And so we begin…Parenting, Phase 3
HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT melting molten crotch-chafing HOT That’s what the day was like. And we were off to Lakewood, NJ where the Phillies single-A team, the BlueClaws, play ball. We’d set up more interviews for Jack’s writing project. We arrived at 4:30 and met with Greg Giombarese, the broadcaster and media guy for … Continue reading Lakewood Blueclaws and Unbearable Heat
I was hounding John Sadak, the media guy for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders – but it wasn’t going to happen. Then at 2:05 my phone rings. “Hey, this is John Sadak.” “Holy crap!” I shouted into the phone. He said we were in for an interview, but we had to get there by 5:00. Jack was … Continue reading Three Generations of Baseball Fandom
Tell me if you can think of a better situation than this Sunday: One of my oldest and best friends, Dave Beattie, was coming through on a road trip. He and his two kids (Skyler and Zack) were coming up from DC to stay with us Sunday night. Exactly 45 minutes south of us is … Continue reading Free T-Shirt Day at the Blue Rocks
On to the game. Jack went over to the wall where the players were stretching out. He’d brought the bat he’d gotten from a minor league game in Arkansas and he was collecting player autographs. I was sitting a few rows back. There was a whole line of kids lined up for autographs. At least…most … Continue reading Thunderous Fun at Interview #1 (Part 2 of 2)
Our summer project – Jack is setting up to visit a series of minor league ballparks, interview “top prospects”, and then write an article about his experiences. He’s hoping to get it published in Sports Illustrated for Kids. Cool, right? And Alex has decided he’s going to be Jack’s photographer. Monday was our first trip: … Continue reading Thunderous Fun at Interview #1 (Part 1 of 2)
My uncle Coddy picked me up at the airport. As I climbed into the car, I asked him how far it was to Angels Stadium. “At least an hour. Get comfortable.” An hour sounded fine to me. We drove south across LA. Coddy told me about his hip surgery and a songwriter’s convention he’d recently … Continue reading Angelic Baseball
Final entry for the Phillies game. This one widens out to a much larger personal picture. Like I said, it was me, Jack, Alex, and Shani’s dad. Boys trip to the Phils. We parked at the Holiday Inn lot. “This is a good hotel to stay in if you’re going to the game,” Jack said. … Continue reading Phillies Game Part 4 of 4: Making History
When I was in high school, I went to every single home football game, but I didn’t watch the games at all. For me it was a social event. I’d spend three hours walking around and around the field, stopping to talk to people, hitting the snack shack, flirting ineptly with girls. For many people, … Continue reading Phillies Game Part 3 of 4: Citizens Bank Park Review
Before we begin, let me remind you that I am a huge Yankees fan, and therefore loathe the Red Sox. They are my mortal enemy. Also note that my entire town including my younger son are Phillies fans. I genuinely root for them and consider them my second favorite team. However, as Shani's dad and … Continue reading Phillies Game Part 2 of 4: Team Analysis
I was explaining to Jack where I got the tickets. “They’re from a guy I used to work with named Andrew. He’s a real-deal baseball fan.” “Not more than me,” Jack replied. “Actually, this guy might have you beat.” “How?” “He has a baseball bat autographed by 23 Hall of Fame baseball players.” Jack frowned … Continue reading Phillies Game Part 1 of 4: Boy Management
To give you a proper illustration of Camden Yards, we’re going to discuss…the Sistine Chapel. Trust me, this will make sense. If you haven’t seen the Sistine Chapel (I have not), you might expect the ceiling to be this big, beautiful flat space. You might imagine Michelangelo in 1502 preparing to create a masterpiece on … Continue reading Camden Yards Review with Some Help from the Pope
Our subject: Fan X Our analysts: Margaret Mead, noted anthropologist Peter Dimas, expert baseball fan At a recent Orioles game, I sat next to a fan that was thrown out of the game. To explore this event, I obtained camera footage. I had each of our experts view the video tape and share their observations. … Continue reading The Ejection of Fan X: Expert Analysis
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