My Date With a 90 Year Old Astros Fan!

Ruth moved to our community about a dozen year ago, to move in with her son. She seldom missed a church service until the past few months, when her health betrayed her. Mrs. Ruth was one of those folks who spoke very bluntly, not mean, just straightforwardly. If you wanted to know what she thought, you had only to ask.

Now, we had a very special bond, because she was an avid Astros fan. She could talk about stats or strategy or salary! She was a diehard, if the team was playing on the West Coast she would stay up till midnight to help pull them through with a win.

I have shared season tickets with several guys for the past six seasons, and had a mini-season ticket of my own for years before that. One of my favorite things to do is take folks to the game and spend an evening getting to know them better. But I had never taken Mrs. Ruth to the stadium. I was afraid she was too frail. She was 90 years old.

But in 2004, one day at church, I asked if she thought she would like to go to the game with me that week. She said, “I was wondering if you would ever get around to asking me.” So we went to the game. Usually I park 4 blocks away, for $5 and walk to the park. That night I paid $20 to park across the street from the Union Station gate to Minute Maid Park.

On the way to the game, I asked Ruth how long she had been an Astros fan. She told me she had been widowed 40 years before, and that for all that time, “the Astros have been my best friends. Every summer they come entertain me almost every night. I love them all.”

As we entered the park, I told Ruth that there was a wheel chair available and we could get an escort to take us up to our seats on an elevator. She said, “I can walk, I can go anywhere you can, just not as fast.” So we took the escalator up to the 4th level. My seats are on the front row, just behind the plate. She loved the view.

Before the game got started, a man and his wife came up and took their seats to my left. He introduced himself as J. C. Hartman. I said, “We used to have a shortstop by that name years ago.” He said that he was that J.C. Hartman. He and I swapped lots of stories and I got to hear a lot of things about how hard it was for black players in his early years.
I had great fun asking about some of my favorite players from the first years of the Houston franchise.

After the game, as we were leaving the stadium, I told Mrs. Ruth I was sorry I had not spent as much time visiting with her as I normally would if it had not been for Mr. Hartman. She said, “I did not come here to talk, I came to watch a ballgame!”

Oh yes, Mrs. Ruth had heart!

Subscribe to Hot Corner Has Been