Sometimes the universe just validates our decisions. Recently I shared that I turned down the chance to throw out the first pitch at a Dodger game. To be honest, it was one of the toughest decisions I’ve ever made, but turns out, it was probably one of the best. It would have been the chance of a lifetime but I really have no baseball skills.
THE DOODS She wonders why none of us fetch. We’ve seen her throw. It’s dangerous.
Coincidentally, a few days ago, the husband was watching a television program where they were showcasing some of the worst first pitches in history. One person bounced the ball. Another rolled it. Then there was the young woman who hit the cameraman with the baseball! I cringe to think that could have been me.
Then, as if I needed another sign, I met one of the greatest pitchers of all time. Gus and I were at UCLA helping out with a few special events. As we walked into the playroom at Mattel Children’s Hospital, we ran into a group of visitors.
In the center, towering over the others, wearing a baseball hat and a Dodger tee shirt, was none other than Clayton Kershaw! My first thought after, OMG that’s Clayton Kershaw, was thank goodness he had never seen me throw a baseball.
ELBEE I’m sure he would have been waiting anxiously for her to throw out the first pitch.
Gus, as you can see from this photo, looked at him with complete adoration. He 
looked at Kenta Maeda the same way. He truly has become such a Dodger fan. I managed to restrain myself and not say anything completely embarrassing. Even when I chatted with Kershaw’s wife for a few minutes, I didn’t point out that we were both named Ellen.
ELBEE Shocking.
STANLEY I don’t understand why I didn’t get to meet Kershaw. I love him.
I must admit that after meeting Kenta and Clayton and experiencing how nice they are, I feel personally involved when I watch the games, almost maternal. My friend Donna, whose Bichon Tommy is Gus’s buddy, has the same issue.
ELBEE Some would call it stalkerish. And I love how she’s on a first name basis.
When I thought the whole crazy experience couldn’t possibly get any better, I found out that after Gus and I left, Clayton commented how true it was that some people really look like their dogs. Then someone told him that Charley and I were in I Love You Man. He knows about my movie stardom.
ELBEE Stardom? I don’t know how much more I can take. What she doesn’t share with many people is that she and poor Charley were on the gag reel. It was totally not his fault. Come to think of it, it’s a good thing she wasn’t on the bad pitch reel. We never would have heard the end of it.
