I've touched on this subject here and there, but I'm not sure that I've actually dedicated an entire post dedicated to more of the full story behind my love of baseball.
As I stated in my most recent entry, it all began with my younger brother. He's 2.5 years younger than I am, but has always had a passion for sports. We often joke that I'm the one with all the intellect and he's the one with all the athletic talent. Oh, and if he was the one who was left handed, not me, he'd be in the big leagues right now, lol. But, I digress...
I was especially shy (and in a lot of ways still have social anxiety issues) when I was young and just couldn't get into participating in group sports. I much more enjoyed reading a good book. Yet, how I loved to go watch my brother play baseball. Every summer I looked forward to attending every game my brother played. As he got older, he developed a talent for pitching. Probably why my favorite players have always been pitchers. How intense the anxiety was for me when he was on the mound. I just wanted the very best for him...
I'll never forget his first no-hitter and the joy it brought to his world. I was so proud. And, when we went to our first Kansas City Royals game (remember I'm from Kansas) and when he got that Major League baseball from one of the players (I just found out a few years ago it was actually from a Boston Red Sox player, although I have no idea who it was. Must have been destiny that I would eventually become a Red Sox fan, but more on that later).
He eventually got a college scholarship to play baseball. Then it became more difficult for me to attend the games because I was attending college in another location. But, my mom always kept me updated on the status of things because she was still able to attend his games.
I suppose shortly after that was when I became more interested in Major League Baseball (not that we didn't watch MLB games, because we did). Having all those special memories from going to see the Royals made me realize I needed to continue to have baseball as part of my world. I eventually moved to the DC metro area (figured it was one step closer to a move to Boston - which is another story in and of itself - the love of New England has been with me since the 5th grade after reading poetry by Robert Frost - and only grew over time for other reasons). I just could not get into the Orioles. Was I supposed to adopt a new "home" team? I couldn't do it. The Royals were and are still are a part of me.
I eventually met a very special friend who fully introduced me to what being a Red Sox fan was all about. He was just as passionate about baseball (he played in a men's hardball league and I loved that I was able to go to some of the games) as I was and it was so wonderful to be able to share baseball stories. He would always ask, "are you sure you want to become a Red Sox fan? They'll break your heart..." But, I was sure. I had come to know that Red Sox fans were as passionate about the game as I was and that this is where I belonged. They truly are students of the game and I like about them.
And, then, as part of my knitting world, I discovered Ravelry. In addition to talking about knitting, we can talk about just about anything and everything. TV shows? Check. Music? Check. You name it, it's probably there. The "Sox Knitters" group has 931 as I'm writing this. It's so wonderful to be able to talk to other women about baseball. We "live chat" during the games, talk about stats/trades, etc. - you name it, we probably talk about it if it relates to the Red Sox. It's pretty cool to be able to share this... Through this I also discovered a great Red Sox blog, Center Field - I might especially be partial to it for the Beckett content (I became a fan of his, of course, thanks to my brother), but honestly, I love it all!
And, that is where I'm at today. Oh, there are plenty of other stories I could probably share (like the fact that I've yet to experience a game at Fenway or mini baseball helmets filled with ice cream sundaes), but I'll save that for another day... Play ball!