Love at First Sight
Trying to think back to my first baseball memory the one thought that comes up was either ’85 or ’86 watching the Braves play a double header vs the Reds. One thing I remember was my dad pointing out Pete Rose to me. I just thought that was cool. Living in the south it’s pretty natural to be a Braves fan. I do pull for them every time I can, but I’m a Red Sox guy. People always say “Oh you started following them when they started winning.” I tell them “No, I started to follow them back in the ’80′s when a guy name Clemens was coming up.”
You see, I’m not a casual baseball guy. I’ve always loved the game. I did have my time after the strike of ’94 where I got away from the game, but I always loved the game. My family has ties to the game. Frank “Pig” House is a cousin. If you know baseball trivia, he was the first “bonus baby” in baseball. I think he got $18,000 and two cars, pretty funny now days. I remember watching Clemens as a kid on ESPN and watching guys like Oil Can Boyd, Spike Owen, Mike Greenwell, Dwight Evans and Wade Boggs. I know there were a ton of other guys during that time but that is who stands out to me.
So you know who my favorite team is but I guess you are wondering who are some of my favorite players over this time. Well one that comes to mind is Dale Murphy. Again, being in the south I saw a lot of Braves games and went to a bunch. Will “The Thrill” Clark, guy was just a baseball player. I always loved to watch Lee Smith come in and save a game for the Cubs. Why is he not in the Hall yet? Rickey Henderson was another favorite, do I need to tell why? Ryne Sandberg and Mark Grace, I just loved how these guys played the game. Did I mention Bo, Smoltz, Glavine, Maddox or what about my guy Dustin? The three pitchers I just named are all smart and know how to pitch. The thing I love about Dustin is the all out way he plays. Big swings and has a motor that won’t stop.
This is just a little insight to my love of baseball and please feel free to share some of yours. As I write this on fathers day I have to say I’ll never forget the days of my dad and I playing catch or going to the field or a batting cage to hit some balls. So dad, thanks for introducing me to this grand ole game!
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I love reading about something that you get a lot of joy out of watching. I’m sure one day you’ll be watching baseball with your future children. Hopefully I’ll see you on the 30th at the Barons Game. Also, we should go one day to a Barons game. Maybe when they have a day game.
Nice Father’s Day angle – well done!