Dad and Baseball

It really sucks to be a Braves fan right now. Whenever you think about the club, there's a sense of dread and depression hanging above your head. I'm not ready to give up on them yet because the team has pulled off some insane stuff in the past, and I probably won't give up on them until it's entirely mathematically impossible for them to even win the Wild Card. The Red Sox are my other favorite MLB team, and having followed them for around six or seven years, I've learned how to be a hard-headed and stubborn fan. Even when it looks as bad as it could get, you still stick it out. That's just how it's done.

Since Father's Day fell on the same weekend that I caught a game at The Ted, I started to think about how my Dad passed the Braves on to me. It's sort of like Star Wars. I remember always seeing both those films and Braves games, but I really couldn't tell you when the first time I saw either was. I can't remember a time when there wasn't either, they've been two constants in my life, and my Dad gave me both. Sharla asked me while we were waiting in line if I'd pass the Braves on to my eventual kids someday. Sure I will. I think it's one of the greatest things I could give them. Whether they play good baseball or suck like they do right now, they're ours. And they know we are thiers. The club and the front office care for thier fans like no other professional sports organization I can think of. It's a wonderful mutual relationship. Right now, I'm reading 'Faithful' by Stephen King and Stewart O'Nan. O'Nan says that one day his Dad slapped a Red Sox cap on his head and told him "they ain't much, but they're all we've got."

In the meantime, I'll continue to stick it out with the Braves. I'll be depressed for a while if they completely fall out, but I won't shed a tear. They've pulled off stuff in the past to be proud of, and I'm sure they will in the future. With this sort of thing, it really isn't just winning or losing.

Although winning would be nice.