have never brought my kid to a game that young!")

It was all good, though – we were going to the Rangers game, and we still had plenty of time before first pitch.

After single-handedly bottlenecking up the Bag Check line, we finally made it inside the stadium.

Again, I thought the biggest hurdles were cleared.

Instead of chasing down the Beer Guy – like previous trips to the Ballpark – we were on a mission to make Crash's first Rangers' game "official." I had heard rumors that kids could receive a certificate – signed by Nolan Ryan – to recognize this fantastic milestone. Two very sweet Ranger employees (below) hooked us up.

You could tell Crash was soaking it all in – so far, so good.

We still had a little time prior to first pitch, so we walked around the concourse. We were fishing for compliments on how cute Crash looked in his Rangers' gear and taking advantage of any and all photo opportunities.

After finding our seats, we ran into trouble, though. We quickly realized the noise and the heat of the June evening were going to be issues.

As soon as the Rangers' public address announcer (Chuck Morgan) said, "Your Texas Rangers!" – Crash was on edge. His sweaty little body was also a warning sign of things to come.

His mom was very sympathetic to his situation (wiping his face with a wet rag – not pictured).

In regards to the highly anticipated first pitch (mentioned several times already in this post because of its importance to ANY baseball game)...it was highlighted by TK giving Crash a bottle.

My thought process: "He'll be good to go after this, right? He'll be eating peanuts, keeping a box score, chasing after foul balls and trying to sneak a sip of my beer!"

BUT after his bottle, our 3 1/2-month old son turned into "Concourse Joe."

While sitting in the stuffy, warm seats – with the speakers blaring right behind us – Crash was miserable. BUT walking around the concourse, he was in heaven – he was still outside and there were still a lot of people. The only difference...in the concourse, Chuck Morgan wasn't shaking his baby brain.

HEAVEN!

Not necessarily for TK....

She will admit that taking care of "Concourse Joe" makes it hard to enjoy....ANYTHING. She would sit in the seats for five minutes at a time and then dash back to the concourse before he had a melt down. TK ate her hot dog and drank her only beer of the night while watching the game on closed circuit TV.

(Special thanks to her for letting me enjoy the game and visit with an old friend who went to the game with us.)

As the game went on, Crash became extremely restless. In the fifth inning, Team Myers went on a tour of the entire concourse – walking around the whole stadium.

Crash was already over it, though. He didn't enjoy this journey, which even included a stop by the "misty fans" (right).

Needless to say, the wheels were coming off.

Towards the end of our long walk, Crash actually started to fall asleep. We debated whether to return to the seats, knowing that him snoozing through "Now batting Michael Young!" was a long shot. (Actually, it would have scared the yellow poop out of him and turned him into a screaming banshee.)

We didn't want to give up on this experiment, though. This was his first Rangers' game DANG IT!

TK offered to walk him until he was sound sleep and then bring him back to the seats. She said, "If he starts crying again...we'll go home."

Defeat had already started to set in for me. I agreed.

We stayed for another half inning, but when TK removed Crash's socks and stuffed them in his ears – I heard the words of my college roommate as he stared at that mural in Crash's room:

"I really hope Crash likes baseball."

I turned to TK, smiled, and said, "Let's go."

– – –

Then it was time to write this blog post:

• Where do I start?

• What should I leave out?

• What part(s) should I poetically enhance (Remember the complete luggage set? Confession: We only had two bags.)

• How do you capture excitement AND disappointment?

My biggest issue: "How do I wrap this up in a nice, neat, poignant package?"

During a conversation with my neighbor – telling her the tale of "Concourse Joe" – she tied it all together for me.

Neighbor: "I bet he would like to watch the game in a suite."

YES!

It made complete sense: Crash wasn't upset by the crack of the bat, the smell of fresh cut grass or the cheering crowd. He wasn't pissed off because of the excitement in the air or the grace of the game.

He wasn't upset that the Rangers can't hit with men in scoring position. (This might be a stretch...)

Crash was hot and the speakers made his baby brain rattle – that's it.

