Excellent job. My son played ATLL last year and I just decided the ballpark trek is an excellent family idea. We go to lots of Reds games, time to take the show on the road.
Our family of four knocked out all 30 parks over a 15 year period of time and I can assure you it will create a lifetime of memories. My grand daughter just turned 1 and she has already attended 7 games with us.
We opt for a 20 game season ticket package a year and the ballpark is still our favorite place to be for all the reasons you and Doc describe. A fraction of the cost of Bengals tix, so I used the savings to buy a nice high def TV for watching our other passions. Football and F1.
Continue sharing your special time with your children! I raised my two children as a single mom for many years and I so miss the times I couldn't spend with them...and so soon, they were having lives of their own, and now I am a grandmother. Time does fly!
I met Roger Kahn in 1975 when I worked for Barbara Arnest at Colorado College who was then the Director of Public relations and wrote the CC Alumni Magazine for 15 years. She was also a well known Artist and Art Instructor at the College. One day she asked me to type up a letter that was written in pen and given to me by Roger Kahn. He had come to the College one day and happened to come to her office. Roger had written the letter as a query for his next book that he wanted to publish and was sending it to an editor in Chicago. I typed the letter and returned it to Barbara to give to Roger. He stopped at my desk on the way out and thanked me. I kept the original letter and found it one day years later and, I believe I sold it on Ebay during desperate times as a single mom. If I did not sell it and happen to find it one day, I will give it to you.
Lots of wisdom today Chris, thank you! Our son and daughter are in their 40’s now and my wife & I have long said that the years of their childhoods were the most fleeting and ephemeral years of our lives. We have to get out the scrapbooks occasionally to more vividly remember those times. It is affirming to know other parents realize that as well, especially while you still have them under your roof. I am happy to hear you are making the best use of your times together.
In regards to Cat Stevens, I was a year or two from heading off to college when Tea for the Tillerman came out. It was an important piece of work at that time for young people longing to break free from their homes and go on to college (Vietnam, anti war protests, the civil rights struggles & the draft were still going on). We presumed college would bring us complete freedom and independence! Ha, what a laugh. Stevens had an artistic gift, which employed well for maybe 3-4 albums, then faded. I revisit his music very occasionally to reflect back on those days. Good choice on the Tune of the Day, thank you!
Chris, you wrote a wonderful essay. I may be a bit biased because The Boys of Summer and The Beartown trilogy our among my favorites as well. Based upon your recommendation, I will be reading Foster in the near future. Thank you!
Chris, Awesome job. You don't know how difficult pinch hitting is until you're stepping up to the keyboard. Your perspective on child rearing/loving is spot on. The bubbles only last so long and you need to enjoy them while you can. I especially enjoyed your perspective on time. Even with the changes made this year (I approve of the all) the game offers a timeless pace that allows for interaction with those around you. I haven't been to too many but my favs are Coors and San Fran. enjoy the journey ( and your kids) PS. Being a grandparent is even better than a parent. The pressure of raising a good human is off....
Nice read, I am in a slightly earlier stage of life but I find a lot of it to be applicable. Going to every yard across the country will give you memories for a lifetime.
Great Hemingway today, Chris! I've been trying to keep my four daughters close thru all Cincy sports, The Men in particular. So far, so good, but my oldest just graduated from Xavier, and my youngest is a rising sophomore in high school, so my soap bubble isn't going to last much longer. But we can always talk about sports. That's one of the biggest things I miss about my Dad, who passed a few years ago.
I've always loved that relaxed Summer feeling of baseball, but I could never really put my finger on how best to describe it. You nailed it with "space"!
LOVE Cat Stevens (it was both funny and aware when he 'called out' the majority of musical performers in attendance at his Hall Of Fame induction for their infidelities ; ) LOL The crowd laughed loudly.
I’m at a bit of a different stage in life than you in that I’ll be 74 in June. My now 41 year old son and I have been trying to, like you and your children, visit every baseball stadium. Currently, we’ve been to, I think, 20 stadiums. This summer, we are planning on trips to Minnesota and Wisconsin to see the Twins’ and Brewers’ parks then back to Cleveland to see the Indi…I mean Guardians’ stadium together. (I’ve been there but he hasn’t and it only counts if we are there together.)
There is something about baseball, wherever you are, that allows you to, so to speak, multi-task. When we visit parks where we have no real vested interest in the teams, we are able to, yes, watch the game we both love and cherish but, at the same time, explore the world in that place. For instance, last season, we went to an Oakland A’s game at Oakland. Oakland was a very bad team last year but we had a great time exploring an “older” stadium in that it bore a resemblance to the cookie cutter style stadiums of the early 70’s. They also had a very neat honor wall where players native to the area had plaques. We were surprised to learn that a few of my favorite Cincinnati Reds were Oakland natives…like Joe Morgan, Vada Pinson and the great Frank Robinson.
By the way, I consider THE BOYS OF SUMMER to be the best book ever written about the sport. And, yes, getting back to listening to Cat Steven’s music is a great idea.
Nice job! I'm in my 50's now, (that seems so weird to even write that down), kids are in college. Fleeting??? Heck, like a split second and they were out of diapers and asking for my car keys...a second later and we are packing the car to drop them off at college. Sports still ties us all together even if now it is just a "hey did you see that play?" Anyway, enjoy the times brother.. Great job!
Excellent job. My son played ATLL last year and I just decided the ballpark trek is an excellent family idea. We go to lots of Reds games, time to take the show on the road.
A great Hemingway effort. And very good food for thought. Enjoy and treasure your adventures.
