LRHS Setback

According to the Tacoma Rainiers official web site, the Official Minor League Basball Player of the LRHS, Tim Rall, has been sent back to San Antonio. We are certain this is temporary, and that Tim will be back in AAA before too long. Hopefully this means we'll get another chance to see him pitch in the meantime. Anyway, I've been thinking about these minor league guys and how hard it must be on them. In a matter of two weeks, Tim had to move from San Antonio to Tacoma and then back again. How does he do it? What about his stuff? What about his apartment? At least he's single. Can you imagine if he had a family, kids and stuff? This seems like a good subject for a book to me, if any of you are looking for a topic. Life in the Minor Leagues. So, hang in there Tim...we are pulling for you.

All this baseball talk has me thinking about when I was a much bigger baseball fan as a kid. My grandma and grandpa used to take me and my cousin Curt to Cincinnati to see the Reds play a lot during the 1970's era of the Big Red Machine. I LOVED it. I was always in awe of the whole scene, sitting in the stands watching guys I saw on TV all the time. I especially loved the opportunities to shout CHARGE at the top of my lungs. It wasn't often it was OK to be loud, so I made the most of it. One time we went on autograph day, and I got to meet Dan Driessen and George Foster. But my favorite player was the great Davey Concepcion. I had a poster of him in my room. I thought he was the coolest. And I spent hours playing with the basball cards I cut off the back of Ding Dongs boxes. We still have them...I think my brother has them. I can still picture some of them clearly in my head...Rusty Staub, Bake McBride, Dave Parker. I wish baseball was still untainted by greed and drugs. Well, maybe things will change. Meanwhile, I will continue to support Minor League Baseball.