Sliding Into Home
Boston MA, September: My cleats made that wonderful 'clickety-clack' noise as I climbed the stairs of the dugout and made my way to the on deck circle. It was a cool day at Fenway Park in the afternoon fall sunshine for the final instalment of the 162 game MLB season. For both of the teams the season was drawing to a close. Neither the Red Sox, nor ourselves the Rays, were featuring in the post season. As I stood there taking a few warmup swings my mind wandered a little. Not only was this the final game of the season, but for me it was my final game. At 37 years of age and 11 seasons in the Majors, I had decided it was time to retire. Thoughts of my journey to get here swirled in my mind, and I smiled that I was finishing my career here in Boston. It was seeing a game at this ground that fired my imagination to play baseball as a child. My family visited Boston while on a holiday to America when I was 9 years old, and I became addicted to baseball. Back home in Australia I s