All Things Bubba

The security guard at the front entrance of my office building is this little old guy. I think he's retired, working part-time to supplement his income or just to have something to do. He's really friendly, greeting everyone who passes by. He found out I was a baseball fan a few months ago, and since then, every time I see him, we talk a little about baseball, usually the Yankees. (Bubba had never come up in our brief conversations, which were mostly about what happened in the previous night's game.)

Anyway, the guy is an interesting character. He says he played baseball for 40 years, until his body gave out. (I assume non-professionally.) He knows a lot about the game, but doesn't always remember the players' names. For example, he can never remember Igawa's name, and calls him "that pitcher from Japan."

This morning, like many Yankees fans, he was very sad. He said he liked "Torres" and didn't want to see him go. Then he said he wished they never signed Damon. I was a little surprised at that. Damon was one of the players who came through in the post-season, hitting two homers and covering left field like the old center fielder he is. I asked him why, and he said, "I wanted them to give that kid more of a chance."

He meant Bubba, of course. He didn't remember Bubba's name, but he remembered him.