by Jordan Rozansky

Dear Roger,

This letter is long overdue, but you’ve been on my mind ever since the Angels signed Albert Pujols and I just wanted to say hi.  Are you still an Angels fan?  It’s crazy, the last time I saw you the team was still going by the California Angels.  Boy, time flies.

So… what have you been up to?  You’ve got to be close to 30 now, right?

I’ve been pretty good.  Lots of traveling, lots of what June calls “finding myself.”  June is my common law wife.  Our situation is a lot less complicated than it sounds, but it’s still more complicated than I’d like to explain in a letter.  Maybe we can meet up for coffee one day, I’d be happy to tell you all about her.

June says there are some emotional holes in our lives, and she thinks reconnecting with you will help fill some of those holes.  I think she’s right (but don’t tell her that, haha!).  Being common law married is no walk in the park.  Every day is a struggle and I’m hoping I can make myself a better man for her, for me, and, if you’ll let me, for you.

The 90s were difficult for me.  With hindsight, I know I treated you wrong.  Hell, even at the time it was pretty obvious I was treating you wrong, but I was selfish and I’m sorry.  I remember I used to say to my drinking buddies, “My hog ain’t got no child seat!  Let’s ride!”  And we would ride all night, stopping only when we ran out of beer or Vicodin.  Maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I am because I want honesty to be the foundation of our relationship moving forward.  I’ve cleaned up my life a lot since those days.  I’ve completely stopped drinking brown alcohols and non-light beer.

Since the Pujols signing, I can’t help but think about one night when you were a boy.  I visited you at the foster home and you asked me when we could be a family again.  This was in the peak of my partying days, and I had done a shit ton of coke that night.  I don’t know if you remember, but I answered sarcastically, saying something about the Angels winning the pennant.

This was one of those situations where immediately after saying it, I knew I could’ve come up with something better.  “When pigs fly” is a bit on the nose, but I wish I said something like that.  I know there’s no excuse for my actions, but you have to understand, I thought the Angels winning the pennant was as outrageous as pigs flying.  At the time I was just trying to be hilarious, but still, I could have been just as hilarious without giving you that false hope.  For that I’m sorry, too.

I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.  I know I wasn’t there for you when you needed me, but maybe I can be now.  And please thank Danny Glover for me.  I’m sure he was a better father to you than I ever could have been.

Sincerely (weird if I wrote Love, right?),
Jeff Bomman (felt like “Dad” might be confusing)