From: ZarzourFamily99@earthlink.net
Sent: May 1, 2001 • 9:46 AM
To: AZarzour72@earthlink.net
Subject: Here we come
Good morning, son. It's mom. We're sitting here in Raleigh-Durham Airport waiting for our flight to New York. We're way early — you know how your father is when we travel — and they're telling us things are on a 40-minute delay. So I thought I would write a quick email to tell you how excited we are to be coming to the Big Apple to watch you pitch!
I have to pinch myself sometimes. I still can't believe my boy is a Major Leaguer! We're so proud of you, and of how you've handled yourself now that you're a celebrity in Los Angeles. You make the family and all of Bunn and Franklin County beam with pride.
I'm sure glad you introduced us to your friend Matt Carter, the travel agent from Wake Forest. He has really helped us out with all our crazy last-minute trips. He managed to find a ticket for Timmy as well. Surprise! He's coming with us. He doesn't have a baseball game after all tonight. The team Bunn was supposed to play was from a different conference and they had to cancel with us because they were making up a league game or something.
I was so impressed with Timmy. The only way he would go with us is if everyone on his team said he could miss practice. He even volunteered to run everyone's laps this morning before school and do his own individual workout. Well, as it turns out, the entire team decided to show up this morning before school for a 5:15 a.m. practice. It was quite a site, all the boys out there in the predawn hours doing BP and infield practice. Even Coach Innis was impressed. (Timmy will fly back by himself tomorrow morning, while we'll stay in NYC for a few days).
Hope you don't mind me saying this, but I think this year's Bunn team might be a better overall team than your senior year. They have more depth up and down the lineup. You should see Timmy behind the plate, too. He's had a great year so far and likely will be all-state. He's getting some calls from small schools, even UNC-Greensboro and Appalachian State have inquired. Looks like he's turned the corner from his crazy winter. Of course, big brother's success could be opening some doors for him.
So, here's our plan today. Timmy's friend "Big Ed" and his wife, Marcie, plan to meet us at the airport and help us get to our hotel. We'll all do dinner together — Timmy is very excited about seeing Ed again — and then we'll head to the ballpark. Thanks for swinging tickets for Big Ed's dad, too. He was very touched by that. He apparently hasn't been feeling very well lately. He might even cheer for the Dodgers, Ed told us. Of course, the Mets are dreadful this year. I can't believe they only won four games in April. Yikes.
But don't get too confident! You've still got to focus tonight, son. Make sure you wear clean socks and don't wear that dirty old hat, OK? Remember not to eat anything greasy or drink sodas today either. Sorry, once a mom...
Can't wait to see you. I guess I'll get back to my book now. This
Left Behind series is quite addicting. I'm on the fourth book already.
Love,
Mom