Baseball...

One of my earliest memories is of my Mom putting decorations around our television. I could not understand why I could not play with the little red bird she put in some flowers she had placed on top of our TV, or why I couldn’t play with the white and red ball she had up there.

Apparently my Mom and my Dad ended up rooting for opposing teams in the 1982 World Series. My Mom was trying to aggravate my Dad as much as she could, because she knew that the Cardinals were going to beat the Brewers. And they did… much to my Dad’s dismay.

My Mom was not much of a baseball fan, and to be honest, I am not much of a fan either. However, I have watched more baseball on TV this year than I have in my entire life and I’ve been to more games this year than I have in the last 12 years. I think this is mainly because my oldest son is taking an interest in the Texas Rangers. I had given up hope long ago of the Rangers making it to the post season, and if they happen to squeak in they would be going home after the first round.

There was something different about this year’s Rangers. They had their moments where I knew “Here we go again.” However, they always seemed to get wins when they needed them. Last Friday, my oldest son asked to stay up past his bedtime to watch the Rangers (I’m a sucker, I know) and I let him. The longer the game went on the more I believed they were actually going to win the game and advance to their first World Series. I went and woke up our third child so he could witness this moment in history. We watched together as the Rangers sent the Yankees home to begin their off-season.

The Rangers going to the World Series is not a future changing moment in history, but it may be a life-changing moment in the lives of many families. For my older sons and I, it is an opportunity to sit together and watch a game and talk. It is an opportunity for us to spend time together, and maybe one day when these boys have become men they will remember spending time with their Dad watching a game and treasuring a memory.