Two ways to get carried off the field

So it has always been a thing of mine to educate folks in my one-sport one-team town about baseball and its history. My girlfriend and I were recently watching one of those "Best Damn Top 50 Baseball Moments" thingamijigs, and I could see that my efforts to reach her had not been entirely in vain. She correctly guessed that Bobby Thomson's shining moment would be #1. Notice I said not entirely in vain, because shortly after she asked why the footage of the kitten getting rolled out in the bullpen mat did not make the cut. I explained to this long-time lover of felines that while this may be especially memorable to her, the folks at Cooperstown ain't exactly thinking of dedicating a wing, so to speak.

It did get me thinking, however. Cats constantly show up at Major League baseball games! Just this year, the home opener at the New York Mets' new stadium had an uninvited guest. A cat is even involved in the most famous running curse in baseball. On August 14th in the 1969 season, a black cat wandered past the Chicago Cubs on deck circle. The Cubs would go on to finish the month of September 8-17, losing the NL East pennant to the surging Mets.

These really are the proverbial iceberg tips of the on-field appearances of our fuzzy friends, and it initially made me think what most of you are probably thinking right now. That of course would be, "how the hell are cats getting in to baseball games?" Once I got past that, I started thinking about how it would have felt to be at these games. It is a brief passing moment with little or nothing to do with the outcome of the game, but it would directly affect the game's mood. One can only imagine Mets' fans driving home from Citi Field's home opener: "Boy, that was something when Reyes turned two to get us out of the 4th. But hey, how great was that cat?"

My point is, this is part of what makes up the game as a piece of art. The storylines as well as the thrills and chills of the game itself make up the skeleton and most of the meat. I would argue that aside from a majority share belonging to the competitors themselves, at least some of the soul comes from occurrences happening at the park that are not part of the actual game. Game six of the 2004 AL championship had Schilling's sock of course, but you cannot tell me the 8th inning presence of the NYPD in riot gear did not change the feel of that game. Especially if you were there. Think of it like art direction in a film. It is needed to create atmosphere, and in sports, it is the randomness of happenings like this or the cats, or even the weather that serve as its art directors.

So maybe my favorite little baseball protege is right and these types of moments are in need of a little more attention. Signatures for the petition in favor of the exhibit/section can be directed here.

The Big Cat could even cut the red ribbon.