MY TRIBUTE TO THE SANDMAN, THAT I POSTED IN SEPT. 1913:
--It is time to use it again...
The Gods had been very generous to us, when they graced us with five of their own.
Bernie, Jorge, Andy, Jeter and the greatest God of all: Mariano, the Sandman.
We never asked why, or even cared to; we just accepted these great gifts.
We were warned, oh so many warnings; that when the clock strikes midnight, that all would be gone.
Like typical mortals, we ignored these warnings, for where was the clock?
I see no clock. This game they play needs no clock.
Therefore, for many years, like almost forever…we celebrated these five Gods and their victories.
We celebrated with cheering, dancing, singing, chanting, drinking, stomping & yes even hugging.
We smiled; we giggled and laughed so hard, at how easy they defeated the others. There were so many tears, of joy that is.
For we knew victory would always be ours, for when close--came The Sandman, Mariano.
We called this era of the Gods: The Cinderella Era, for all was perfect and right as life and all lives should be.
We had all but forgotten about the clock…yet it was ticking away, for so many years.
It was not until last night that the clock appeared …with only minutes left, until midnight. We watched in horror & sadness as Mariano readied; for this was not for one more save and victory.
Instead, he was returning, yes leaving us mortals to return to where he came from and where he belonged…with the Gods.
The clock was ticking; had been ticking for so long. We knew what to expect, for we had already lost two other Gods.
We just could not accept it, that it was The Sandman’s time; please not now, please not ever…what do I tell my children?
Hide the clock, cover the clock; destroy the clock…we all thought, but mortals cannot beat or cheat time.
As he walked to his mound, like so many times before, our hearts pounded with fear & sadness, yet we all stood with pride, honor and respect.
Our heads held high, our backs straight, eyes forward. In our minds, we heard the roar of respect & honor:
MARIANO, MARIANO, MARIANO
MARIANO, MARIANO, MARIANO
Yet our bodies grew heavy with sadness and sorrow, followed by the first teardrops. As Andy & Jeter came to lead him back to the Gods, we lost control…as only mortals will.
Our bodies sagged from the heavy burden of sadness and it was then, as the three Gods hugged, that the tear dam broke its walls.
As the Sandman sat, where only Gods are allowed to sit, we heard another roar in our minds:
ANDY PETTITTE, ANDY PETTITTE, ANDY PETTITTE
ANDY PETTITTE, ANDY PETTITTE, ANDY PETTITTE
In dismay, we realized not just one but two were gone. The look on our faces said it all: The Gods were cruel.
We had forgotten that they were but a gift from the Gods; we had been warned…it was not going to last forever.
Our minds roared, “How dare you take both back?” The Gods replied to our minds, “This game is for Gods only, be happy we even shared…”
I felt heavier than I had ever felt before, when I felt teardrops on my forehead.
High above me, sitting on her perch was the Great Bird (Tequila). Her wings were spread wide and the teardrops were hers…she too was heavy with sorrow.
We looked at each other and just nodded…for we both knew, sadly, that the Cinderella Era had ended.
The clock struck midnight, just as The Sandman stepped back onto the ‘Field of Gods’.
In his humble way, he looked at all, tipped his cap and whispered, ‘Thank You’ to us all, mere mortals.
YES, a God had thanked mere mortals.
With tears flowing at will, the Great Bird & I started the chant along with thousands of others:
MARIANO, MARIANO, MARIANO
MARIANO, MARIANO, MARIANO
We chanted this with Yankee Pride, because only in the Bronx, had the Gods seen fit to share five of their Gods.
We watched with honor and respect as The Sandman, Mariano left the grounds to go where only the Gods are permitted to go.
The great bird & I did not sleep that night; instead, we sat on the balcony, still with tears and each with worried frowns on our foreheads.
As the sun started to rise, we both looked at each other and at the exact same time said:
“Thank you Sandman. It was an honor!”
I asked the Great Bird, “What are you thinking?”
She glanced down at me from her high perch, shook her head and said, “What happens now? Who will SAVE us?”
--Dome’ Please 9-27-13
