After talking with my cousin last night, I've decided to try writing my autobiography, or at least an outline/"treatment" of it, another go. Here's what I made this morning;
Early life, 1-7, 1989-1996:
I was born on May 16th, 1989, I’ve always held that special. I was born while Tiananmen Square was happening, but what more influenced my life was I born the year Ken Griffey Jr. made his major league debut, the Mariners acquired Randy Johnson (nine days after I was born!), the World Series took place entirely in San Francisco Bay, Godzilla vs. Biollante debuted in Japanese theaters, “Just Say Ozzy” was recorded, Alice Cooper’s “Trash,” Whitesnake’s “Slip of the Tongue,” Rush’s “Presto” and Soundgarden’s “Loud Love” were released. I share my Birthday with Krist Novoselic and Megan Fox and it is eight days after Abby Trott’s.
Baseball was always important to my immediate family, but I remember I didn’t get it, or rather, had any strong memories of it, other than enjoying the pictures on certain baseball cards until the Mariners 1995 playoff run. I remember when the Bellingham Mariners gave away 1991 Donruss cards I enjoyed them more than anything, even though most/all of the players were gone; Scott Bankhead, Mike Jackson (who would return in 1996), Rich DeLucia, Bill Swift (who would also return), Harold Reynolds (the guy who now works as a sportscaster), Gene Harris and Brian Holman (those last two being other pitchers acquired in the Randy Johnson trade). The first Major League Baseball game I have any memories of was a 1995 game between the Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles where Joey Cora and Alex Diaz had a collision chasing a fly ball, worrying the fans since it was just after Griffey broke his wrist. Much stronger memories were of the Bellingham Giants that summer, a short-season affiliate of San Francisco. I strongly remember Manuel Bermudez, a strong pitcher who struck people out and they would say “Another (opposing team’s mascot) steps into the Bermudez Triangle.” I also remember pitcher Darin Blood because he started the game we went to Everett (Seattle’s affiliate) for, Everett had Joe Pomierski, who had spent the previous year in Bellingham as a Bellingham Mariner. Other notable Bellingham Giants I liked were Dan Topping, Alex Morales, Dievi Cruz and Yorvit Torrealba, the last two going on to have Major League careers, us seeing Cruz again two years later at the Kingdome with the Detroit Tigers and seeing Torrealba in 2005 as a Seattle Mariner and in 2011 as a Texas Ranger.
My first really strong Major League Baseball memory was September 23rd, 1995, I only remember the date because of retrosheet. The Mariners were playing the Athletics in the midst of their playoff chase, putting Randy Johnson on the mound with a healthy Ken Griffey Jr. back. The A’s had Mark McGwire, Matt Gallego, Danny Tartabull and Stan Javier, a lineup that Randy Johnson and Bobby Ayala shutout, keeping them from scoring any runs while the Mariners scored 7, one batted in by Griffey, one batted in by Edgar Martinez and 4 batted in by Jay Buhner with 2 home runs! Also playing was Mike Blowers, who was the first current Mariner card I got from a 1995 Upper Deck pack and is now a sportscaster for the team.
The Mariners claimed the West Division in a tiebreaker game with the Angels during which I was at gymnastics, so I came home to see Randy Johnson point to the sky after striking out Tim Salmon and a highlight clip of Luis Sojo grinning widely as Mark Langston collapsed, letting the game out of reach of the Angels. Thanks to my Grandma, though I didn’t know this for a few years, we were able to see Division Series game 4. I don’t know if this is when my Mom got her crush on Edgar Martinez, but it had to have helped, considering he was the hero of the game for the Mariners with two home runs, one of which was a grand slam. Griffey and Buhner also had home runs, and in “cosmic foreshadowing,” Sterling Hitchcock pitched for the Yankees while Tino Martinez and Jeff Nelson played for the Mariners. 7 months later, I would see them again on opposite teams, along with Jim Mecir on the Yankees and Russ Davis on the Mariners. In both games, Scott Kamieniecki started for the Yankees, another played I had the card of from 1995 Upper Deck.
