Homework Assignment

Baseball....Thinking back over my life I can't remember a time that I didn't think about baseball, either wrapped up in the excitement of a  subway series or the founding of a brand new team.

My love of the game started very early for me, during the early fifties, of course my team was the good old Brooklyn Dodgers...this was a team that most New Yorkers felt very passionate about.  I can remember the feeling of being betrayed when they pulled up stakes and headed out to seek gold in them thar hills.  Pfft...they have never commanded the respect, admiration and love that they had in Brooklyn....it was a poor move.

I appeased my young ego with the New York Yankees and they became "my" team.  I have to admit though when it came to the start of a new team "The Mets", I felt I had to support them too. I attended many a game at Shea Stadium, enjoying the growth pains of a young team.

I never had the opportunity to play hardball, but I did play softball and yes, I threw like a girl! I decided it was more fun to watch the big leaguers.

Life interfered a little with my watching a lot of the games as I found myself in Tokyo married and expecting.  However, I was not totally baseball free over there either as they are fanatics on the game. I kept myself abreast of what was happening at home by listening to a US Army Radio Station every day...it was a link to home.

See, the pictures up above of that small adorable child? Little did I know that he would grow up with a love of baseball far exceeding mine.  We moved around a bit finally settling back in Queens. Kenji wanted to be in little league so badly, he tried out and got in.  He was in little league until he was 17 years old and he was one of the best pitchers they ever had. 

I can remember the day that a letter came for him telling him he had been picked to try out for the Met's.  He had been clocked before on his pitching and he threw at age 16 - 89 mph.  I was excited for him, but I could not go with him for the try out - I regret that to this day.  I was near term with my last child and under doctors orders - no travel, no exertion or else.  I know he did his best but he was not picked.  But not to worry...his other love was art.

Years later the two loves would come together and merge .... he has his dream job at Major League Baseball, promoting the game in all it's art forms.

He also plays on an adult team, still throws pretty good too.   So life comes full circle in this family at least with baseball.