Now that the Super Bowl is over, there is only one thing left to say.
Pitchers and catchers report tomorrow!
Baseball is in my blood. Phillies baseball, to be exact. I spent a good part of my childhood at “the Vet.” I’ve seen everything from big wins with walk-off homers to huge losses. I sat in the nosebleed seats with my dad and saw the Phillies beat the Braves in Game 6 of the 1993 playoffs. I even attended the perfect game pitched by the late Roy Halladay.
So when my husband was offered two spring training tickets from his uncle, he knew who to send on the trip to Clearwater, Florida. A few weeks later, my son, Andrew, and I were on our way.
Spring training was nothing short of amazing. It didn’t matter what team you were there to watch. All that was required was a love of baseball. And, as you can see from this photo, we were more than qualified.
I would make that trip again in a heartbeat. Watching pre-season baseball for the love of the game is like sitting in a classic baseball movie. Everyone is smiling and enjoying the warm weather. The players show their love for the fans by being generous with photos and autographs. But, what was most memorable about the trip was the time I spent with Andrew. There are so many wonderful memories with him. He loved the games, the pool, the hotel, and he still talks about the self-serve waffle maker station as if it was the best thing ever invented. He swam and played with his cousins, and in the evenings, we bought ice cream and walked and talked on the beach. We had a lot of laughs and enjoyed the mother-son bonding time over those few days.
He is more of an Eagles fan than a baseball fan now, but nothing can take away the memories this photo brings to mind – sitting in the stands together with our gloves at the ready waiting to catch a fly ball.
So in honor of baseball season starting up again, here are a few of my favorite baseball movie quotes.
“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” – Field of Dreams.
“This is a very simple game. You hit the ball. You throw the ball. You catch the ball. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes it rains.” – Bull Durham.
“It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard… is what makes it great.” – A League of Their Own.
Play Ball!
At my age, I know myself pretty well; just don’t put a label on me because it won’t work. I’m a bit of a mutt when it comes to assigning myself to one particular category. This used to cause me a lot of stress and frustration as I deal with dueling personality traits. But now, I’ve accepted it for what it all adds up to – me.
It’s been many years since college, and I still remember the path I walked from my dorm room through the Quad to Intro to Politics class. I wore either a plaid button-down shirt or the t-shirt from the concert I went to that weekend. I’d top off the look with some cutoff jeans, a row of bracelets dangling from my wrist, and a high ponytail with a matching scrunchie. If I close my eyes, I can see the white, nameless food truck on University Avenue where I would grab a greasy breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee – even though my parents bought me a meal plan. And then, I head up the hill to class at Ruby Jones Hall.