B.. B... B.... ever since I can remember, B stood for baseball!! Growing up the only grandchild, I watched hours upon hours of baseball games sitting in my Papaw's living room. He would sit in the rocker chair, tv tray in front of him with his hand drawn score laid out on it, and I would sit to his left as his assistant, calling out balls and strikes along with player positions for marking them out! 6-4-3 Double Play!! 

99 out of 100 times we were watching a New York Yankees game.  That 1 other time would either be a Baltimore Orioles game, back when their star pitcher was Fruit of the Loom man, Jim Palmer, or an Atlanta Braves game.   I loved baseball almost as much as I loved shortstop, Bucky Dent!! I think something similar was happening here with Bucky Dent like with Adam Ant's name.... it just rolled off my tongue funny and I loved it!!! 

Collecting baseball cards was my past time.  Shoe boxes and Velveeta cheese boxes were stacked in my room full of cards. I played street baseball with the neighborhood kids for years, learning how to be a catcher, like my other baseball favorites Johnny Bench and Thurman Munson.  Again, strong names that just sweetly rolled off my tongue. 

When my son turned 4, he wanted to play baseball.  He came by his love of the game naturally. My favorite memory is of the night before his game, when he slept in his entire uniform, cleats and all!! To this day, that same little boy of mine, 22 years old now, still has all of his gear ready for his game hours and hours before!  

Baseball!! Once it is in you, it doesn't ever go away!