Those two things can be fixed in snap – his dad needs to find some rich friends who have a suite.

"Anything for you, Concourse Joe."

Social Media Experiment: Socially Inept?

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was written Oct. 10, 2010, as part of a social media experiment that I decided to document along the way. I had dreams of creating this “scientific journal” but it turned into eight pages of babble. This is the third installment of a 3-part series. Click here to see introductory post.

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One of my last Facebook posts was a picture of me and my son at a Rangers game (right). He was looking up at me and I was acting like I was scolding him. I wrote a clever caption:

“CRASH: Dad, I like how the Rangers match-up against Tampa Bay in the playoffs. ME: BOY! If you just jinxed them...I’m going to spank your tiny little butt.”

Funny, right?

All I could think about after uploading that picture were the potential responses.

“How many people are going to comment on this post?”

“Is anyone going to ‘like’ it?”

“Cute baby photos with funny captions ALWAYS generate some dialogue...and then you throw in the Rangers. WOW! This should be huge!”

“Please! Please! Please!”

Confession: I’m not that pathetic, but I DID login several times to see if anyone had left a comment. (Actually, that’s more embarrassing than my pseudo, over-dramatic thought process.)

But that’s why we post and/or Tweet, right? To get feedback, comments, reTweets?

Otherwise social media isn’t very “social.”

This desire for online interaction started to impact my psyche, though. The adjective “obsessed” carries a lot of negative connotations, but it’s definitely appropriate in this instance.

I HAD to receive feedback.

More confessions:

• I’ve actually gotten my feelings hurt when no one commented on certain status updates.

Explanation: You think you’ve formulated just the right status update – it’s funny, engaging, something everyone can relate to. It’s one of those posts that even makes you giggle. But after you hit “submit”... crickets.

• I check my Twitter account daily to see if any of my thoughtful Tweets were reTweeted.

Explanation: Similar feeble explanation from above...but this is also the case when I share a funny or interesting news story, an inspiring quote or upload a fun picture.

• I would get excited when one of my random followers (Twitter) or a long-lost friends (Facebook) came out of the wood work to share their thoughts.

Note: No pitiful explanation needed.

I just hate the fact that I needed that feedback.

Why couldn’t I just be happy to live peacefully in my quite narcissistic world?

Why couldn’t I be like everyone else and post about where I was or what I was eating? No one is going to respond about a turkey sandwich or the fact I was at Starbucks AGAIN.

This need for online interaction even started to impact my life. I would stress about making the “perfect post,” which means I was thinking about it ALL THE TIME.

I was planning my next update during life’s mundane activities – taking a shower, driving to work and/or mowing the lawn.

But major life events were not exempt.

Example: I was planning my status update even before my just-born son had the birthing goop washed off of him. And I already mentioned the first time my son ate real food – I snapped a photo after his first bite and then raced to the computer.

Yep...missed it all.

I guess I just HAD to have one of my “friends” write “Cute” or “Like father, like son” to get me to my next post.

Social Media Experiment: Tweetest Time to Post

EDITOR’S NOTE: This was written Oct. 6, 2010, as part of a social media experiment that I decided to document along the way. I had dreams of creating this “scientific journal” but it turned into eight pages of babble. Click here to see introductory post.

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While I’ve already admitted extensive use of social media on a daily basis – there are certain times when I become a status-updating fiend:

• During TCU Football Games

• During Texas Ranger Baseball Games

• When I am traveling

Kickoff...Tweet.

First pitch...status update.

Standing in security checkpoint at airport...Tweet, Tweet, status update, Tweet.

The only thing I can figure: I am obsessively passionate about the Frogs and Rangers and there is A LOT of down time at the airport.

We’ll...it’s only been two days, but I’ve already I received my first test in this social media experiment.

For the first time in 11 years, my beloved Texas Rangers played in a postseason game.

Reminder: First pitch...status update.

NOT THIS TIME!

It was the biggest game since 1999 and I couldn’t Tweet about it.

I couldn’t gripe about blown calls, crappy managerial decisions or missed scoring opportunities.

I couldn’t “cheer” with other Ranger fans when something magical happened.

