hogan873

I've always been a big fan of baseball. Having grown up near Pittsburgh, I was a hardcore Pirates fan until they dismantled their team in the early 90s. The strike year didn't help, and I essentially lost interest in following any team until I moved to Joliet in 1999. My wife grew up in Joliet and has been a lifelong Sox fan. I started watching the Sox and soon became a fan.

All three of my kids, the two older ones especially, are now Sox fans. It seems I have raised them right. They proudly wear their Sox garb and seem to take as big an interest in the sport as I do. I'm waiting for the day when I can take the whole family to US Cellular to enjoy a Sox game together. I suppose they are old enough, so what am I waiting for?

I try to be mostly positive on the message boards when it comes to the Sox. It is hard at times when there's a bad game, or Ozzie makes a silly move, or a trade goes down that makes no sense. But we are the fans, right? It's easy for us to be armchair GMs and 10th inning managers. I have a lot of respect for the guys out on the field because what it takes to get there is beyong my comprehension. How many kids playing little league at age 6 will end up in the bigs? Some of the behavior by players blows my mind, though. Not to name names, but what's the deal with the likes of Milton Bradley? Do players like that believe that fans appreciate seeing these actions?

But I digress. Long story short, I'm a big Sox fan and a bigger baseball fan. I regret not playing when I was a kid. I now live vicariously through my kids, coaching their baseball and softball teams. Now that's rewarding.