When I was growing up, I loved baseball. It certainly wasn’t the only sport I loved, but it was definitely near the top.
I remember throwing a tennis ball against the side of the house when I was around 7 or 8 years old (maybe younger, I don’t know for sure), playing a pretend version of the game… if I caught the ball, it was an out, if not… there were runners on. I remember making diving catches and imagining being on “This Week in Baseball” (remember that one?).
I remember practicing pitching in my backyard, throwing baseballs (yes, baseballs) against the brick foundation of the house toward a strike zone I’d made there with tape. I’d throw more pitches than I could count some days, always trying to get my accuracy down, and later, different pitches.
The Royals were definitely my team when I was young. There wasn’t much better than watching George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson, Kevin Seitzer, Bret Saberhagen, Paul Splitorff, Dan Quizenberry, and the rest of the guys back through the early to mid-80’s. I remember watching the pine tar homerun on television… watching the Royals fight for the pennant almost every year… I remember listening to the Royals on the radio whenever I went to visit my Grandma and Grandad Stickley… and I can vividly remember watching the 1985 World Series.
And all the time, I remember wondering what it would be like to actually be on the field at Royals Stadium. I always thought that would be the coolest thing ever.
Well, yesterday, that dream came true. I was given a ticket for a Royals on-field promotion, where I had the opportunity to take batting practice, shag fly balls, and meet with a couple of Royals greats (Willie Wilson and John Mayberry). Words cannot describe how cool the experience was. Suffice it to say that I felt like I was eight years old again… running around the outfield like a crazy man to snag fly balls… taking cuts at pitches thrown by Willie Wilson, hoping to really crush one (and yes, I did hit a few that were pretty nice)… just sitting there listening to Willie and John talk about their days in the majors.
Oh yeah. The reality of playing baseball at Royals Stadium? Even better than I’d imagined.
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