Every time one of these moments occurred during Game 1, I instinctively reached for my Blackberry.

But I stopped myself, quickly realizing that my “sickness” was even impacting the way I watched a baseball game.

To help me cope, I decided that “detox posting” was necessary. (Fake posts typed into Microsoft Word.) I found it very comforting to share what I would have posted/Tweeted.

Here are my quasi-updates:

“I’m not throwing a pitch or taking a swing, but I am beyond-myself nervous heading into this playoff game. GO RANGERS!”

“Had big plans to watch game at local bar – nothing like baseball & beer at 12:30 on weekday. BUT THEN, I got a call from my sick wife. Homeward Bound.”

“A LOT of nervous energy...forced to clean house between innings. My house will be spotless by the time this game is over.”

“Making mental note of people who e-mail or call me during the game. They’ll be officially put on a list of people who don’t really like me very much.”

“Rangers win! Nerves temporarily calmed. Unfortunately have to get back to work. – dang you, 12:30 playoff game!”

“Since I’m superstitious: I have to watch rest of playoffs on my couch, son has to have explosive diarrhea & wife must lay on bathroom floor, trying not to chunk.”

The “detox posting” definitely helped, but I think I’m going to draw a line in the sand and just stop for the rest of the playoffs.

Maybe I’ll pay more attention to the game.

Maybe I’ll just yell at my kid and/or dog if the Rangers do something stupid.

Maybe I’ll just appreciate it for what it is – baseball in October.

Maybe I’ll actually enjoy a victory.

By the time you’re reading this...the Rangers could be World Champions. (Of course, no one will know because I wasn’t able to Tweet about it.)*

*Editor’s Note: Damn those San Francisco Giants.

LIST UPDATE: Trying to be 'a one man wolf pack'

NOTE: This part three in a three-part series updating the status of my 101 List. These are brief little nuggets on things I’ve recently crossed off and/or about to conquer.

COMPLETED ITEMS
No. 62 Go See a Movie By Myself

Date Completed: July 23, 2009

Details: This is one of those simple tasks that can get lost in the shadow of items like “Take a Self Portrait in Every National Park” (No. 81). I think it’s these “little things” that make these lists special.

I like going to the movies by myself – and I probably take doing it for granted. Same with eating a double scoop of ice cream (No. 47) and making Christmas cookies for my neighbors (No. 36).

Sadly enough, if I didn’t have these things on my list, I might not even think about doing them in the heat of the moment.

• Nobody to go to the movies with: “I’ll just rent something from Blockbuster.”

• Mid-December: “Wow! I love laying on my couch in my underwear, drinking eggnog and watching ‘Christmas Vacation’ for the 76th time.”

Anyway, I went and saw “The Hangover” by myself. It was a perfect evening – TK was out of town and the Rangers were off. I sat in the dark, enjoyed the hell out of my buttered movie popcorn, and laughed uncontrollably.

Cross it off!

No. 74 Start a Customer Service Blog
Date Completed: July 27, 2009

Details: All of this is laid out in a blog post all its own. (click here to read)

I will say this, though: Please don’t settle for poor customer service. If it’s bad – say something, AND if it blows your socks off because it’s so good – say something, too.

DONE!

UPCOMING ITEMS

No. 41 Break 4-hour mark in a marathon

Projected Date: November 15, 2009

Details: Already started 16-week training program for this 26.2-mile achievement. Running the San Antonio Rock 'n' Roll Marathon.

No. 63 Attend a Book Signing

Projected Date: August 10, 2009

Details: I actually set this up for my kick-butt author friend Shauna Glenn. (I’ve doing a little PR/marketing for her) We scheduled her on a “Texas Swing” of independent bookstores across the state.

No. 88 Be the Mascot at a College Football Game

Projected Date: TBD

Details: I can’t really provide any particulars on this – it’s a covert mission inside the game-day festivities of an unspecified collegiate athletics department.

