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Coming to a Ballpark Near You

© Harold Friend

Once again it came down to the Yankees-Red Sox for the pennant. Once again it was Game 7 of the second playoff round, once again it was at Yankee Stadium, and once again the Red Sox were the wild card team. Peter couldn't wait to get into the ball park. Even after all these years, the excitement was still there.

Seven o'clock finally arrived and the gates opened. Peter got up from the cement border of the rectangular planter fans used for sitting while they waited for the time to pass and he edged his way into the line in front of Gate 4. It was a mixed crowd with many Red Sox fans among the majority of those whose allegiance belonged to the home team. There was the usual buzz that was unique to October baseball and it gave Peter a sense of continuity and security. Things had changed but some things would always be as they had been.

As he slowly moved forward, Peter stroked his chin. He had been too busy to shave for the last couple of days, mainly because of the playoffs. As his fingers moved along his face, he felt the stubble but was confident that it there wasn't enough growth for concern.

It was the second year that the Yankees had extended their no facial hair policy to all fans. At first, there was a minor outcry, but the American population has become so conditioned to accepting the authorities' dictum that it was for their own benefit and safety that it never became an issue to most fans.

The crowd moved rather slowly as security patted down each fan. They really were fair, treating the Red Sox fans the same way they treated the Yankees fans. After what seemed an eternity, Peter finally reached the scanner. He waved his right hand in front of it and started for the ramp to his seat when he was stopped.

At first he thought it was the facial hair, but there was so little that couldn't be it. A security guard asked Peter to go with her and, of course, he complied. She led him past the concessionaire who was hawking program cards and yearbooks to a small room near the Phil Rizzuto luxury box. Peter had learned to keep quiet since asking questions would only create new problems.

Once they were in the room, the security person apologized for any inconvenience and explained that when Peter's wrist had been scanned, it revealed that his chip contained drug test results that had expired. He would have to sign a statement confirming the last time he had undergone a drug test. He would also have to leave Yankee Stadium.

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