NEW YORK -- He swung the bat and he heard that smack! and suddenly the ball was screaming toward the upper deck in left field, and good night, this one was halfway to Jupiter. His teammates leaped off the bench. Even the Yankee fans roared. And finally, the man who all year refused to watch his home runs, the man who said this 50 thing was "no big deal" -- finally, even he couldn't help himself. He stopped about halfway to first base and watched his ball bang down in the deep blue seats of Section 32, waking up the ghosts of Maris and Ruth and Gehrig.
Cecil Fielder, his hair still wet from the shower, was buttoning his shirt with a towel around his waist, as if he couldn't get out of Detroit fast enough. A TV reporter approached for an interview. Fielder waved him off. Sorry. Not talking."See you next spring, Cecil," said a locker room guy."All right," Cecil said, not looking up. He pulled a gray sport coat off the hook and slipped it over his shoulders.
THE LIVE ALBOM* Every one of Cecil Fiedler's home runs is impressive, but here it is Thursday night, bottom of the eighth, two outs, nobody on, the stadium is falling asleep, and Dennis Lamp of the Red Sox knows he really doesn't have to pitch to Cecil. Doesn't have to give him anything. And what happens? Lamp gets two strikes, then puts a pretty good sinker down low. And Fielder, who has been swinging at air since last weekend, takes this pitch and smacks it into the bleachers for his 49th home run.
Mitch Albom writes about running an orphanage in impoverished Port-au-Prince, Haiti, his kids, their hardships, laughs and challenges, and the life lessons he’s learned there every day.
