Our Fathers and Baseball

[Comanche County]

As my father ages and is slowing down more and more every year, he still retains a super sharp baseball mind. He and I always coached my three little brother's little league teams. I learned a lot. I went on to coach a couple of little league teams while in college. Anyway back to the old man, a diehard Dodgers fan from his days as a kid living in Cali in the 50s and 60s, his home state Rangers now are his most loved team. Over the last two years he and I have went to a World Series Game (Game 3 vs the Giants), then I took a pass and my brother took him to next years League Championship game vs the Tigers.

 

The Rangers this year seem to be the most dangerous offensive team in baseball, perhaps its their year, who knows though since the season isn't even half way through.

 

So as he and I sit and watch the games this year as his health continues to fade, his seemingly unending baseball knowledge is always ever present. Recently the Mets just had their first No-Hitter. ESPN was commenting on this momentous occasion for the that club and all Dad talks about is their mistake in trading Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi while Fregosi was in the twilight of his career and Nolan went on to throw three no-hitters for the Angels after the trade. Then Dad goes off on a tangent about Ford Frick the commissioner who was the first to "invent" the asterisk. He decided to put an asterisk on Roger Maris' single season home run record after Maris beat Ruth's single season HR record....only because Maris had more games in the season than Ruth which in his judgement deserved the asterisk. Dad then mentions that Frick and Ruth were good buddies, Frick even served later as ghost writer for Ruth. Dad knows everything about the game.

 

Anyhow, I guess I post this because as we watch the season and hope for the Rangers to finally win the big one, and hope that Josh Hamilton breaks Maris' record and he's on pace to do so, which is what spawned the conversation, I realize that even though we're both older and not out playing catch anymore, it sure is good to watch baseball with the old man.

 

I never could throw a curve ball when I played, I was always a pitcher. Recently while walking through the local swap meet I bought a couple of gloves and a ball. Now I'm playing catch with whoever will throw with me so I can practice the curve. I hope to teach my 8 year old son to throw a curve (the most intimidating pitch in little league) and that one day when I'm old and my health is failing, I hope when my last days come that my son will sit around and and at least talk baseball with me.

 

Cherish your old man, the inevitable is coming soon and I'm gonna miss mine.

[mpace6a]

My grandfather was like that too. Even when he was suffering from alzheimers and couldn't remember who we were, you could ask him about almost any baseball players and he'd recite stats to you like he was reading them straight out of a book!

[Backdraft]

Hear hear, Jay. I lost my dad 6 years ago in an accident. I cherish every lazy little chat we ever had. I'm thankful for all the advice and guidance I ever recieved. Our last father/son vacation was to Moab for some rock crawling. And not a day goes by that I don't miss him. And I also blame him for my addiction. He taught me to drive in a 1947 Willys and bought me a 1986 Comanche when I turned 16!!

[86customanche]

Sorry to hear about your fathers health. However, he seems like a great guy and seems like itd be one hell of a baseball conversation with him. Baseball is my life. Ive been playing since I was 4 yrs old, so 20 years now. My father was my T-ball coach way back then and we still have baseball conversations, hes not as knowledgeable as I am about the sport but its still fun. Now that I'm out of school, I see all my friends putting down their glove for good, where I still play in a mens leage where my coach, at age 57, still plays every once in a while with 18 year olds. I hope I can play for another 30+ years like he does.

As a matter of fact, I went to a ball game this past Saturday with my old man, had a blast watching the Braves v Nats game in DC (I'm a huge Braves fan and he a Nats) We make sure to get to at least one game a season and hope to do it forever.