We were ballplayers once...and young

I'm not a huge fan of the "When They Were Young" Insert Set in this year's Topps set. However, they do bring back many strong memories of my own days playing Little League baseball.

Looking back at my whole life, the one thing I would like to go back and do again is play baseball. I absolutely loved those years. Growing up in a small town, I didn't have any baseball options past Little League. No leagues for older kids, no school baseball teams. Thus ended the dream for me.

For a few, the dream goes on. I'm sure Daniel McCutchen and his mother had no idea a picture she most likely took would end up on a baseball card. I'm happy for these guys. Their dream is alive.

This brings me to the reason for this post. Today, my son will have his very first practice with his very first baseball team. He's 9 and never showed an interest in baseball until he started collecting last year's Topps set. The more he got into the cards, the more he got interested in playing. Many of the kids he'll be playing with have been playing organized baseball since they were 5 so he'll be behind their skill level. He's in a recreational league so it won't matter as much, and neither of us is really worried about it. I can't wait to see him play. Unlike my own playing days of which there is no visual record, I'm sure we'll have many pictures and videos of every moment. My dad never got to see me play once in the 8 years I played.

I love baseball and I'm not going to miss a single minute of his "career", no matter how short or long it lasts.