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Raul Garcia watches his King Industries teammates play Thursday nights in the Norwalk Industrial League and thinks about returning. "I hope I can be out there playing someday,'' Garcia said as he watched the team last week prepare for its game against Rocaton at Calf Pasture Beach.
Garcia, 34, was paralyzed in a mother vehicle accident last August in Norwalk. He played in the outfield for King Industries for three years before the accident. Now, he keeps the scorebook, encourages teammates during games and offers suggestions to players based on what he sees from the sidelines. It's not as good as playing, but it's the next best thing. "I've always been a baseball fan, since I was little,'' Garcia says. "I love everything about the game."
Garcia says he played baseball in various Norwalk leagues growing up. He competed in Little League, Babe Ruth and Senior Babe Ruth. The hardest part is surrendering his competitive urges. "I'm a competitor,'' Garcia says. "I've been playing since I was a little kid." I asked him if he missed standing at home, bat in hands, tie game, two outs, last inning, with the winning run standing on third. "I had," he said softly, "the confidence for that."
He used to work in auto body repair, but Raul now works with a brother-in-law in Bridgeport doing bookkeeping and other light desk duties. His best times, however, are with the members of the King team. "They still make me feel like I'm a part of the team,'' he says.
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