Take Me Out To The Ballgame

Last night I went to Richmond to watch the Richmond Braves, the AAA farm club of Atlanta. I went with my father-in-law and some friends. The game itself wasn't all that great - it wasn't well pitched or high scoring, although Richmond beat the Durham Bulls 2-1. To love baseball is to love the history of the game, and I got to see two great players from my childhood. The first base coach for Durham was Gary Gaetti, who played mostly for the Minnesota Twins, although he did end his career with the Red Sox. Gaetti played in the 1987 World Series, considered one of the greatest ever. Practically next to him, playing first base for Richmond, was none other than Julio Franco. You can't be a baseball fan and not respect Franco. He's 48, and has been playing in the majors since 1982 (I was 7!) He has so much passion for the game, he went to the minors so he could continue playing. Other than that the only real highlight was a runner getting picked off first base. He was nowhere near the bag it was just too funny. It was reminiscent of that scene from Major League where Williw mays Hayes tries to steal and stops a good foot away from the bag. ("Missed it by that much!") Hopefully next time, I'll be able to catch a game when they play the Bisons or Red Wings.