I’m not as big a fan of baseball as I was as a kid. In fact, I sort of lost interest in the sport back during the lockout of 1994. It was passively rekindled when I would sit with my dad and watch Yankee games between alternating snoozes.

I played baseball in my younger days, first as stick ball in the street and pick-up games at local lots in Paterson, NJ, then with the Paterson Little League — go Chevy Midgets! — and finally as a freshman in high school where a slightly gun shy catcher {I had broken my finger in my last Little League appearance} was no match for an eventual All-League backstop. So, I traded the bat and glove in for a pad and pencil and pursued other {although unbeknownst to me at the time} career path pastimes.

I discovered I enjoyed writing about baseball much more than playing it and was blessed to cover the 1970 Little League World Series {wow, 50 years ago!} when Wayne-New Jersey East waltzed through the Williamsport tournament with three straight shutouts over Canada-Quebec (10-0), Highland-Indiana Central (4-0), and finally Campbell-California West (2-0), two of the shutouts by Steve O’Neill and a team ERA of 0.00 — both still in the official Little League record books. The following year, 1971, I followed the Pequannock (NJ) East squad to Gary, IN, and the Senior Little League World Series. The Jersey squad played four close games in the double elimination tournament, beating Puerto Rico, 7-5, and Wisconsin, 4-3, before dropping a 3-1 decision to eventual champion LaHabra, CA, in a 17-inning marathon in the semifinals and in 11 innings to the eventual runner-up, Richmond, VA .

Only my oldest son showed any real interest in baseball beyond early summer amusement. But four of my grandsons hit the diamond with determination well beyond Little League. One played in college and the developmental league before a shoulder injury and adulting took over.

All of that brings us to today … actually last night. My youngest Ohio grandson is  playing in a shortened community league. I got to see him play and I will probably be watching again this evening when he has another game scheduled.

The present tucked in among the memories. I am blessed.

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.