Well, the day I had been waiting for finally came yesterday. I met Cole Hamels. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself just a little.
Back in March, a friend of mine told me that Cole would be doing a signing in May. My reaction to the news was pretty obvious: acquire a ticket immediately and explain the $130 to my husband later (he wasn't thrilled, by the way). As it turned out, Cole was scheduled to pitch when that Saturday rolled around, and it got rescheduled for June ... and July ... and finally, my first date with him (um, I mean ... his autograph signing event) was set for August 14th.
Now, you have to understand that I watch baseball, I love the game, and I understand the sport. I'm not one of those females who follows a team because she likes the colors the players wear. I don't care what Chase Utley looks like; as long as he's doing his job at the plate and on the field, I'm happy. And as far as Cole Hamels goes, let me get one thing straight. He is an incredibly skilled and talented pitcher, and I appreciate his athleticism. It doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes, though. And some of you may know that Cole and I have been in a pretty serious romantic relationship since 2007. He just doesn't know about it.
So, I dragged my husband (no longer bitter about the $130) to Delaware County so that we could stand in line for an hour for an autograph. There are very few other people (ok, no one) I would wait an hour in line to meet for two minutes. I went over friends' advice in my head: Don't scream. Don't cry. Don't faint. Don't act in a way that would cause security to escort me out. As we got close, a dad carried his four-year-old son out of the store, kicking and screaming, "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE!!!" My husband looked at me and said, "Don't make me do that."
We got to the front of the line, and I was greeted by a less-than-friendly woman who barked at me, "Have your item ready for Mr. Hamels to sign. Take a picture WHILE he's signing it. He will not pose." I confidently (not at all true) stepped up to the table and was greeted by Cole's smile and "Hi!" I'm pretty sure I said hello back to him, but I can't be certain. I handed him the picture for him to autograph, and while he was signing it, per the boss lady's instructions, I attempted to take a picture. It turns out that when you're that nervous, you fumble with things. He finished signing, handed me the picture, and realized that I had my camera in my hand. I am pleased to announce that he disobeyed the warden ... he waited patiently for me to get my camera ready, and he grinned for me. (I have already ordered the print in poster size. My husband, again, not happy.) I managed to squeak out, "Thank you," and he said, "Rockin'. You're welcome." I don't really know what "rockin'" is supposed to mean, but I love it. He couldn't have been friendlier. I left the store with a huge grin ... and an 8x10 autographed picture of Cole Hamels (he also wrote "08 WS MVP").
So, my date with Cole lasted about two minutes, but I'll certainly never forget it. Until next time, Mr. Hamels ....
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