Family and Baseball

"As long as you live keep smiling because it brightens everybody's day." - Vin Scully

With my arm around my girlfriend we looked at each other while my son, sitting on her lap, stared at the field. I took a picture of my girlfriend as she picked up our son making him laugh and I just thought about how beautiful they were. To this day I cannot imagine a more beautiful moment than that one. We were at a baseball game and the memory is rich in my brain.  

My baseball off season consists of keeping up with the team’s off-season moves and discussing with other fans what the team’s strategy should be for the upcoming year(as if that would help the team). I count the days for spring training so my family and I can catch a glimpse of our team. Baseball season foments an excitement within all of us and I am grateful for what it has given me.

I was probably 5 years old the time the first time my father took me to a baseball game. Although there is much I don’t remember, I do remember getting lost and my parents picking me up from the security desk.  Attending games subsequent years, I always imagined bringing my own kids one day. I would speak of my favorite players and why the team meant so much to the city. Meanwhile we would scarf down hot dogs and I would have a beer(or two). That is why taking my son to his first game was a big deal for me.

My son was not even a year old but I knew he was cheering on the team with his mother and me. We ate hot dogs, peanuts, had beer (not the baby) and really bonded. Family and baseball has always gone hand in hand with me.  

The following season we took our first family road trip to spring training. I drove all night and we finally arrived as the sun was rising up in the distance. It was a beautiful sight and one that I will never forget. The following day we explored the city by doing some sightseeing and enjoying some local eateries. Arriving about an hour before game time, we finally experienced what we had been missing for so long. I still remember the smell of the grass, the bright sun that hovered over us, beautiful weather and a smile on my son’s face like I had never seen. I don’t remember if we won that day, shoot I don’t even remember who we played, but I do remember how I felt.  

I snapped the picture of my son and girlfriend feeling like I had captured the sentiment of the weekend, grace and happiness. Over the next season we would attend several games and have many memorable moments, but for me none more memorable than that one.