Monday, September 27, 2010

Who's On First? What's on Second? Why is a GIRL writing about baseball???











First of all, thank you for reading this! I just came up with the concept of Urban Baseball Chick about a month ago and wanted to get something going before the regular baseball season ends. Second, yeah, I'm an early thirties chick who absolutely loves baseball, the history that goes along with it and of course all of it's characters. Day in and day out, I'm watching baseball, exclusively the San Francisco Giants because, well that's the team I grew up with.





My first memories of going to a game back at the Stick (Candlestick Park for those of you not from 'round these parts) was going with my Dad and Grandpa. I was the only girl going with the guys to a game. (Wow, how my life has not changed that drastically from 26 years ago....) My Grandpa Danny had season tickets right between homeplate and the Giants dugout and those were the good ol' days of #22, William Nuschler Clark, or Will "the Thrill" as the media and his teammates called him. As a little pup, I think around 7, my Dad or Mom would first take me to 7-11, let me pick out some Big League Chew for Will and then, once I got to the park would run down to the area around the dugout and give it to him. Sometimes his other teammates would grab it from me, like catcher Bob Brenly for instance and walk it over to Will, but that's what I remember and it was good times.



Since then, I've steadily watched the team, it's managers and home change. I've gone from catch phrases like "Humm-Baby "to "It's Magic Inside". Players like Bob Brenly, Matt Williams, Robby Thompson, Will Clark and Jeffrey Leonard to Bill Mueller, Jeff Kent, Barry Bonds (does anyone remember Bobby Estalella, or as the ladies called him Bobby Chestalella???) Shawn Estes, J.T. Snow and now Buster Posey, Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell. And how could I forget managers like Roger Craig, Dusty Baker (my favorite) and now Bochy. It's been a wild ride, full of heart break and sheer excitement as well as unmentionable, rowdy nights and days at Spring Training in Scottsdale AZ, but all for the love of the game.



But why, why is Urban Baseball Chick so into baseball? Well, it's pretty simple. Baseball is my dad. You see, my Dad and I didn't always agree on a lot, but we always had baseball and the Giants. We went to games, we watched games in the comfort of the family living room, we listened to it on the radio in his car, it was one of the things in life that brought us together and sparked some heated debates. So, to continue the memory of my father, baseball lives in me and around me and I dedicate Urban Baseball Chick to him cause I think he'd dig it.