Mid Season Report

Earlier this year I decided I would try to get my girls to love baseball by taking them to a minor league game. The season is half way over, so I wanted to give an update of how it has gone so far.

Here is what has happened since the first game we have attended this year:

1. We have seen nine different minor league teams play. (Potomac Nationals, Salem Red Sox, Wilmington Blue Rocks, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Frederick Keys, Savannah Sand Gnats, Richmond Flying Squirrels , Reading Fightin Phils, and Rome Braves)

2.  We have plans to see at least two more by the end of the month. (Winston Salem Dash and Portland Sea Dogs)

3.  My girls have amassed over 30 game balls and BP balls. (Six at one game is the record)
4.   My girls have collected over 100 combined autographs. (17 signatures from the Wilmington Blue Rocks is the record for one game)

5. My girls now collect baseballs from all the different minor leagues. (Have 11 so far and a minor league practice ball)

6.  My girls now collect baseball cards.

7.   We have collected two game used jerseys of their favorite player, Garin Cecchini. (Lowell Spinners BP and USA 18U)

8.  We have six game used bats. (Bought five at team stores and got one after a game – besides Garin’s jerseys these are the biggest hit with my daughters)

9.  My youngest got to run the bases in the 3^rd inning of a Savannah Sand Gnats game and got a Frank Viola bobblehead for her efforts.

10.  My girls got to meet a World Series MVP and Cy Young Award winner who gave and signed baseballs for them. (Frank Viola)

11.  My girls got to meet a Super Bowl winning QB and get his autograph. (Joe Theisman)

12.  I bought my girls Red Sox jerseys because they have fallen in love with the Salem Red Sox. (Thanks to Garin Cecchini, Blake Swihart, and Keury De La Cruz)

13.  My girls got to go on to the field and high five the Richmond Flying Squirrels as they were announced.

14.  My daughters have started to overcome their shyness simply from asking players for their autograph. (Very unexpected benefit of all this.)

15.  We got to play catch on the field of the Richmond Flying Squirrels... on Father’s Day none the less.

16.  My girls started a blog about their experiences (girlscollectingbaseball.blogspot.com)

17.  We have made countless memories that will last a lifetime.

If you have access to minor league baseball and you aren’t going then you are missing out.

If you ask my wife what the most annoying thing about is, she would say my addictive personality... that seems to refocus every couple of months. See, I am a collector of things. The "things" are mostly sports related, but I have drifted into other areas here and there. However, the majority of my collections have dealt with sports. I was once so into collecting 49ers game used jerseys that I owned 49ersgamers.com and BrentJones84.com to help me build my collection. I had everything from a Steve Young game used jersey all the way down to Harris Barton game used cleats. Before that I was collecting Cubs memorabilia and after that I was collecting the NFL franchise in Washington D.C. (I am a fan, but I hate the name...) game used gear. Why am I posting about this now? Because I think I have found my mecca. A place where my love of sports and memorabilia and the love of my daughters has collided. And that mecca is Minor League Baseball. We have been to four game in the past three weeks and it has been like a little piece of heaven every time. They love it... probably because of the 10 gallon lemonade glass they always get, but they love it so who cares. We have been so lucky at the games, getting balls every time and even walking away with a game used bat from a game. I also developed a relationship with the President of the local booster club and I am going to rework their website for them.

If you have never been to a Minor League Baseball game then you are missing out. The seats are cheap, they have stuff to entertain the kids, and the players are young men chasing their dreams, so they play with passion and are happy that you are there to watch them.

I don't know if this will last, but deep in my soul I hope this is the start of something we will share for life.

New Year's

Got to spend New Year's with my dad and step-mom. Doesn't get much better than that.

Popped off a few shots of them with the ring flash.