For The Love of The Game

“…They'll walk out to the bleachers; sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon. They'll find they have reserved seats somewhere along one of the baselines, where they sat when they were children and cheered their heroes. And they'll watch the game and it'll be as if they dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick they'll have to brush them away from their faces. People will come... The one constant through all the years…has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past… It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again. Oh... people will come…People will most definitely come”
- Field of Dreams.

I love baseball. Luckily I married someone who shares that with me. Last weekend my sisters and I (along with Brody and Jayce) took my Dad to a Royals game for his birthday. (Jason was coaching high school baseball) I was trying to decide why it was so important for me to pass this passion of the sport on to my boys. Partly, I think baseball takes me back to my childhood. I have all these memories of my Dad coaching t-ball, hitting my first homerun, kool-aid after the game, throwing my first runner out at second base, winning our first tournament. I loved learning what it felt like to WIN. You know, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Ohh, I love competition and baseball taught me if we worked hard as a team we could reap the benefit of victory. I learned no matter how hard you work, a team is only as strong as their “weakest link;” so it is important for everyone to do their part. As a catcher, I liked working as a pair with the pitcher; but I loved that I was the one that got to read the batter and call the pitch. Yep, that little feeling of power gave me a rush. But there was something more than that. I liked watching too…and I liked the history of baseball. I loved looking at my Dad’s old baseball cards and learning about old baseball players and teams. I grew up watching Ozzie Smith. He was my favorite. What girl wouldn’t love a guy who could win 13 golden gloves and do backflips? Every summer we went to Cardinal's games I remember being so excited for those games. I spent four or five summers playing traveling softball and playing up to 100 games a summer. I loved it and learned a lot of life lessons. When I went to college I remember feeling like something was missing. I kind of needed that competition and feeling of victory. (Guess that is when I started running.) But that is also when I transitioned from a player to a fan. Of course, it is fun to be in the game but the major league baseball players are so GOOD it is fun to watch. Maybe that is why I developed a liking for the Royals after living in Kansas City for a summer. I just feel like baseball is in my blood. .. I couldn’t help it…a couple of games at the “K” and I was hooked. Saturday we took our one year old twins to their fourth professional baseball game. They loved it. Whether it be baseball or something else I hope the boys can find that something that they love and learn from. (I am just crossing my fingers if its in mine and Jason's blood hopefully they will catch the fever!)

First Royals Game ever! (Christmas in JULY)

Jumbotron Babies!

First baseball game of 2010!