No. 98 Buy a T-Shirt from Threadless.com

Projected Date: Sooner than later

Details: I’ve added some “spice” to this task – I want to purchase a T-shirt that I actually voted on AND it got printed. I could easily go on there and buy a kick-butt shirt like, “When You Think About It, All Galaxies Are Far, Far, Away.” (visit Threadless.com by clicking here)

101. Participate in a "No Shave" month

Projected Date: September 2009

Details: I had a mock two-week run earlier this summer and I think I’m ready. I’m going to do it in conjunction with the Rangers’ postseason push.

In honor of the Rangers’ Wolfpack bullpen – which was inspired from a monumental monologue from “The Hangover” – I will let it go for 30 days. (I plan on documenting it using Daily Mugshot)

“I tend to think of myself as a one man wolf pack...”

UPDATE: TRYING TO STAY FOCUSED ON 101 LIST

I thought it was about time for an update on my 101 list.

RECENTLY COMPLETED TASKS (view photos)

8. Use my passport

Used it crossing Canadian border on March 11, 2009. No documentation (photos, video, etc.) – blog explanation to follow. (Teaser: I was detained)

45. Participate in regular Bible Study
Completed 16-week men's fellowship at McKinney Bible Church; Focus of class: "Winning at Work and Home."

52. Go to a rodeo
Went to Stockyards Championship Rodeo on Feb. 1, 2009

73. Ride on a train
Rode Amtrak Train from Denver to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, in route to ski trip in Vail. (blog here)

COMING SOON

10. Go to a Texas Rangers game at a visitors’ ballpark

Going to try and slide this in on one of my business trips OR one of TK's over-nights.

53. Post a video on You Tube

Going to post reenactment of No. 8 (see above) 

41. Break 4-hour mark in a marathon

I have put a lot of focus on this – next week, I will log 31 miles of training. Reminder: I am raising funds and awareness for Back on My Feet (more info here)

74. Start customer service blog

I'm so close to having this ready to roll. To put some added pressure on my self...launch date: April 1st.

76. Play paintball OR
79. Play a round of indoor (simulated) golf
For cost-cutting measures, Anthony and I haven't done anything crazy fun in a while. I think my Little Brother deserves to join me on one of these adventures.

86. Ride on a motorcycle

I have already planted the seed with my brother. I'm hoping we can get a ride in before summer rolls around.

A LITTLE BEHIND

81. Take a self portrait in every National Park

I knew this was one of my biggest/most difficult endeavors out of the gate – since I have ZERO under my belt after 222 days, you can multiply that degree of difficulty by 63.

93. Read 200 books

By no means am I giving up on this task, either, but I'm only at 11. I wish I had read my own tips before putting this one in ink. (read tips here for creating a list here)

MARKETING: PUT ME IN THE PRODUCT

Have you ever been asked to define the word “integrity?”

Think about it for a second.

Tough, isn’t it?

Actually, it’s probably more frustrating than anything, because you know exactly what it is. Applying an actual definition is a different story, though.

When you finally do come up with something – which you will – I would be curious to compare it to the definition provided by 10 other people. I’m pretty positive that there would be no duplications.

All of the answers would be correct, but all definitely different.

Look it up in Webster’s or dictionary.com – more differences.

This isn’t the only word that falls into this vocabulary labyrinth – what about “character” or “values?”

Some people even have trouble with “love” and “freedom.”

I would like to make a formal case for the word “marketing.”

Disagree? Define it.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia’s defintion:

“Marketing is an ongoing process of planning and executing the marketing mix …blah, blah, blah.”

Not the way I would have gone, but the entire post is correct, nonetheless. How did it compare to your definition?

That’s what I love about Wikipedia – there is almost an overload of information. By the time you scroll to the bottom of a subject, I bet you could say, “See…I was right!”

In regards to “marketing,” I did just that.

My definition of “marketing” falls under the header “The Four New Ps.”

Here it is…

“Personalization: It is here referred customization of products and services… this concept is further extended with emerging social media and advanced algorithms…. blah, blah, blah.”

I would have probably put it in laymen’s terms:

“It BETTER have MY name or picture on it.”

I definitely would have moved it closer to the top of the page. In my opinion, this is the key to marketing in today’s world – put the customer in the product.

