Ballpark Journeys: Baseball Springs Eternal
A couple weeks ago, I caught myself listening to a story on the radio about how recent scandals have affected one father’s baseball relationship with his son. Since my wife is nearly five months pregnant with our first child, and I hadn’t even considered how I would even begin to discuss issues like this with my future children, I was really thrown for a loop.
The Dobbins Family outside Bright House Field in Clearwater, FL. Spring '09
Luckily for me, I had some time to ponder these issues this past week while in beautiful Florida catching a Cardinals spring training game against the Phillies in Clearwater. Upon walking up to the ballpark with my wife, parents & extended family, memories of my only other spring training experience flooded my thoughts…
In the late ’80s we would visit my grandparents in Vero Beach, known during the spring as Dodgertown (sadly, they’ve since moved). The Dodgers had just won the World Series. One of my favorite pitchers was Orel Hershiser. My dad and I left the stadium a bit early after Orel had finished pitching. We found him walking with a trainer between the ballpark and clubhouse. I had never seen a pitcher’s arm wrapped in ice like that before – I remember asking why his shoulder looked so strange. While it looked like he needed to get somewhere, Hershiser stopped to talk to me and my dad for a few minutes. In reality, it was probably thirty seconds, but even such a short interaction left us both with memories that will never fade.
Fast forward to Spring Training 2009… the fifth inning is just about to start. Albert Pujols comes out of the dugout and heads to the on-deck circle to prepare for his next at-bat. But before he gets there, he spots a few kids near the backstop and immediately makes his way over to them. Smiling, as he seemingly always does, Albert couldn’t resist conversing and joking around with the young fans as the pitcher finishes his warm-up throws. Parents quickly snap photos, capturing images that will be forever remembered and shown to future kids and grandkids.
On the flight back home I realized that it’s been twenty years since I’ve been to a Spring Training game. In those years, there have been doping allegations, positive drug tests, cheating, asterisks, a work stoppage & exponentially rising costs to attend a game.
But despite everything that is “wrong” in this baseball era we live in, one thing hasn’t changed… at Spring Training, lifelong memories are still being made for fans of all ages. It is the highest level of baseball in its purest form in a beautiful, relaxed atmosphere. My wife and I have agreed to make Spring Training travel an annual event. And we’re very much looking forward to experiencing the magic of Spring Training with our son or daughter (the sex of our first child should be known on Tuesday!).
My name is Paul Dobbins, the newest contributor to Whiteyball. As President of BallparkJourneys.com, my writing will concentrate on baseball travel, ballpark experiences and positive stories showing why baseball is still one of America’s greatest treasures. Until next time…
Safe travels,
Paul
president@ballparkjourneys.com
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Filed Under: Ballparks
About the Author: Paul is an avid baseball fan and traveler. As President of BallparkJourneys.com, he helps busy baseball fans on a budget fulfill their dreams of seeing Ballparks across America by customizing Ballpark Journeys to fit any schedule, all personalities, and budgets of any size. Visit www.ballparkjourneys.com today and fill out a traveler profile to begin your own unique Ballpark Journey!
Great first post Paul. I really love the observation regarding Pujols. How lucky are we as Cardinals fans that we get to watch one of the greatest hitters of our era, who also happens to be one of the greatest sportsmen?