Day 3
Out of town "we can have some privacy"
Houston -- We didn't play very well early in Friday's game, but we came back and it is a shame we wasted a four-run rally in the ninth. It seems like last year we always seemed to win those games.
I didn't go back to the hotel after the game and watch the Opympics. I know my wife was watching them at home, but I decided to go out with Rick Wilkins, the catcher for the Astros. We played at the same high school [Bolles] in Jacksonville, though he was older, and the only time we played with each other was in an alumni game. We went to some hole-in-the-wall place and had a few Cokes. [Houston pitcher] Mike Hampton met us there later. We played in a high school All-Star game together in Florida. I talked to Rick about his days with the Cubs, about his injuries. He told me he was happy in Houston. I have a couple of friends like that around the league. It's not like guys on other teams are enemies.
I'll tell you it's nice going out in a city other than Atlanta because we can have some privacy. Not one person recognized us and we just sat in a corner and shot the bull.
I went to bed around 2 [a.m.] and got up around noon again. I went down to the lobby and signed a few autographs. You can't believe how many Atlanta fans there are here. It's incredible. I guess it has to do with TBS and, at times in the Astrodome, you think you are at home because a lot of people are cheering for you. It's nice.
I left for the park early, took a cab with [Mark] Wohlers and [Greg] Maddux. We got swamped with people when we got to the stadium. I ate lunch at the clubhouse. I like getting to the park early. It gives you time to relax. It also gives you time to play some cards. If you are a major league player, or any kind of baseball player, you have to know how to play cards. It is a perfect way to pass the time.
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