Taking the Series

The Lansing Lugnuts may be the hottest team in baseball. Take a seat Pittsburgh, move out of the way Philly, its time to GO NUTS LUGNUTS! There's simply no other way to put it. This team is so fun to watch, it's hard to contain myself on the air sometimes. I am watching future major leaguers before my eyes... Our starting outfield reminds me of the early days of the Dayton Dragons when they had Kearns, Dunn, and Pena roaming 5/3 Field... It is a privilege to watch these guys play everyday. It is easy for everyone around this team to see that there is something different about them. They take losing personally, and so they decided they're going to just not do it. It's incredible to watch. I've also learned that the more you hang around these guys, the more they get to know you. I've had some fun conversations with guys in the past few days that have made me change the way I think about professional athletes.

I was always one that cherished getting autographs, but I think that I'm turning into a picture man now. I'll explain... One of my prized possessions is my Omar Vizquel autographed baseball. It's awesome. I remember waiting for Omar to come out of the Indians dugout and sign autographs before a game, and sure enough, I was one of the lucky dozen to get his Herbie Hancock (Tommy Boy, anyone?). I also got a Ronnie Belliard autographed baseball signed on an All-Star ball. (I don't know what's more shocking, that I once considered Belliard my second favorite player, or that he was actually an All-Star). I didn't get this autograph myself. I think I somehow conned my mom into buying it off eBay, and my emotional attachment to it is minimal. When I was younger I was all about autographs, but now I think a picture, conversation, or a memory is much more valuable to me then anything else. I will always remember talking with Dustin Antolin in the dugout about how much snakes freaked him out, or listening to K.C. Hobson brainstorm future business ventures.  I put pictures in this same category because when I'm old and my great grandkids think I'm losing my mind, I'll be able to find these pictures and jog back the great times I had with different people.
Here's a challenge for you old enough to do so... Look back at your high school yearbook. Don't look at the pictures first, look at the "autographs" or the signatures and notes people left for you. After reading some of those, find some pictures with you in them. If you're like me, the memories from one picture will last a lot longer than reading some note.

Memories trump autographs any day.