When Jesus broke the bread, gave it to his disciples and said “Take this bread and eat, it is my body. Take this cup and drink, it is my blood,” he may have had no idea that his last supper would rank only slightly above The First Annual ASB Classic Champions Dinner in the history of man kind. The meal, held last night at El Maguey restaurant in upscale Gladstone, Missouri featured managers, lifetime players and pitchers from the Boggstown Boilers and Fogelberg Falcons.
“It’s just a classy way to start the greatest weekend of the year,” Falcons play-by-play announcer Harry Caray said while downing a 32oz Budweiser. “I cun think ah no other place on the planet I’d rather be thin right here,” he continued after asking Don Mattingly if he was going to finish his “fagida”.
Warm feelings of accomplishment engulfed the room all night long. Even typically stoic Boilers Manager Jack McKeon got into the spirit by lighting a stogie and teasing Falcons manager Don Zimmer for having spilled salsa on his belly. When asked to go on the record, McKeon simply said “Go Boilers,” in a deadpan voice and a smile.
It seemed that the night was more than just a party as two of the best pitchers in the game, Johnny Podres and Robin Roberts took the rare social opportunity to talk strategy. After only 10 minutes the table became a bit of a pitchers clinic as a croud quickly developed to soak in as much knowledge as possible. “You know, there is a lot of great talent in this room, but Robin showed that he had a special gift for rising to the challenge of a big game from the moment he stepped into the game. He is a great pitcher and I have a ton of respect for him,” Podres said over a Dos Equis Dark beer. “I think it’s more rewarding to win against a guy like him because you know that you need to be near perfect.”
“It’s great that Johnny is drinking Dos Equis, because he IS ‘The most interesting man in the world’,” Roberts said of his conversation with Podres.
Predictions, analysis and speculation also ran rampant at the event. Here are some of the more interesting questions and answers:
Who will be the ASBCL MVP?
“I think Mickey Mantle is going to have a lot to prove and will be great,” Paul Molitor said.
Who will win the Mudhens vs Wildcats showdown on Saturday?
“Tossup, but I know that the Cats’ usually play pretty good against the Hens’,” Carl Hubbell said.
How is the Schmidty Stout going to taste?
“AMAZING! I can’t wait to get my hands on some! Those boys in Jenks really know their beer,” Jack Banta said.
Who is going to win the All-Star Baseball Classic 2010?
“The Falcons will repeat,” Falcons manager Don Zimmer said with a fatherly grin.
