Through a series of events, I am visiting Sarah in Des Moines ... and TM is there. But I haven't seen him since the last day of the 2004 season, and what if he doesn’t remember me? I am walking up, when I catch sight of him. I stare at him. He is staring at me. And then he waves. He waves! 
 

TM: Hey. I can’t believe you’re wearing that jersey. [I-Cubs sweatshirt]

M: Well, it was cold.

TM: That hurts me. Did you buy that?

M: No, Sarah bought it for me. … I guess I could take it off.

TM: I don’t know her.

M: She was an intern last year.

TM: I wasn’t there last year. So, are you out here now?

M: No, I’m in North Carolina. I’m just out here visiting.

TM: Are you gonna be here all weekend?

M: Yeah.

TM: So, are you in school in North Carolina.

M: No, I’m working in marketing at [Evil Empire].

TM: (lowers his voice) Have you gotten any ... practice?

M: I have, yeah. 

TM: (grins) Oh yeah?
I take off my sweatshirt.

TM: That’s better. Now you’ll just be a little nipply.

M: (Hahaha.) So. How’s Memphis?

TM: Eh, it’s okay. I haven’t really found a place to live yet. The team, we were really bad at the beginning, but we’ve been doing better lately.

M: Yeah, I noticed you guys … got off to a slow start.

TM: Yeah. … I don’t know what I’m gonna do. I was thinking about retiring, but I’m gonna stick it out for a while.

M: I was glad when I saw you came back.

TM: I thought you’d still be there.

M: Yeah, well, I got fired.

TM: For messing around with the players?

M: (grins – he would say that, although of course I guess he’s justified) No, it wasn’t even something good like that. The Redbirds, they hired a new marketing manager, and he didn’t like me, so he fired me. … I’m a little bitter.

TM: But you have a better job now, right?

M: Yeah, but it’s not baseball. And it still sucks to be fired.

TM: I know. I’ve been fired, in a manner of speaking, several times. It just happens. Were you with the team last year?

M: I started the season with them.

TM: Yeah? … Were you good?

M: (grins) Yeah, I was good.

TM: Have you got a boyfriend?

M: No. I was dating this guy for a couple of months, but not anymore.

TM: That’s okay.

M: Yeah, I got a lot of practice out of it.

 

Later, Sarah makes me leave a scoreless tie in the seventh inning, and we go out drinking. Sarah has Manager’s jacket, because she ... pregamed before I got to town. She asks if we should take it over to the Valley West Inn, which is the visiting team hotel. Of course we should. It is only midnight. 

At the front desk, Sarah holds up the jacket and says she needs to get it to Manager. The lady at the front desk gets a twinkle in her eye and asks if Sarah wants to take it to him. "He’s in Room 115," she says. I am a little stunned that she just gave out the information like that. Sarah looks at me, wide-eyed. I shrug. "It’s up to you," says the front desk. "You can take it to him, or I can call him and have him meet you down here, or you can just leave it at the desk and I’ll make sure he gets it." I am pretty sure this sort of thing is against policy, but ... I guess this is the Valley West Inn. Sarah says she'll take the jacket to him and asks for Trainer’s room number as well. He’s in 133. 

We go to 115. It looms ominously in front of us, closed. "Let’s go knock on Trainer's door," I suggest. Sarah agrees. We go to 133. She bangs on the door. No one answers. We go back by 115, which now has a "privacy please" key on the doorknob. So we leave the jacket in the care of the front desk. On the way to the car, Sarah gives me crap for not getting TM’s room number.