近距离内射合集

It took Jake Griego a good 10 minutes to make his way from the field at Isotopes Park on Saturday night, where he鈥檇 just performed the national anthem on his harmonica, to the concourse level seating area where he and his family were going to watch the game.

When he did finally get there, it was another 15 minutes before he could actually watch the game.

It鈥檚 not that he, nor his walker, were having trouble maneuvering through the bustling crowd in the moments before the baseball game鈥檚 first pitch.

And his seats behind home plate were great 鈥� the entire field in front, the Sandias looking back at him from out over the centerfield fence.

It鈥檚 just that Griego can鈥檛 seem to make his way around much of anywhere these days without someone stopping him to say how much they love seeing him, letting him know what a great performance he just had or just saying thank you.

Such is the life of Jake Griego: The coolest 96-year-old, harmonica playing, Korean War veteran, born and raised New Mexican you'll ever meet 鈥� a man taking it all in with a grin, reveling in the unexpected late-life celebrity status he鈥檚 stumbled upon.

鈥淚 tell myself I鈥檓 just a farmer from Los Ranchos, but (all the well wishes after a performance) makes me feel a little higher than that,鈥� he said Saturday 鈥� well into the second inning when he was done talking with friends, family, grandkids and others who came to see him after he knocked another pregame rendition of the Star Spangled Banner clear out of the park.

Rick Giron, who used to work with the city of Albuquerque and at one point assigned Griego to umpire some of the city league games, was one of the dozen or so people who came up to talk with Griego.

鈥淛ake, I鈥檝e seen you do that I don't know how many times and you still had my eyes watering up," Giron said of the National Anthem.

Griego lives on the same El Pueblo Road he was born and raised on as a farmer in Los Ranchos 鈥� a farm he was thrust into doing much of the manual labor himself for at around 10 years old when both other brothers went off to World War II.

When he was a bit older, he joined the Navy, where he served as a gunner鈥檚 mate from 1948 to 1952 鈥� three separate tours for a total of three years 鈥� before returning to his New Mexico roots.

He made a family, a legacy here. He married his sweetheart, Jessie, shortly after his time in the Navy was done and raised their family where he was raised 鈥� one daughter (Marie) and three sons (Jacob, James and Steven). There are grandkids, great grandchildren and seemingly countless nieces and nephews for a guy who everyone wants as an adoptive grandpa, uncle or just as their new drinking buddy.

He now lives alone with help from family and La Vita Bella, a veteran-centered care program that helps him with things around the house. Marie, his daughter, has taken on the role of manager, setting up all his performances since he started playing National Anthems at events 15 years ago. He鈥檚 done basketball games in the Pit, State Fairs, Isotopes games, a Denver Nuggets game, and numerous Navy reunions and military appreciation events. He鈥檚 been invited to perform at his first International Balloon Fiesta this October.

Well over 100 performances in all through the years, he and Marie estimate.

鈥淕etting to play the national anthem is a big thing for me,鈥� Griego said. 鈥淚t really is.鈥�

Through the years since the Navy, Griego was a union carpenter, having a hand in plenty of buildings still being used today around town, helped build the Sandia Peak Tramway, umpired youth and city league baseball games for decades and was one of the founders of the North Valley Little League 鈥� 鈥淭here was a group of us and they were all trying to come up with a name and I鈥檓 the one who called it North Valley Little League,鈥� he told me Saturday.

Now, retired since 1991 but always active, Griego loves his family, his music and likes sports. The only time he ever got in trouble during his time in the Navy was when he hitched a ride from Virginia to New York while on a 72-hour leave from his ship in 1952. He lucked into a Game 5 World Series ticket on Oct. 5, 1952, between the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Yankees. On the field were Hall of Famers like Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Duke Snider and a small town kid from New Mexico.

The problem was, it was the only game during that year鈥檚 World Series that hit the three hour mark (the Dodgers ended up winning, 6-5 in the 11th inning).

鈥淚 remember I was supposed to leave (the game) and go get back to the ship,鈥� Griego recalls. 鈥�... The thing I remember is Johnny Mize hit a home run, and (the game) went into extra innings. So, I said the heck with it. I never messed up before. I don鈥檛 remember how many more innings it went, but I got (back) to the ship late and had to go before the captain.鈥�

The captain, who was 鈥渕ean鈥� Griego remembers, must have had a soft spot for the young New Mexico farm boy. Griego got off easy and had a lifetime of memories from that New York adventure.

Seventy-four years later, he鈥檚 back at baseball games and other sporting events regularly as a crowd-favorite pregame injection of pride, inspiration and fun every time he performs.

鈥淗e loves it so much 鈥� all the attention he's getting from it,鈥� Marie said, smiling as she talks about the joy she knows her dad is having in the harmonica rock star phase of his life.

He has no intention of stopping now, either.

鈥淚 guess I don鈥檛 know how much longer I can do it, but I know I鈥檒l do it as long as I can,鈥� Griego said. 鈥淎ll of this feels pretty good for just a farm boy from Los Ranchos.鈥�

Geoff Grammer writes a Monday front-page column for the Journal. He ordinarily covers sports, especially Lobos basketball. Have feedback or a column idea? Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) .