The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe - 33: You Don't Know Mike

Episode Date: September 11, 2016

Sometimes, all you can do is watch.

This is the way I heard it. You don't know Mike, but maybe you know how he feels. The Maplewood Leopards and the Kenwood Cracker Jacks have battled into extra innings. The score is tied at nine, the bases are loaded, and Mike's daughter as at the plate. The leopards have a chance to bust things wide open. Wait from when you can hit, Lauren, and give it a ride. Lauren waits patiently to do that very thing, but alas, the pitcher lobs another brick high into the air. Lauren can only watch as it bounces three feet in front of her and slowly rolls across home plate.

Ball four. Coach Mike sighs and claps. Good eye, kiddo. Way to watch him. Lauren drops her pink bat and skips down to first. Caitlin crosses home plate with the go-ahead run, and it occurs to Mike that sometimes all you can do is watch. Fifth grade is the first year the girls are allowed to actually pitch to each other, and so far neither side has found the strike zone with anything approaching regularity. Okay, Charlotte, wait for one you can hit and give it a ride. Charlotte watches the first pitch sail over the catcher's head. Ball one. It's okay, she yells to the pitcher.

Just relax. I'll swing at anything close. I promise. Coach Mike smothers a laugh and shakes his head. God, he loves these kids. And he loves this game. He loves it for the way it teaches teamwork and respect. He loves it for the way it reminds him of the way his own shadow used to creep toward third base in the late afternoon sun all the way from left field.

Mostly, though, he loves this game because baseball saved his life. As Charlotte watches another pitch roll over her shoe, Mike looks to the dark clouds stacking up on the horizon. He can smell the rain, a faint whiff of ozone on a gathering breeze. It's a smell that takes him back 15 years to a day that started off just like this one. The alarm went off at 6 a.m. Mike rolled over, kissed Alana, and ran for the shower. He liked to cut it close back in those days, but he never missed the 702 train, and he always wound up at his desk right at 755.

In the office, a voice had floated across the cubicles. Yo, who wants Yankees' tickets? Mike remembers it like it was yesterday. I'll take him, he says. Now, Mike isn't a Yankees fan. Far from it. He bleeds Dodger Blue. But if the Red Sox can whip the bombers at Yankee Stadium tonight and keep Roger Clemens from his 20th win of the season,

well, that would be something to see. So Mike scores the tickets, meets his wife after work, and they catch the D-Train up to the Bronx. The stadium is packed and the seats are prime, but the clouds on the horizon are dark, and Mike can smell the rain, a faint whiff of ozone on a gathering breeze. Before Clemens can take the mound, the sky cracks open,

and 50,000 fans are soaked to the skin in seconds. Mike and Alana, they've never seen anything like it. It's not just a rainstorm, it's a waterfall, an Old Testament torrent of biblical proportions. They laugh and run for cover and watch the deluge and wonder. Sometimes all you can do is watch. Then a voice cuts through the sodden crowd. Hey, Mike, is that you?

Mike spins around. It's Bob, his best friend from the second grade. Unbelievable. After all these years, what are the odds that two kids from Bakersfield would meet 3,000 miles from home in the middle of a monsoon at Yankee Stadium? Mike and Bob celebrate the reunion with a few beers, but the rain doesn't stop, so a few beers turns into a few more. and when the game is finally called,

the celebrating continues back at Mike's apartment. And when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. the next morning, it isn't pretty. Bob is snoring on the couch in the living room, and there's a small man in Mike's head running around with a big drum. You don't know, Mike, but maybe you know how he feels. He works his butt off every day. He gives 110 percent.

He never complains, but today, well, today seems like a fine opportunity. to sleep in. So Mike unplugs the alarm clock and decides for the first time ever to take the morning off. A few hours later, Yelana shakes him awake and pulls him into the living room. Bob's still on the couch, but he's no longer snoring. He's watching a disaster movie on HBO, except it's not HBO, and it's not a movie. Mike sits down next to him and tries to make sense of the smoldering hole and the side of the North Tower. What the hell is going on?

Across the street and the South Tower, a thousand feet in the air, that same question is being asked in Mike's office. Loved ones are calling their spouses sick with worry. What the hell is going on? Are you guys safe? Are you guys watching this? Yeah, they say we're watching.

A plane has crashed into the North Tower. It's terrible, but we're fine over here. Don't worry. 66 of Mike's co-workers remain on the telephones, putting friends and family at ease. 16 head straight for the elevators. 16, make it out of the South Tower before 903 a.m. 66. Do not.

You don't know, Mike, but maybe you know how he feels. He sits there on his sofa and watches the second plane crash into his office. He watches the flames spread. He watches the people jump. He watches the towers fall. Because sometimes all you can do is watch. So Mike watches every terrible moment and vows to never, ever forget. Fifteen years later, Mike is still a Dodgers fan,

but every September, he takes his girls up to the Bronx to see a Yankee game, rain or shine. and if you're wondering, the Maplewood Leopards lost yesterday's game to the Kenwood Cracker Jacks and the bottom of the 12th after their relief pitcher walked in the winning run and the rain came down in buckets. Tough way to lose a game, but Coach Mike didn't mind. In fact, he took the girls out for ice cream afterwards to honor the game he loves and celebrate the extra innings. Anyway, that's the way I heard. If you work in university maintenance,

Granger considers you an MVP because your playbook ensures your arena is always ready for tip off. And Granger is your trusted partner. Offering the products you need all in one place from HVAC and plumbing supplies to lighting and more and all delivered with plenty of time left on the clock so your team always gets the win.

Call 1-800 Granger, visit granger.com or just stop by, Granger, for the ones who get it done. Delights us. Some marvel at the colorful world below the surface. The ocean feeds us. Others find nourishment in its bounty. The ocean teaches us how our everyday choices impact even the deepest places. The ocean moves us, whether we're riding a wave or soaking in its breathtaking beauty. The ocean connects us. Find your connection at Monterey Bay Aquarium.org slash connects. Thank you.