IronBirds vs Renegades Baseball # 1 (Photo credit: Randy Pertiet)
Fathers, sons, and baseball, what could be better? There is something inherently unique about the game of baseball. At the same time, there is an inherent uniqueness to the relationship between fathers and sons. I don’t know how to describe it, but both go hand-in-hand.
Go anywhere in America and you will hear stories told by sons about baseball and their fathers. Go anywhere in America, and you will hear fathers tell stories about their sons and baseball.
I one day hope to have many stories about my son and baseball.
Years ago, 1994 to be exact, the Hudson Valley Renegades came to town. My dad wasn’t the biggest baseball fan in the world. But I was. He knew I was excited about the Single A affiliate of the Texas Rangers, (in 1996 the Tampa Bay Rays organization took over the team. Names like Josh Hamilton, Scott Podsednik, and Evan Longoria all graced the field in Fishkill, New York). One day, my dad came to me and asked if I would like to go to a Renegades game. I said sure. He said, how about opening night? My dad got up early one morning and waited on line for those first tickets. The very first game the Renegades took the field for, I was there with my dad, my best friend and his dad.
My dad took me to Yankee Stadium and the old Shea Stadium over the years. But my warmest memory of baseball and my dad was opening night at the Hudson Valley Renegades almost twenty years ago. He wanted to do it for me. He wanted to build a memory in me that would last a lifetime. Since I’m blogging about it today, I think his plan worked.
I still have the ticket stubs of that first game. When my son is old enough, I’ll show them to him. And maybe, take him to a Renegades game of our own.
Fathers, sons, and baseball. There is nothing better.
The Dad In Me 