raptorsfan29
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« on: March 30, 2006, 01:18:24 pm » |
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But will they get to first base?
Thu, March 30, 2006
By MIKE RUTSEY, SPECIAL TO THE FREE PRESS
DUNEDIN, FLA. -- As far as practical jokes go, it was a beaut.
Co-authored by Roy Halladay and A.J. Burnett, the joke was pulled on Aaron Hill and Russ Adams yesterday when they were made the recipients of a mock wedding reception.
The prank served as an exclamation point to the excellent team chemistry running rampant through the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse this spring.
First, a little history.
When Hill was called up May 2 last year, he bonded with Adams to the degree that you couldn't see one without seeing the other. They became the butt of a lot of good-natured locker-room banter.
So this spring, when Burnett and Halladay formed a tight friendship, Adams and Hill, the young pups, tried to take on the big dogs and give them some guff.
Yesterday, it was payback time.
When the Jays took to the field at Knology Park just after 9 a.m., a plane circled overhead trailing the message: "Aaron, will you marry me. I love you. Russ."
The players erupted in laughter.
"We knew something was coming up," Hill said.
"We thought, 'Hey, that's cool.' But when we came into the clubhouse (after batting practice), I thought, 'Where is everybody?' "
Everybody was in the dining room that had been transformed by a professional caterer. Chairs had back and seat covers, tables were covered in fine tablecloths and the flower arrangements were oh-so-perfect. There was even a wedding cake with two male figures atop it. And Halladay and Burnett had tuxedo jackets for the pair with their numbers on the back and garter belts on the sleeves.
"It was good fun at our expense," Adams said.
"We thought that after the plane flew by that that was it. But they have the funds to do more than that. I mean, they even had wedding invitations, a D.J., someone to videotape it, flowers, even gifts. It was great."
In the parking lot, Hill's car was covered with balloons and on the side were a few messages: "I'd love to turn two with Russ. Watch us turn two later tonight."
Added Hill, "Doc and A.J., they went out and did it right. The bottom line is: Don't mess with veterans."
But it wasn't over.
As the third inning was about to start, another plane flew over with another message: "Congratulations Aaron and Russ."
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