one week from today i will walk across a bit of grass with a big smile as over thirty thousand people watch, glove and baseball in had, wearing of course my new cubs t-shirt.  a moment i have been looking forward to for months is almost here and i am scared to death.  yes i have cooked on television in front of millions, but this is much different.  cooking is something i am comfortable doing, something i know i am good at and something i look forward to doing every day.  throwing a baseball, on the other hand, is something i had never done until two weeks ago and i am far, quite far in fact, from being comfortable doing.  what have i gotten myself into this time?!
i started practicing for the big day with my friend mike who was the one to set up this fun opportunity for me.  well, fun if i manage to pull it off.  i have been supplementing those practices by throwing bundled up towels across the gym with my personal trainer, chris, while others looked on as though we were nuts.  not the usual workout seen around x sport.  effective though, and with the help of both mike and chris, i was able to throw a few good pitches, reaching the dreaded 60’6” distance.  the problem is that for every good pitch i threw, there were a few puddle jumpers in between.  next wednesday i only get once chance.  no puddle jumper allowed.

this past weekend i was in nyc cooking with lucini olive oils at the fancy food show.  i had scheduled an extra day in the city yesterday for some meetings and wound up with a few extra hours in the afternoon.  perfect time for a pitching lesson.

about ten years ago, derek aucoin, who used to pitch for the mets, built a fifteen thousand square foot underground baseball center on the upper west side.  the place was bustling with kids as they finished up the day at summer camp.  then there was me, nervous and feeling a bit out of place.  out comes derek, and all i could say was “wow, you are tall”.  great observation stephanie.  but seriously the guy has to be over 6’5” and from way down here at 5’ 2 3/4”, that is pretty darn tall and at first a bit intimidating.

 
turns out he is a big sweetheart and a great teacher.  i myself have always struggled at trying to teach others things that are second nature to me, but derek has the magic touch.  we did a number of drills including one involving michael jackson songs to try to get my rhythm down which is what it is all about.  man in the mirror, man in the mirror, man in the mirror….. pty, pretty young thing.  you may see me muttering these words and think i am nuts (well i am a bit but…), however this was all part of the lesson.  along with “wax on, wax off”.  derek really won me over when he brought up my favorite part of the karate kid.  then there was the moment he asked me to lay down on my back….took me a second to realize we were laying on the ground together to practice my aim and ‘c’ grip.

i doubt i will be recruited for any leagues any time soon, but it was a start.  heading back to ny for a day next week and plan to squeeze in one more quick lesson before the big day.  will see if i can convince derek to come out for the game.

 
wax on man in the mirror pretty young thing.  got it.

and then it’s tuesday night before the big day and i happen to be in new york for some meetings.  perfect opportunity to swing by and see my new pal derek for another quick lesson.  mr. tall, dark and handsome was all ready to go and i was still in my dress from a day of meetings…my friend with my yoga pants and sneakers was stuck in traffic.  oh well, i figured, derek probably already thinks i am nuts, why not just go for it in my dress with bare feet.  of course last week, when i was lookin sporty, there was no one around.  this time there were kids of all ages having batting and pitching practice, and i was the crazy lady attempting to learn how to throw a ball after 32 years of not knowing how while wearing a little black dress.

practice went pretty well.  a few good pitches, more than a few not so good ones.  it was already decided that i was going to stand just a bit in front of the mound, since that seemed to be the distance i could make.  being a bit of a perfectionist this of course was not the way i wanted things to end up, but perhaps i should have started with lessons a few months back.  had i known that one day i would be faux-famous and be given the opportunity to throw out a first pitch at a cubs game i could have started preparing years ago.

 
though i was getting a bit frustrated with my inability to master baseball in two lessons, i had a great time.  we laughed (some with me and i am sure some at me) and i practiced pitching with a smile on my face rather than the serious/stressed look that seemed to be taking over my face every time i tried to throw the little ball.  derek had to remind me that this was supposed to be a fun opportunity and though he had faith that i would do a good job, he assured me it really did not matter either way.  very true but i was still nervous.

if you are in nyc at some point and want to work on your skills, i highly recommend stopping in to see derek.  very patient and sweet with a life long love of baseball.  he held his hand about three feet off the ground and said he had been playing since he was about that tall…i am unsure he was ever only three feet tall, perhaps it was when he was one and just started to walk.  one thing he claims he is not very good at is cooking….will let you know when he takes me up on my offer to give him some lessons.

got back to chicago late tuesday night and i woke up bright and early, ready to go on wednesday morning.  it is quite possible i was practicing in the mirror a bit while i was getting ready.  luckily no cameras were around at this point.

 
i figured this was a good excuse to get a bunch of friends together and join me for some day drinking fun after the pitch, either to celebrate or drown myself in sorrows.  a bunch of us met up at socca on clark for a beer (or two and a shot) before the game to calm my nerves a bit and balance out the coffee (or crack as i like to call it) from cafe deluca i had downed.

 
we headed to the park through the rain while i secretly was hoping the weather was going to take a turn for the worse and we were just going to spend the day at socca.  no such luck.  there was quite a delay though so we hung out in the tunnel with my aunt, uncle and cousins while drinking a couple more beers (all in the name of calming my nerves of course).  up came the tarp and i hit the field with three other lucky pitchers.  the first two to go were probably ten and eight years old, and threw very impressively.  the third guy was not quite as lucky and got a loud roar of booing.  all of these things would have normally made me freak out a bit, but my buzz was making me immune to any intense nerves.  it all happened so quickly…. they said my name and put it up on the scoreboard (that is my favorite picture from the day) and out i ran close to the mound.  no one was actually allowed to stand on the mound because of the rain so my secret plan to slyly inch up in front was not necessary.  i took a deep breathe, smiled and tried to let my hips do the work, just as derek had taught me.  whether or not that happened i am unsure.  i saw the ball slowly head towards the pitcher and hit the ground just in front of him.  guess i am not ready for the major leagues.

 
all in all a very cool experience and i hope one day to have the chance to redeem myself.  i have already emailed derek to let him know i will be back in to continue practicing in case the opportunity arises again one day.  plus i need to get ready for when the drunken goat baseball team joins a coed league next summer….