It was another hazy and hot summer day at Inwood Park on Saturday, the place where baseball rules. I love hanging around a neighborhood where baseball matters and this park is a haven. Four, five, six games going on at once. Practices. Kids of all different ages. Lots of mothers, girlfriends, and sisters there. Uncles, grandfathers, coaches, fathers. Younger brothers, cousins. Neighbors. Dogs. Everyone.
I talked to a group of kids, four dudes going into their second year of high school. Nice guys, earnest and sincere. Told me that they loved Jeter and Reyes and spent most of their time arguing who is better. They also sweat A Rod and Soriano. And Manny–duh. Two of them told me they used to play of a team coached by Derek Jeter’s sister, back when they were 10-11. Said that they got to meet Jeter on several occasions. About twenty times, one of them said.
"Yo, he took us to Mickey D’s and everything."
