LaTroy Hawkins Savors Historic Day - Rod_Carew29's Blog

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LaTroy Hawkins Savors Historic Day

Posted on January 21, 2009 at 10:56 AM.

(2)

01/20/09 9:35 PM EST
(PHOTO COURTESY OF LATROY HAWKINS)

Hawkins savors historic day
Astros pitcher, wife get great view of inauguration
By Alyson Footer / MLB.com

HOUSTON -- Astros reliever LaTroy Hawkins waited in long lines, stood in subfreezing temperatures and nearly got lost on the Washington, D.C. Metro system, but by the end of the day Tuesday, he marveled about how lucky he was to be at the right place at the right time.
Hawkins and his wife, Anita, traveled from their home in Prosper, Texas, to the nation's capital in order to witness history. But unlike the millions of Americans who flocked to the National Mall without a way to get up close and personal to President Barack Obama's inauguration, the Hawkins couple had tickets to the event, and therefore they were afforded a fantastic vantage point to watch the first African-American take the oath of the country's highest office.

"It was pretty amazing," Hawkins said via cell phone from a nearby restaurant following the ceremony. "You're sitting out there, and you're not thinking about race. You're thinking about welcoming a new president to office -- a clean slate. It was unbelievable."

Anita Hawkins, using her connections with well-connected friends, scored tickets in the seating area near the Capitol Building. While LaTroy was awestruck by the sight of Obama, he was equally as taken with the scene behind him -- what seemed like miles and miles of people, an endless sea of well-wishers there to simply be a part of the celebration.

"It was truly amazing to see Obama, but more than that, it was truly amazing turning around and seeing the millions of people behind us," Hawkins said. "After they swore in [Vice President Joe] Biden, they said, 'You can be seated now.' You could literally hear thousands of people who didn't have seats burst into laughter."

The Hawkins' Washington excursion began Monday night, when they waited for approximately two hours to gain entry into the Illinois ball, where Hawkins, from a distance, caught a glimpse of White Sox general manager Kenny Williams.

The next morning, the couple headed out just before 8 a.m. ET, boarded the Metro and quickly befriended a couple of locals who helped them navigate to the Capitol -- or, as Hawkins put it, "Led us to the promise land. We had absolutely no clue."
Once the ceremony began, Hawkins stood speechless as he watched Obama's inauguration.

"We were so in awe," he said. "Our eyes were glued on stage. It gives me goosebumps. It was just incredible."

Hawkins originally had planned to fly back to Texas on Tuesday evening, but after witnessing the massive crowds at the inauguration, he figured it would be more prudent to postpone the trip until Wednesday morning. Instead of traveling, he and Anita planned to attend the home states ball in the Washington Convention Center, one of 10 balls the Obamas were scheduled to attend.

Throughout the experience, Hawkins' thoughts were with his family, from his grandfather, who remembers Jackie Robinson breaking baseball's racial line in 1947, all the way to his daughter, who at just 7 years old became a staunch Obama supporter and a great fan of the campaign process.

He also was reminded of his grandmother, after noticing an older African-American woman standing behind them during Obama's swearing-in. Overcome with emotion, the woman burst into tears, and Hawkins wondered if his grandmother, who passed away in 2006, would have had the same reaction after witnessing this particular slice of American history.

"She'd be looking at me saying, 'I told you," Hawkins said. "She'd say, 'I knew it could happen. I knew it.'"

Alyson Footer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Comments

# 1 Complex @ Jan 21

WOW. LaTroy went to my high school. He graduated one year before I did. Great Read!

# 2 Rod_Carew29 @ Jan 21

really? lol

I've heard various interviews of him over the years, he has always come across as a REALLY nice guy...too bad too many fans confuse the importance between baseball and the reality of him as a human being.