Spring brings memories...and baseball

So here we are, Spring is almost sprung and what better season is there? The flowers begin to poke their heads from the cold ground and get ready to bloom, and the trees begin to bud with beautiful colors of green, white, and pink. Not only does spring bring new life to Earth with warmer temperatures, the start of longer days, and beautiful colors, but it also brings back one of the greatest sports...baseball. That's right folks it's the start of spring training.
I must admit I am a baseball lover and it all goes back to my childhood. It all started many moons ago with my grandfather. What a wonderful man he was. He was the recreation director for Martha Mills in Thomaston, GA and around town he was known as "Coach"..."Daddy Coach" to my brother and me. He was a larger than life type of guy....standing at 6'4" he towered over everyone (at least to the small child that I was). He loved kids and loved to keep them busy. He ran the Silvertown Ballpark and always had activities happening. My earliest childhood memory is going to the ballpark with my family and playing Bingo with my grandmother in the stands while my parents called out the letter/numbers in the back of the stadium.
We were also at the ballpark a lot because my older brother started playing tee-ball at the earliest age possible. Needless to say, we 'lived' at the ballpark, and with that came the smell of popcorn, hot dogs, and the ting sound of the bats hitting the balls.
As the years went by, my brother began to play more and more baseball and was quite the player. I grew up at ballparks watching him play. I have so many fond memories watching him play from the early days of tee-ball, to little league, on the traveling teams, even into high school, but my favorite memories would be playing baseball with him in our backyard.
You see, my brother was two years older than me and always wanted a brother, but he was stuck with me. So, he did what any good big brother would do...he turned me into the brother he never had. He would dress me in full uniform which included football pants without the pads, a jersey, baseball socks, and a hat. He taught me how to hit and throw - like a boy...yes there is a difference between throwing like a girl and a boy (but don't ask me to distinguish).
Now that I'm all grown up and the days of playing baseball with my big brother are over, if I close my eyes I can still hear that ting sound and smell the sweet buttery smell of the popcorn in the air. In the distance I can even see the faint lights of the Silvertown Ballpark. Hence, with the start of spring and baseball's spring training, the excitement for the season begins.
I know you must be thinking that ahh this Georgia girl must be a Braves fan. Well, I used to be (uh-oh hope my brother is not reading this part - he might just disown me). I loved the Braves growing up, especially in the early 90's when they had Tom Glavin, John Smoltz, and David Justice - ahhh David Justice. Chipper Jones came into the picture sometime around that time as well. Yes, I used to love the Braves, but like Justice, Glavin, and Smoltz all found new teams, so did I (if I must admit it). I am now a Phillies Phanatic. What can I say, I married a yankee (well a Philadephia - or Delaware - yankee). He and his family are die-hard Philadelphia sports fans and we watch every game of just about every sport especially football and baseball. In the south we say that highschool and college footballs are secret religions, well Philadelphia sports are a religion all it's own in this family. So, I married into being a Phillies fan, and what can I say I now get to watch Shane Victorino, Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay, and Chase Utley...Chase Utley, need I say more???

The Lentz Boys - Eric (my hubby) on left, Poppy, and Mike

This season brings lots of hopes to this family with the pitching staff of Roy Oswald, Cole Hammels, Roy Halladay, Joe Blanton, and Cliff Lee - they better not let us down. This team is stacked and they better win the World Series. None-the-less, this baseball season will be filled with lots of games on tv and hopefully at least one game at the Citizen's Bank Stadium (hint-hint Poppy), but no matter if I'm actually in the stadium or watching it on tv I will always be taken back to the early days in the backyard and to Silvertown Ballpark with the smell of popcorn lingering in the air and the faint, bright lights shining in my eyes.