I Love this Game

Growing up, baseball was a huge part of my life. From all-star tournaments to district games and fall ball, life at our house was pretty much consistent around the concept of eat, sleep, baseball.

I. Loved. It.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved baseball. Every evening during the span of April-October, the sounds of a baseball game filtered through my family’s home.

Our summer vacations were determined by whose team made the State tournament that year. We travelled all over Louisiana to Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi for games, tournaments, double headers, and even one time – the World Series.

When I reached high school, the wonderful world of baseball card collecting was opened up to me. It was a hobby that my dad and I could enjoy together. We had a lot of fun going from card store to card store, purchasing cards of our favorite players, mystery grab bags, and beckett card guides.

Source

As a matter of fact, this photo was pinned to my wall for years after the Astros clinched the Central Division in the 1997 Playoffs.

I guess you could call me a baseball fanatic.

Yes, the ballparks have been like another home for me over the years. The summer sun, bleachers, loud fans, the smell of fresh cut grass, the sound of a good solid hit, cleats scraping against the concrete – I have so many wonderful memories associated with America’s Past time.

I’ve made it a goal of mine (sorry Jason if you’re reading this)…

I want to visit every ballpark in the country throughout my lifetime. This goal is being added to my “bucket list”.

Here’s the three I’ve visited to date:

Globe Life Park in Arlington aka The Ballpark in Arlington (Texas Rangers – Arlington, Texas) Look at young Karen…talk about throwback! :)

Minute Maid Park  (Houston Astros – Houston, Texas)

Yankee Stadium (New York Yankees – South Bronx, New York)

Three out of 30…not too shabby – only 27 to go!

When my brother’s team made it to the World Series several years ago,  the opening ceremonies speaker really hit home with the way I feel about this sport and I’d like to share it with my fellow baseball friends/fans!

“I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world. It’s been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Who only knew that my “world” would be full of green grass, red dirt, and wooden bleachers?

It consists of small towns on back roads in places that I’ve never even heard of. I’ve traveled Interstate 20 from Louisiana to Mississippi, Alabama, all the way through where it ends in South Carolina. I’ve seen campuses, city parks, and fields that are hidden in the deep woods of Tennessee, the grand stadiums of Texas, and the soggy fields of Louisiana and Florida.

The World I’ve seen is where friendships and lifelong memories are made. Mother’s fathers, sisters, and brothers bonding together to assist a team.

I’ve seen teams say “How do we?”…. How do we walk in as a team…our appearance, our form? The sound of our cleats scraping on the concrete announcing that we are here.

…Taking infield…our rallies, our cheers, our resolve, our strengths, our weaknesses, our personalities, our determination, our sportsmanship, the butterflies, words mumbled, words forgotten.

…slides, double plays, safe at home, over the fence, heat and ice…our voices silenced.

It’s the silent prayers, the knots in the stomach, the tightness in our chest…and the need to just breathe. It’s the turning of your head and hiding your eyes because you just can’t look.

…It’s the good luck charms, the locks of hair, hidden pennies, the lucky underwear, it’s the magic, it’s the mojo, it’s the prayer.

…Dirty uniforms, stubborn red dirt, tons of quarters, the pinning of socks, coat hangers, jerseys, missing socks, and trying to get those white pants white once again.

It’s the coaches…fair umps…bad umps…and lucky calls.

It’s the things that are not fair, bad judgments, favorite players, unnoticed good plays, and bad plays that are remembered for a lifetime.

The smell of fresh cut grass, the sunny skies, and the distant sound of rolling thunder. Light drizzles, torrential rains, delays, games starting at 1 o’clock in the morning…delirious and giddy. The excitement in the air, the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd.

It’s about summer, friendships, and memories we’ll remember forever. We’ve all had the time of our lives.

It’s called baseball.

I love this game.”

What’s your favorite sport?

Disclaimer: As a baseball fanatic, I truly do LOVE this game. No compensation or product was given in exchange for writing this blog post – again, I truly just love this sport and want to share my love with the world! :)