As of yesterday, it’s officially Baseball Season. I have a weird relationship with baseball. I grew up on it, and like many, played from t-ball through my Junior Year of High School. I had some ups-and-downs, and had a couple real pieces of shit for coaches along the way – the kind of guys that have such miserable lives that they take out their internal frustration and lack of self-control on kids a few nights a week. Yes, those guys. I collected the baseball cards from Topps, Donruss, and Upper Deck religiously. No, they never became the “goldmine” that the people at the card shops tried telling me they would, and I finally gave them all away to some neighborhood kids awhile back… just because I was tired of lugging them around between moves as an adult. Now, I’m a 30-something parent, and I still dig baseball.
I’m not a big “sports” guy, so you will absolutely never find me glued to a game on television. I will never yell at the screen, and I will always make fun of any adult that I see doing so. The meathead that lives behind us is a prime example – a guy we see across two yards, who has a serious aversion to wearing clothes (unfortunately, I have seen his wiener), and rarely closes his curtains. With his windows open, we can see and hear him yelling at his giant LCD screen throughout both baseball and football seasons. We also know that he and his wife/girlfriend/whoever really enjoy DANCING WITH THE STARS.
Yesterday was opening day for both THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX and THE CHICAGO CUBS. The Cubs were on the road vs. The Pittsburgh Pirates, while The Sox were at home vs. The Kansas City Royals. Both teams won. Since my oldest daughter, Addie, is into playing t-ball in the backyard now, I decided to watch a little of the Sox game with her. She dug it.
I have never attended a Chicago Cubs game. No, I’ve never stepped foot inside “The Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field. Even as a “Northsider” for over 15 years, it just hasn’t happened. I grew up as a “Southsider,” and The White Sox have always been my main team – despite the fact that I always say “they’re in two different leagues, so it’s cool to like both.” I have a Cubs’ “away” jersey in my closet, but I have a genuine White Sox jersey from the 2005 World Series that is not only customized for me, but still gets worn regularly. A legit jersey costs around $250 – and they’re built to last. I attended many games at “Old” Comiskey Park in Chicago, and several at “New” Comiskey Park, which is technically called “U.S. Cellular Field” these days… though I prefer not to call it that. It’s like the “Willis Tower,” which doesn’t exist for me. I know of the “Sears Tower,” but this “Willis” place is nonexistent.
Addie caught on right away, quickly clapping whenever a good play was made. She also clapped for the Royals, but since she’s just 3½, I have to let that slide. I asked her if she’d like to “go see a game at the place on TV one day?” and she responded with a grin and a “Yes, Daddy.” Eventually, maybe when Finn is a bit older, we’ll have to make our first trip down to West 35th Street.
Speaking of Baseball, the folks at Make-A-Ball sent me (free swag – I allegedly rule!) a one-of-a-kind ball with THE ROCK FATHER logo brightly emblazoned on it. It took five weeks to arrive, but it’s a pretty cool addition to the office. While it’s technically a “regulation” ball, it’s really shiny. I ended up getting one of those acrylic display cubes for it.
As I see a lot of Dad Bloggers breaking out the predictions for the 2013 Baseball season, I will offer mine right now: THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX will be crowned “World Series Champions,” and Supreme Rulers of Planet Earth. My reasoning for this? None, other than “because I said so.” Though… they did win opening day 1-0, and the last time that happened was 2005…
As for THE CHICAGO CUBS? They never win the World Series.
