Why Baseball?

For me it started in the late '80's when some college buddies and I drafted players for the World Series (Earthquake series between SF and OAK). I was thrilled to pick Henderson with my first selection, assuming I was drafting the gap-toothed outfielder formerly of my hometown Mariners. I was thrilled again when I found out it was instead Ricky Henderson that I inadvertantly chose that day.

In 1992 my brother had this crazy idea of driving around the country (and Canada) to visit every Major League Baseball Stadium. So on May 31, 1992, my cousin, brother and I christened our trek by attending a Memorial Day game at the Kingdome, featuring Randy Johnson vs. Roger Clemens. You've probably heard of them.

That four-month trip featured some experiences that have fostered my love for the game ever since. Why is it that everytime I hear John Fogerty's song "Centerfield" it helps me remember why I like the game so much? Could it be that when April 1st rolls around we truly do get "born again, there's new grass on the field"? Sounds so corny.

My first 5 years playing fantasy baseball required that I fill out a lineup using my $200 salary cap. We mailed our rosters in to the commissioner and didn't know where we stood until the end of each month. Somehow, my buddy Jeff and I always independently ended up with the same closers - Jeff Montgomery, Duane Ward and Norm Charlton. Now, thanks to Al Gore, we can interface at a moments notice and change our lineup daily.

My highlights over the years have been being the first in our league to own many rising stars - Ichiro, Miguel Cabrera, David Wright, King Felix, Hunter Pence and Ryan Braun. I enjoy finding the player that could have an immediate impact upon his opportunity.

So my hope is to blog about some of my favorite memories from that summer of '92, just to get it down in writing. Even though my Mariners have yet to go to the World Series, I still hold out hope. For my son's sake, I hope they get there before I'm dead and gone - I don't want him to think I've been rooting for a loser franchise my whole life!