Our family of four knocked out all 30 parks over a 15 year period of time and I can assure you it will create a lifetime of memories. My grand daughter just turned 1 and she has already attended 7 games with us.
We opt for a 20 game season ticket package a year and the ballpark is still our favorite place to be for all the reasons you and Doc describe. A fraction of the cost of Bengals tix, so I used the savings to buy a nice high def TV for watching our other passions. Football and F1.
Continue sharing your special time with your children! I raised my two children as a single mom for many years and I so miss the times I couldn't spend with them...and so soon, they were having lives of their own, and now I am a grandmother. Time does fly!
I met Roger Kahn in 1975 when I worked for Barbara Arnest at Colorado College who was then the Director of Public relations and wrote the CC Alumni Magazine for 15 years. She was also a well known Artist and Art Instructor at the College. One day she asked me to type up a letter that was written in pen and given to me by Roger Kahn. He had come to the College one day and happened to come to her office. Roger had written the letter as a query for his next book that he wanted to publish and was sending it to an editor in Chicago. I typed the letter and returned it to Barbara to give to Roger. He stopped at my desk on the way out and thanked me. I kept the original letter and found it one day years later and, I believe I sold it on Ebay during desperate times as a single mom. If I did not sell it and happen to find it one day, I will give it to you.
Lots of wisdom today Chris, thank you! Our son and daughter are in their 40’s now and my wife & I have long said that the years of their childhoods were the most fleeting and ephemeral years of our lives. We have to get out the scrapbooks occasionally to more vividly remember those times. It is affirming to know other parents realize that as well, especially while you still have them under your roof. I am happy to hear you are making the best use of your times together.
In regards to Cat Stevens, I was a year or two from heading off to college when Tea for the Tillerman came out. It was an important piece of work at that time for young people longing to break free from their homes and go on to college (Vietnam, anti war protests, the civil rights struggles & the draft were still going on). We presumed college would bring us complete freedom and independence! Ha, what a laugh. Stevens had an artistic gift, which employed well for maybe 3-4 albums, then faded. I revisit his music very occasionally to reflect back on those days. Good choice on the Tune of the Day, thank you!
Well done!
Chris, you wrote a wonderful essay. I may be a bit biased because The Boys of Summer and The Beartown trilogy our among my favorites as well. Based upon your recommendation, I will be reading Foster in the near future. Thank you!
Chris, Awesome job. You don't know how difficult pinch hitting is until you're stepping up to the keyboard. Your perspective on child rearing/loving is spot on. The bubbles only last so long and you need to enjoy them while you can. I especially enjoyed your perspective on time. Even with the changes made this year (I approve of the all) the game offers a timeless pace that allows for interaction with those around you. I haven't been to too many but my favs are Coors and San Fran. enjoy the journey ( and your kids) PS. Being a grandparent is even better than a parent. The pressure of raising a good human is off....
Boys of Summer is one of my all-time favorite books! I also re-read the Beartown books every year; there is a lot about mothers in Backman’s books.
Nice read, I am in a slightly earlier stage of life but I find a lot of it to be applicable. Going to every yard across the country will give you memories for a lifetime.
Great work, Coach. You are an educator, aren't you?
Thanks for your calling and sharing it with your kids - biological and beyond.
Great writing. Your children are lucky to have you both.
Great Hemingway today, Chris! I've been trying to keep my four daughters close thru all Cincy sports, The Men in particular. So far, so good, but my oldest just graduated from Xavier, and my youngest is a rising sophomore in high school, so my soap bubble isn't going to last much longer. But we can always talk about sports. That's one of the biggest things I miss about my Dad, who passed a few years ago.
I've always loved that relaxed Summer feeling of baseball, but I could never really put my finger on how best to describe it. You nailed it with "space"!
LOVE Cat Stevens (it was both funny and aware when he 'called out' the majority of musical performers in attendance at his Hall Of Fame induction for their infidelities ; ) LOL The crowd laughed loudly.
I’m at a bit of a different stage in life than you in that I’ll be 74 in June. My now 41 year old son and I have been trying to, like you and your children, visit every baseball stadium. Currently, we’ve been to, I think, 20 stadiums. This summer, we are planning on trips to Minnesota and Wisconsin to see the Twins’ and Brewers’ parks then back to Cleveland to see the Indi…I mean Guardians’ stadium together. (I’ve been there but he hasn’t and it only counts if we are there together.)
There is something about baseball, wherever you are, that allows you to, so to speak, multi-task. When we visit parks where we have no real vested interest in the teams, we are able to, yes, watch the game we both love and cherish but, at the same time, explore the world in that place. For instance, last season, we went to an Oakland A’s game at Oakland. Oakland was a very bad team last year but we had a great time exploring an “older” stadium in that it bore a resemblance to the cookie cutter style stadiums of the early 70’s. They also had a very neat honor wall where players native to the area had plaques. We were surprised to learn that a few of my favorite Cincinnati Reds were Oakland natives…like Joe Morgan, Vada Pinson and the great Frank Robinson.
By the way, I consider THE BOYS OF SUMMER to be the best book ever written about the sport. And, yes, getting back to listening to Cat Steven’s music is a great idea.
Nice job! I'm in my 50's now, (that seems so weird to even write that down), kids are in college. Fleeting??? Heck, like a split second and they were out of diapers and asking for my car keys...a second later and we are packing the car to drop them off at college. Sports still ties us all together even if now it is just a "hey did you see that play?" Anyway, enjoy the times brother.. Great job!