Okay, so here’s my story about that day at Santa Anita Park with Walker Buehler.
Man, what a day it was. I’m a huge Dodgers fan, right? And Walker Buehler, that guy’s a stud on the mound. So, I heard he was going to be at Santa Anita Park, and I thought, “No way, I gotta go!” I mean, it’s not every day you get to maybe see one of your favorite pitchers just chilling at the races.
So, I grabbed my Dodgers cap, and my buddy, and we drove down to Arcadia. The place was buzzing, you know, typical race day vibes. We got there a bit early, walked around, checked out the horses, and just soaked up the atmosphere. I remember saying to my friend, “I bet you $20 we don’t even see him.” Famous last words, right?
The Encounter
We were grabbing some food when I spotted a guy who looked kinda familiar. Tall, athletic build…wait a minute, that’s him! It was Walker Buehler, for real! He was with a few other people, just hanging out, looking at the horses like everyone else. My heart started racing a bit, I won’t lie. I debated going up to him but felt like a total goober. What if he’s not in the mood for fans? What if I come across as some weirdo?
Then, all of a sudden, I heard some commotion. People were shouting, and it sounded like some kind of argument. I turned to look, and I saw a group of guys surrounding Buehler. It looked tense, man, really tense. My buddy and I were like, “What’s going on over there?” We’re like 20 yards away, can’t really make out what’s being said.
The Aftermath
Next thing I know, the group dispersed. Buehler looked shaken up, and the other guys walked off pretty quickly. People were murmuring, trying to figure out what happened. Later on, I read in the news that those guys actually stole his watch! A super expensive one, too. Can you believe that? Right off his wrist! At Santa Anita Park, of all places! They said the watch was worth over $100,000. It’s like a whole year’s salary for some people, gone in a flash.
I felt bad for the guy. He’s out there trying to enjoy a day off, and bam, gets robbed. It just goes to show, I guess, that this kind of stuff can happen to anyone, anywhere. It was a crazy end to what started as a pretty exciting day. I ended up not even talking to him, obviously. I mean, after that, who would want to deal with fans? I also heard that Buehler was getting ready for the next season. He signed a huge deal with the Red Sox – one year for over $20 million! He’s gonna earn a base salary of $15,000,000 and a signing bonus of $3,050,000. It was all over the sports news.
Anyway, that’s my story about that wild day at Santa Anita Park. I still can’t believe I was that close to something like that happening. It definitely made for a memorable day, that’s for sure.
