My Date with Billy Balducci

You know who Billy Balducci is, right? The bartender at Hackney’s, our local tavern? The guy sitting next to me in that photo from an October blog post? You know, the post called Cheers!?

It’s been a year since I started this Safe & Sound blog, and out of all the posts I’ve published, thatCheers! one got more traffic than anything else I’ve posted here. The Cheers! ball got rolling after a woman from Long Island left a comment:

Christina S.
October 30, 2007 at 3:40 pm

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that Billy Balducci is a total hottie?

Once word got out about the Hackney’s Hottie, everyone had to take a look. My “unique visit” stat went sky-high! I became a blog maven.

The Hackney’s Hottie is a White Sox fan, and when I found myself with two free tickets to a game, he agreed to go with Hanni and me. (Mike couldn’t go — the game was in the afternoon, and the poor guy had to work.)

Hanni came along as chaperone, guiding me as usual until we got close to the park. Crowds were forming, so I switched to the “follow” command: Billy took the lead, Hanni and I trailed behind. That didn’t work for long, though. White Sox Park was so packed with fans that day (the White Sox are in first place, after all!) that it was too hard for Hanni to keep track of Billy. So I dropped Hanni’s harness, signaling to her that she doesn’t have to lead anymore. I kept track of Hanni with the leash in my left hand while hooking onto Billy Balducci’s arm (just above the elbow) with my right. This was a first for Billy – when he and I get together, there is usually a bar between us. He had never been a “sighted guide” before, and he seemed nervous about—and a little tickled by – the responsibility. I could follow his body movements once he learned to hold his arm naturally and close to his side, and he knew intuitively to stop at stairs or curbs. I showed Billy how to warn me when passages got too narrow for the three of us to pass through – he would move his arm to his back, as if he were reaching into his hip pocket. That was my cue to stay directly behind him.

Hanni usually enjoys walking “sighted guide” for a while – it gives her a break from leading. Remember, though – even though I don’t have my hand on the harness, she still has it strapped to her back. This means no one can pet her, and she can’t snarf up food from the floor or sniff at other people. So after a while, she gets frustrated. As long as her harness is on, she figures, she might as well be working.

Julie Taylor, Director of Guest Services and Diamond Suite Operations for the White Sox (and, more importantly, a dog lover!) couldn’t help but notice us. She called us over, asking if she could see our tickets. “I think we can move you somewhere better,” she said. We ended up right behind the Texas Ranger dugout.

Billy gave me play-by-play when necessary, the White Sox came from behind to win, and we had a ball.

The next time Mike, Hanni and I walked in to Hackney’s, we found Billy Balducci behind the bar telling the owner about the game. He waited until we were within earshot before adding one last detail. “And Jim, here’s the best part,” he gushed. “I was arm-in-arm with Beth the whole time!”