[a bit outside]

My journey started back in Missouri in the 50’s. My great grandmother was a huge baseball fan and she never missed a Yankees game on the radio and later on the television. We would gather at her home on Sunday for fried chicken dinner in fear that if the Yankees started a game before she had dinner ready that dinner would not be finished or burn the house down as great grandma was going to leave the kitchen and sit in front of the radio/tv until the game was over. Thankfully, my grandma or my mom would pinch hit and finish dinner.

I grew up a baseball fan, but my loyalty was with the Cardinals. Which made for some really tense situations back in 1964 as the Cardinals and the Yankees squared off in the series.

She passed away shortly after that after battling a long illness and never got to see me play Little League. I continued to play the game I love and listen to the Cardinals and Harry Caray on KMOX radio.

I played through elementary, junior high and high school. I moved to Texas and played in some city leagues until I was 40, my body was starting to let me down and a career move helped me to quit playing.

I managed to pass my love for the game down to my wife and three children and we enjoy going to Arlington to watch the Rangers and we like going to Frisco to watch the AA Rough Riders. The wife is a Yankees fan, one daughter is all about the Rangers, the other is a Cardinals fan and by son bleeds Royals blue. They all have children and some of my grand babies are playing the game now.

Over the years I have been privileged to watch some of the greats. Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Bob Gibson etc. I have been fortunate to watch games at a wide variety of parks. Seen the A’s in Kansas City and Oakland, the Cardinals in three different parks.....all named Busch. The Rangers at old Arlington and Globe Life......hopefully I can watch them at the new park they are constructing now.

Baseball has a very long and rich history and I feel blessed to have been able to witness some of it.