The View

I stood at the base of the pitcher's mound and looked into the stands. All around me people were watching intently, waiting for my throw to the plate. The sights of this ballpark had become so familiar to me over the course of the past 81 games and yet it all seemed so new. It's funny how different your perception is from this vantage point. The swimming pool in right-center field seemed so far away from here. The scoreboard and JumboTron was so much bigger than I had imagined. The retractable roof, which had become such an important icon of the ballpark, framed the twilight Arizona sky. I still get chills each time I hear the music they play as it is opening. Bank One Ballpark had become my oasis far removed from the everyday sights and sounds I had become accustomed. I stood engulfed in the panoramic view from the playing field. Damian Miller, catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, came out of the dugout and ran to the plate. "I was about to throw the ceremonial first pitch of the last game of the inaugural season!" The realization of that statement had still not completely registered.