In
The News:In
The News:
Never Too Late's 1,000th Wish:
92 Year Old Woman Makes a Hit at Indians Game
From wishtv.com, June 7, 2006:
|
|
|
|
The sounds, the sights, the thrill of America's game. For one Indians fan, watching the sport is not enough. 92 year old Mildred Monroe wants to play. For two months she's been in what she calls spring training.
"Them other women in there playing cards and jigsaw puzzles while I'm out here having a happy time."
As a youngster, Mildred could hit with the best of the boys. She never lost her love of the game. And by the looks of it, she never lost her swing either. Mildred had but one wish. To take the mound on a professional baseball field.
And today she did just that.
Months of training come down to this moment. She gets six tries and the first five miss the mark. Then on the sixth pitch, knees bent, eye on the ball and it's a
hit!
"It made my blood run through my veins and my toenails turn up," says Mildred.
And her whole family, four generations, are here to share the moment. A moment she says she almost didn't live to see after a heart attack more than a decade ago.
"It was a hard attack - H. A. R. D.!" says Mildred.
Life's not always been easy, but at 92, life is good. The Assistant Deputy Mayor read her a proclamation making her "a distinguished citizen of the city of Indianapolis."
In turn, he got a signed baseball.
The love of the game spans generations in Mildred's family. She used the bat her granddaughter used as a teenager two decades ago.
"It's great that I'm 92 and I can still hit a ball. I take advantage of all things that I can enjoy," says Mildred.
And surrounded by the love of friends and family, Mildred's not stopping now.
"I'm gonna keep on sluggin' till I fall out and can't do no more."
