Mark Loretta thought he had one last season, when he was with the San Diego Padres and playing in Petco Park. ''I made the mistake of starting to raise my arm as I rounded first base," he said, ''and it was caught on the warning track. I learned my lesson on that one."
Dave Loretta wasn't sure this one was going out, either. He had left his seat in the family section after the Mariners hit in the ninth, leading by a run. ''I'd gotten up from my seat to go to the bathroom," he said. ''I didn't think it'd be so crowded that late in the game. I decided it was too big a line, so I stood up there and watched from the top, instead of from my seat.
''I saw Mark hit the ball, I saw the left fielder [Raul Ibanez] go towards the Green Monster then back off, like he was going to play it off the wall. I actually didn't see the ball go over the fence. But then everybody started jumping up and down, yelling and screaming, everybody's hugging, and I got involved in all of it.
''Oh my God, this was one of the greatest events of my life. Oh, man, it almost brings a tear to your eye. Hard to say that, but it's an emotional deal."
There would be no Papi-like helmet flip by his son as he circled the bases, although Mark Loretta said he thought about replicating what David Ortiz, who hit two home runs yesterday, has described as an act of self-preservation, having learned that leaving your helmet on is an invitation to getting your brains scrambled.
''But [this being] the first time, I felt like I wanted the entire experience," Loretta said, ''and [Jason] Varitek certainly gave it to me. He was right there waiting for me. My lips are sore, who knows who got me where."
