Safe At Home

I’ve always been a baseball guy.  Should’ve played. I was going to be shortstop for the Yankees, not some kid from Michigan. Instead of number 2, I would have worn 13. Maybe that would have deterred A-Rod from coming to the Bronx. I remember watching the ‘78 World Series, between the Yankees and Dodgers. I would have been seven. I have been a Yankee fan ever since. I chose the Yankees in part because my Dad was a Yankee fan. I wanted some kind of tie to a man I barely knew then and know even less now. But the Yankees and that ‘78 World Series serve has a home plate.  A safe place to go back too. I was seven, in my room watching baseball and the world was good. You go to your childhood home and you feel safe. There are familiar smells, sounds, and sights. This produces a calming affect of safety. In life’s journey you set out on the base path not knowing what the future holds, but in the back of your mind you know you can make it back home, back to safety. You can get that same feeling from your favorite song or the scent of fresh baked cookies.

The past few months have been traumatic emotionally for me. My oldest daughter graduated from
high school this year. So that started the bittersweet emotional roller coaster of watching her grow and watching her go. Her high school team won the state championship this year. I’m pretty sure I passed my passion for baseball on to her. However she has chosen a team based partly on the cuteness of the third basemen.  My grandparents also shared my love of baseball. With the introduction of cable tv and satellite dishes in the 80s a lot of Braves and Cubs games were watched. In December I lost my last grandparent.  She was the one I was closest with.  That meant my Mom was now on the clock as the oldest member of the family. In March she
spent time in the hospital and her life changed course. So between these things and all the everyday obstacles, I feel like the base path is pretty treacherous at the moment.  2019 has been the year of the pickle

But to take it all the way back to where it started, back to my safe spot, I returned to the Yankees. I’ve spent more time since spring training following the Yankees. I’ve been a fan for over 40 years,  but this year has been different.  I’ve kept up with all the roster moves and this year has been a revolving door of rental players and AAA talent filling in gaps due to injury. I’ve kept up with each series and all their small battles. I’ve found some new toys like The Talkin’ Yanks podcast to make this easier. I’ve kept home plate and it’s safety in my sights at all times.  It’s been a long year but with the help of the Yankees and ‘Emotionalism’ by The Avett Brothers I’m still safe so far.