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To dream the impossible dream Photo by Kris Henry Southern Oregon starting pitcher Nate Hilton enjoys the solitude as he waits out the rain Saturday in Eugene. Commentary By KRIS HENRY Having a chance to don a professional baseball uniform is the dream of many who have played the grand old game. Granted, it seldom plays out, but I am going to be one of the lucky ones. The only problem is, my one chance might be coming at the worst possible time. When the idea of following the trials and tribulations of the Timberjacks on the road came to fruition, Southern Oregon manager Greg Sparks graciously offered to put me in uniform. "You can take BP (batting practice)," he said. "You can shag flies, sit on the bench and maybe even coach first base if you want." "Sure," I said, not really thinking that day would come. The first day of our trip to Eugene brought no uniform. The second day brought rain, and Sparks jokingly asked why I wasn't in uniform. Moments later the game was postponed, setting up a doubleheader on the third and final day of our trip. The night before, TJs trainer Jeff Collins pulled me aside to tell me Sparks wanted me in uniform the final day. That would be today, Sunday, perhaps the longest day of my life. The waiting simply is unbearable. Most Timberjacks show an amazing ability to pass the time while awaiting word on whether the evening's games will be played. I'm not so laid back. Each rain drop is a pin; I'm the cushion. "We spend 90 percent of the time waiting," says infielder Brad Henderson. "The games are easy. It's the waiting that's hard." I get a taste of what Henderson and outfielder Jamie Porter regularly experience. They were slated to get rare starts in the second game of the three-game series. When that game was rained out, neither could say with confidence when their names will be in the lineup again. Maybe in today's first game. Maybe in the second. Maybe the following day back in Medford against Salem-Keizer. They don't know, I don't know. Same boat, different oars. Their chance will eventually come; mine may merely float away. By now it's 1:30 p.m. and I find out the 2 p.m. bus to Civic Stadium has been postponed until 4 p.m. Time enough to hit the mall, but as shortstop Jason Clements offers, "There's only so many times you can go to the mall." Many of the players catch a nap in the down time. I wonder how they can sleep with the excitement of another game looming. Some use the break to write letters home or play video games. I start thinking about whether I have enough story ideas and photos for my proposed three-part series. An hour or so slips by. There's only so long you can wait without an answer. Are we going to get the good from the moment I peered out of my hotel window. Last night was a rainout, and all it's done all day is drizzle. It doesn't help that the Emeralds only have sectional tarps to cover home plate, the pitcher's mound and the bullpen mounds. The outfield was hazardous our first night in Eugene, and a sloshy infield has training table written all over it. With leery glances, we finally board the bus. Everyone talks of the grim prospects, but none will hesitate to take the field if it's deemed playable. As much as I want to fulfill the dream of donning a professional baseball uniform, I know deep down the rain won't allow it. The others know it, too. Very few players are actually in uniform and on the field early for the 5:15 p.m. stretch. With no judgment at 5 p.m., I poke my head inside a small cubicle in the coaches' locker room. "What's the word?" I ask. "6:05 game time," replies Sparks. And as I turn toward a waiting uniform, a wave of Timberjack players crashes through the locker room with news that the doubleheader has been canceled. Timing is everything, and mine is horrendous. I may never know what it's like to don the uniform, but at least the opportunity was there. (Kris Henry is a Mail Tribune sports writer. He can be reached at 776-4488 or by e-mail at: [email protected] ) Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.