Maybe this will help explain:

When you’re selling home security….it’s not about seeing a stereotypical suburbia house being protected – I want to see MY house being kept safe and secure.

If your marketing campaign is designed to associate sharing a bucket of chicken with quality family time…don’t show me some happy, fictitious family sitting around some random dining room table – show MY family throwing back some drumsticks at MY parents' house.

I was recently introduced to two marketing campaigns that applied this principle. Both used sports teams that I hold close to my heart and made me pay attention to what they were selling.

XM Satellite Radio

(Major League Baseball package)
Campaign: “Every Team. Every Game.”

Personalized Marketing: “Bobble Yourself” (Build your own bobble head wearing your favorite team’s uniform.)

TCU Athletics

(2008 football season tickets)
Campaign: “Get With The Program”

Personalized Marketing: Picture of me suited up for the Horned Frogs, ready to run out of the tunnel in Amon G. Carter Stadium.

I wanted to share them with you:

(click here to watch me "bobble")

don't forget to click "Play" on the next screen

These two campaigns put ME in the product, and I LOVED it!

One more quick question: How would you define “vanity.”

The Inc. Life

I love reading business magazines. Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Inc. are some of my favorites. Each one has a standard feature or column that I especially enjoy, too. They're just fun, easy reads – most of them short snippets from an entrepreneur who "made it." Every time I read one, I think to myself, "One day they're going to write about me!"

I thought it would be fun to beat them to the punch.

This is a light-hearted feature that runs in every issue of Inc. magazine: "Things I Can't Live Without." 

It was fun to ask myself that question and put together my list. It's important that you know and understand that this feature is totally materialistic. The reason I bring that up . . . when I was putting together my list of "things," my wife came into the room and asked what I was working on.

TANYA (wife): <reading over my shoulder> What's this?

DREW: Something for my blog – things I can't live without.

TANYA: <smiling with a hint of anticipation and affection>

DREW: What's that look for?

TANYA: <rhetorically smirking> Did I make the list?

DREW: <snapping my eyes back to my computer monitor> Not that kind of list.

I wasn't being mean, but like I said before, this is strictly material items. If I wanted to change Inc.'s concept and make it more sentimental, the "Things I Truly Can't Live Without" would include:

• Tanya

• My family

• My friends

• My faith

• Captain Augustus McCrae (my dog)

I decided to stay the course, though, and keep the format the same. (BTW: Inc. runs a sidebar to this feature, "...and What I Covet." That's when materialistic meets ridiculous. I played this game, too.)

To help the editors at Inc. magazine, I went the whole seven yards – I gathered up the photos and quotes, but I DIDN'T write the article itself. (I started to, but it felt kind of weird.) I'll let them do that once we "make it."

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Things I Can't Live Without

President and CEO, e-Partners in Giving

Drew Myers

(to see a larger version, simply click on the image)

 

Texas Rangers Truck Driver Hat, $22

“There is nothing like a great hat – that fits your head perfectly. It also allows me to support my boys in a stylish manner.”

Bodum French Press, $55
“It definitely doesn’t offer any added convenience when it comes to making coffee, but the rich, bold taste is worth it.”

Fiorentina Writing Journal, $23
“This is where e-Partners in Giving was born. A lot has changed since those first few entries, but this has evolved as a road map to this wild and crazy entrepreneurial adventure.”

Red Wing Boots, $154
“I could go running in these boots – I’m not talking about a couple of blocks, either. I could tackle some serious mileage.”

Garmin Forerunner 301, $200
“I asked for this GPS watch to help me figure my milage. I was tired of driving the same route that I just ran in order to do that. That was 1,515 miles ago.”

...and What I Covet

Ski-in and Ski-out, 4-Story Home in Park Cities, Utah, $6.9 million
“I was told when you dream, dream big. That’s exactly what this house is. Being in Park Cities is a bonus – it’s like the mountains and luxury collided to create perfection.”

Range Rover, $79,000
“This vehicle screams class – inside and out. Its off-road roots add to its mystique and charm.”