It Was Just a Sandwich

 

I look at this with a sense of humor. As I do at most things.

I'm in Middletown, NY to call a football game -- the Middie Bears of the home team and the Newburgh Goldbacks.

I'm basically a stranger in a strange land here, though I've been to Middletown many times.

I pulled into the parking lot just under an hour ago, meaning I'm here in plenty of time for a 5:30 pregame and 6 p.m. kickoff. In fact, I've been in the region for a few hours, having stopped at Woodbury Commons to walk the outlets there.

No purchases were made but it was nice to walk around.

Before that, I made a quick detour into New Jersey -- maybe five minutes out of the way -- to a Wawa. A broadcaster has to eat and get fuel for the car.

So I grabbed lunch and added an extra sandwich to the order just in case I got hungry later.

Moving on, I came up to Middletown, stopping to grab two bottles of water. Always stay hydrated!

But that being said, staying hydrated also means having to use the restroom. So, before heading up to the booth at Faller Field, I stopped in the men's room.

I had my backpack over my shoulder, where I put my extra sandwich, along with the bottles of water. They sat in the outer pocket.

There were two guys in the restroom.

After completing what one does, including washing up, I walked upstairs. 

One of the guys left the room and I heard a giggle. Always thinking people are laughing at me, I got self-conscious.

Well, I'm now partially set up in the booth and, alas, one sandwich has gone missing. Could it have fallen out of my bag? Easily. No question about it.

Was it some prank? Possibly, even though I didn't know the guys. In fact, I know no one here.

Does it matter? No, not really. If the worst I've lost is a yummy Wawa turkey sandwich with cheddar, hot oil, and Old Bay? Not even close. Lunch is holding up just fine.

If it was taken from me then so it goes. If I dropped it then I'm an idiot. Either way, I probably didn't put it in the right place in my bag.

But the bigger point out of all of this is that the story is funny.

And it's a story. 

A story worth telling.

*****

I'm back home now and could have used the sandwich in question. But alas it was not to be.

Newburgh won the game 35-13 behind five touchdowns from Bruce Montgomery.

As I was working for another radio station, we weren't supposed to be using my equipment. Yet something told me to bring my stuff to the booth.

When Ethan McElroy, whom I was calling the game with, showed up with the equipment, we discovered a crucial piece wasn't working. 

Guess how this played out?

I used my equipment.

Preparation is a multifaceted concept.