Looking back…

As I sat at my Apple laptop this morning to check out the progress of my teams in ESPN’s Baseball Challenge, I have begun to realize what an important role Baseball plays and has always played in my life. It began as a young boy growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana. My father grew up on a farm during the depression and never had time to play baseball. However, during his late teen or maybe college years, he discovered the St. Louis Cardinals via KMOX radio. At that time the Cardinals were the only MLB team anywhere close to the south, and KMOX had a signal powerful enough to reach North Louisiana, where Dad lived and attended college – Louisiana Tech University, in Ruston, Louisiana. Although Dad was not much of a talker, unlike me, I imagine that listening to the Cardinals provided him an escape from the travails of everyday life during extremely bleak economic times in the 1930′s. Dad continued his love for baseball for the remainder of this life of 86 years (1917 – 2003). I have vivid memories of his watering the grass in our yard at each of the homes we lived at in Shreveport, our home  in Houston, Texas, where we lived from 1961 until Dad retired in 1982, and at their home in Monroe, Louisiana, where Dad lived the last 20 years of his life, and where my mother still lives – Mom turned 95 on May 19th this year (2011). Being a bean counter, or accountant to most of us, Dad had a special interest in following the Cardinals – He would devour every issue of the Sporting News, gleaning every tidbit he could about both the Cardinals’ Major League roster and all their minor league clubs. Basically he looked on the Cardinals as part of his family, and family was the most important thing in Dad’s life.

I guess after living amost 64 years (will be on August 21, 2011), I am in quite a few ways much like Dad. Although our personalities were completely different, me totally outgoing and loving people with Dad very quiet, seeming not enjoying many people’s company, we share the love of Baseball. And I am now beginning to realize it is the part that Baseball takes on as a part of my family that makes it so special to me. Yes, I love for the Cardinals to win, but, even when they lose, I have a special feeling for each player and the team as a whole. I seem to understand how each player feels, and, assuming I believe a particular player REALLY wants to do everything within his power and abilities to help the team win, there is nothing anyone can say to me that will cause me not to take up for this player, just like he was one of my brothers or my children.

Just this season, my youngest son, Paul, age 32, a police officer in the City of South Houson for the past six years, who is married and now has one son, Levi, who is exactly two months old today, has started to completely adopt the Cardinals as a part of his family, like Dad and me. Paul and his wife, Yessica, just recently switched from cable to Direct TV, and they watch virtually every inning of Cardinals’ games. He will text me and/or call me several times during most of the games, excitedly commenting on some great play one of our boys has made or looking for answers when things go badly. My hope is that Paul will continue his love affair with the Cardinals and Baseball, much like Dad and me. I can’t seem to get too much information about my Cardinal family – I watch as many innings as possible of their games on my iPad2 via MLB.TV, read every article on the Cardinals website, and win or lose, absolutely LOVE the team and every player and coach. Free Agency has been especially hard on me, as I find it difficult to let part of the family go when players are traded away.

This year I have started playing ESPN’s Baseball Challenge, which allows fans to put a toe in the water of Fantasy Baseball. It has been most enjoyable for me, as I select the players for my three teams while listening and watching the Cardinals’ games. I think this has definitely broadened my knowledge of the players in both leagues, and it certainly provides a source of relief when my Cardinals are struggling with the many travails of daily life in the Majors.

I definitely am looking forward to this afternoon’s game against the Reds, and to many more years with my family…