Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Baseball. What can I say? I had three older brothers and my dad, so around our house, it was either learn to like sports, or learn to like sports. Believe you me, I was taught at a very early age when it was okay to walk in front of the TV when a game was on. For example, if the pitcher is in the middle of his wind-up, that trip to the kitchen for a snack or the bathroom run had best be put on the back burner for a few seconds.

My mom liked sports, too. Two of my brothers played baseball, and that was back in the day before babysitters, so my mom loaded up the station wagon and carted all us kids to the games. Hence, my butt was dragged to every little league, Babe Ruth, tournament, and High School baseball game in which my brothers played. Baseball…it’s in my blood.

Now, I was born and raised in a small town in Southern Ohio, and I grew up watching and listening – back in those days, it was mostly listening out on the front porch in the evenings – to the Cincinnati Reds. I was fortunate to be around to witness the hey day of the “Big Red Machine” and got to see guys like Pete Rose, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, and Johnny Bench play the game. Ah…Johnny Bench, or as I have always called him…J.B. For me, he always has been and always will be my all time favorite ball player. Besides, he was a catcher. I’ve got a "thing" for catchers.

Today, we have players like Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Brandon Phillips, and we haven’t had a winning season since God was a child. We are, however, the oldest franchise in professional baseball, so that is something. My philosophy is: “Even bad baseball is better than no baseball at all.” And for the past eight long, frustrating years, the Reds have been putting that theory to the test.

My love affair with the game did hit a rocky patch in 1994 when baseball had one of its infamous “work stoppages” because…as we all know…ball players just don’t make enough money for – well – playing a game, and I stayed away for four and a half years before the 1999 Reds enticed me back. Well, I have lots…and I do mean…lots more to impart on the subject of this grand old game, but will save it for future postings. I had prepared my first slideshow, but still lack the basic knowledge to make the transfer from Photobucket to Blogger. Perhaps another time. Meanwhile, please enjoy the following photos of Johnny Bench and Adam Dunn.

Johnny Bench
Photo courtesy of Google.


Adam Dunn
Photo courtesy of Google.