Old man, blue bird: There’s a time and place for everything—except a smoke

Opinion by William Wilczewski

I’d like to thank Ricky Maytorena Sr. and Twitter for helping me quit smoking.

You see, the grey old man and little blue bird kept me busier Friday morning than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.

More accurately, it was the Nogales (Arizona) Intermediate Little League All-Star baseball team that didn’t give me a chance to finish a single cigarette late last week when Maytorena kept texting me updates on the team’s West Regional Tournament game at Quail Creek Park in Irvine, Calif.

His texts came faster than a woodpecker on uppers, because Nogales spent the morning blasting six homeruns in five innings off of an Oregon pitching staff that must of felt like they were throwing against the New York Yankees instead of a bunch of 13-year-olds.

Wow, this was great news, so I had to Tweet it all in real-time to all our readers in Santa Cruz County and beyond.

As consistent as the North Star, the text bombs kept ringing out like the finale at a Fourth of July parade.

First, Paulo Rodriguez’s two-run shot in the first inning.

BOOM!

Then , Marky Lopez to give Nogales and 8-run lead.

BAM!

(Time for a cigarette, right?)

Well, phone in hand I had to run back into the office because … TEXT … Danny Moreno puts Nogales up 9-0 with a solo shot in the top of the second.

Nogales went scoreless in the third inning for some unknown reason, but I was also busy writing of about the Nogales Minors 19-7 win over Tucson in Mesa on Thursday night, so I stayed chained to the office chair like a beaver in a trap.

Next thing I knew, though, my phone was beeping and bonking and vibrating again … Rodriguez punched his second one out of the 225-foot yard to put Nogales up 10-0.

Surely I can get in a smoke break now, right?

Nope! Homerun Derby continues for Nogales when Jesus Lopez Jr. joins in on the fun and yacks one out of the park with Ricky Maytorena Jr. on base. Nogales Bombers now up 12-0.

“Fifth Nogales tater so far and counting” was my next Tweet.

Back to writing about the Nogales Minors’ 19-7 win over Tucson in Mesa … peck peck, peck goes my keyboard, then BOOM!

Danny Moreno blasts his second HR of the game, this time a three-run shot that brought home Alex Hernandez and Rodriguez, to give Nogales its eventual 15-0 victory over Oregon on Friday morning.

As sure as grass is green, I get another text from Ricky … team picture attached, so I post it all on the Nogales International Web site, Facebook and Twitter.

Then I call Nogales Minors skipper Lenny Jimenez to get a few words from him and write that story about how Alex Lopez nailed a grand slam (go figure) in the top of the sixth inning of their bashing of Tucson.

Finally, time for that hard-earned smoke …

TEXT

Oh, it’s my wife: “How’s your day so far?” she asks.

“Pretty good, dear,” was my reply. “Spent it with a grey old man and little blue bird—and I’m feeling healthier by the minute!”

Likely thinking I was losing what’s left of my mind, she never replied back. I wonder why?