Hello!

As my inaugural posting, I'd like to share a little about myself. I was born in Stockton, CA and have lived here all my life(so far). I'm a huge fan of the game of baseball. I grew up watching baseball games on TV with my dad and he loved the game. He was born in Wichita, KS but was sent to live with his sister in LA when he was 15 or 16. (really, he was kicked out by my grandfather...a little more about this in another posting.) He was a big fan of all the major LA sports teams but most notably the Dodgers. So, naturally, I supported them ever since I was little.

Probably the biggest influence was one of my last opportunities to watch a game with my dad was the 1988 World Series against the Oakland A's. I think that's also where I grew to have an affinity to the A's since they are a local team and both A's and Dodger fans have a rival in the San Francisco Giants(again, more about this in a later post.).

I also played a lot of pickup games with kids in the neighborhood(Downtown Stockton Sandlot-style). I never played Little League ball or in high school as my focus in those times of my life were either academics or 'elsewhere'(this will most likely not be discussed in a later posting).

I am married and my wife is a Giants fan(THIS, will most definitely be discussed in a later posting).

My wife, being the beautiful person she is(besides being a Giants fan) bought us, for the first time, season tickets to the Stockton Ports baseball club games. They are the Class A Advanced Affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. Needless to say, I was very excited to have them.

I started this blog in an attempt to document my experiences, feelings and enlightenments in association with the game. I hope to share some stories and hopefully interviews with fans and players(?) in order to get more perspective on the game and influences the game has had on them. I will try to keep things light and comedic, even though life, inside and outside the game, is not always so. Be aware, however, I'm not one to hold back words, spoken or written, when I find hypocrisy or negativity shot at me. I wouldn't expect anyone else to do so either.

Needless to say, I love the game of baseball. My wife notices the difference of me versus the average fan of say basketball or football. Most fans of a game will only watch if their team is playing. I can happily watch any baseball game on TV, no matter who is playing. I think that's true of most true baseball fans. It's baseball. It doesn't matter that they are teams from the other side of the country or you have no clue of who is in the lineup. It's baseball. Whether it's a Spring Training game full of rookies nobody knows..yet, or a Little League game with kids from the neighborhood, there's always the chance of a bases loaded walkoff in the bottom of the ninth.

Baseball is a promise. It's a promise that watching it will remind you of good times in summers past. It's a promise that it will give a young kid that chance for the highlight of his life. It's a promise that it will bring those memories of stealing 2nd back to the oldtimer watching from the stands.

I hope baseball lives on forever.