The month after, we went to Southern California to vacation at Disneyland, SeaWorld and also take in a game between the California Angels (as they were then called) and the Chicago White Sox. We left the game early, after the 10th inning with it still tied as we were going to Disneyland the next day, but it made an impression on me. J.T. Snow, Darin Erstad, Tim Salmon, Rich Montelleone and Tim Wallach of the Angels, Frank Thomas, Danny Tartabull, Robin Ventura and Harold Baines of the White Sox, it all made me realize baseball was important to me, each game a one-time-only event you had to try to make because it wouldn’t happen again. These were mostly people I had only seen on baseball cards my brother and I collected, and now, they stood before me, playing the game that made them famous. Even now, people look back at this era and try to emulate some of these men as best they can while trying to hone their craft at the sport, watching and rewatching videos of Griffey, Edgar, Randy Johnson, Harold Baines and others I grew up seeing them play before me.
About a month later, I saw the Angels and Mariners clash in the Kingdome and was able to sit close the action in the 100 level. What made this one feel extra-special was that the Mariners had to use backups, Griffey was injured again, as was Randy Johnson, so the starting pitcher was Matt Wagner, with relievers Tim Davis, Blas Minor and Lee Guetterman, and among the starting lineup was Rich Amaral in centerfield, Brian R. Hunter in leftfield and Greg Pirkl at first base, against Chuck Finley, one of the best pitchers the Angels ever had, I had a starting lineup action figure of him (if you remember the 90s and were in Northwest Washington, you know it was almost impossible to get one of a Seattle Mariner). Despite this, the Mariners won in extra innings, Pirkl even hit a double off Finley.
While all this was going on, seeds of three other lifelong interests were being planted. Unlike most children of the late 80s/the 90s, I didn’t watch much mainstream cartoons, the main one I remember was watching the “Catteries not Included” episode of Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers because I really loved Jim Cummings’ performance as Professor Nimnul as he used robot bulldogs to kidnap cats to build up static electricity to try to destroy the city with lightning. Jim Cummings was the first voice actor I kind of “followed,” mostly because he was in so many Disney cartoons we would watch occasionally (or maybe more than occasionally, my brother had a Goof Troop lunch box and he was Pete in that). He also narrated the Aladdin read-along books and was Razoul in the films and TV show, and also played Ed the Hyena in The Lion King and sang the last part of “Be Prepared” since Jeremy Irons lost his voice screaming “You won’t get a sniff without me!” I would later hear him in many other roles, but that’s kind of what started my ability to recognize voice actors simply by listening, only checking afterward to confirm I was right.
At that time, one of my major kid’s shows and books I loved was Thomas the Tank Engine. While he had left the show before I started watching, I really loved Ringo Starr as Mr. Conductor. Much as I think he is in real life, he came across as modest, humble, wise and funny. My uncle also created a mixtape for my brother and I that included “She Loves You,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Yellow Submarine,” so I began to love The Beatles with Ringo being my favorite. Around the same time came a song I thought was an Elvis Presley tune until 2007 due to its Southern Baritone and high dance nature, but I’ll get more into that when we get to that point of my life.
Around this point, my cousin had a Super Nintendo.
1997-2002; If you’re going through Hell, Keep Going!
2003-2005; I know everything, or do I?
2005-2008; Why do you hate me?
2008-2009; The years everything changed
2010; Sinking into a quagmire of rage
2011-2013; Start living life again/Living values is not easy or fun
2014-2015; A necessary shift and things seem better
2016; The world becomes unsafe within 2 months
2017; The hardest losses yet
2018; Life gives me a beating
2019; Rising from Ruins
2020-2022; Edelgard/Temari/Tara Platt, slayer of mental demons, Annette/Nezuko/Abby Trott, bringer of mirth
No comments:
Post a Comment