Dodgers on the Way to Winning Five in a Row World Series

 When my first son was little he started to ask about playing baseball. Perhaps it was the Dodgers game we were lucky enough to be able to attend. Maybe he was encouraged after his dad got the kids a bunch of goodies from the Angels game we got to watch together. I don't know what exactly prompted his interest in the game of baseball, but I gave him his nick name and we started practicing. I signed him up with our local league. 

My youngest was standing among a small crowd of kids and they were asking him what his name was on opening day at the Bob Hargis field. Since he didn't want to go through all of the trouble of saying his full name, as he understood the kids wouldn't understand him if he tried to say it, he said, "Two", which was his age.  I joined them in conversation. "His name is 2?" They asked. I laughed understanding what had happened. The irony. "No, his name is not 2." And so 2 became his baseball nickname.  

They enjoyed it so much but I wasn't much help in directing them how to play. I don't know all that much about baseball, just the basic rules. They wanted to practice. "Just put your glove up and catch the ball if it goes up. If it's on the ground, put your glove on the ground and catch it." was pretty much all I had. "How do I stand when I'm up to bat?" "I don't know." We watched some YouTube videos of Babe Ruth and I laughed when I witnessed him putting the stance into action. 

Little brother immediately got his nickname when he was a baby and we brought him to his first Dodgers game. Big Bubba. It's funny how difficult it can be to name someone. Sometimes you search and search for the right name. Other times, the name just arrives naturally. It somehow fits into time and space and aligns itself perfectly right where it's meant to be.

Anyway, soccer started for us when I decided to coach the kids with a sport that I actually know. They watched me play. I love to play. Then we played together and they learned to love to play. Then soccer started taking up all of our time, efforts and energy. Sometimes I wonder if they'll set foot on the baseball field again. If they dream about playing like they did when they were little. The Bergen brothers playing together for the same team. Sandlot movies all day and making their own Sandlot out on the grass behind the apartment with the neighbor kids.