Week 15

  It's a baseball this week.

  I'm sure there are a lot of other things going on this week, and I imagine I'll get to them later in the week, but right now I am simply sitting here thinking about the fact that my child is the size of a baseball.

  Anything baseball related sends me off on a mental tangent to the nearest stadium, where a nearly perfect, lush field of dreams awaits.  I find myself reclining in uncomfortable, plastic seats, the cool evening breeze making its way lazily around the park, browsing each section and stopping to converse with fans.  We watch as artwork unfolds, as the pitcher and catcher carry on an interchange, briefly interrupted by opponents who rush around the bases, disrupting the game's ebb and flow by their violent hacks and their unlawful steals.  I think of countless hours spent in such palaces, and I cheer for the home team and silently wish malice on those who seek to disturb this beautiful game that unfolds before me.  Watching baseball is rest for my soul.

  So it is with great temerity that I anticipate bringing a much smaller fan with me to the games.  I have a hunch, from watching other parents, that my child will not instantly be amazed by the deft footwork of the second baseman during the almost always artful 6-4-3 double play.  I am highly skeptical if they will notice the way the outfielders tense before each pitch, wondering if the next moment will find them sprinting off to some corner of the park.  I doubt that they will find the triple the most exciting play in baseball, but rather wonder exactly when they can have another snack and tug on my sleeve until they finally can have their picture taken with Looie the Lookout.  Baseball with children may mean an evening at the ballpark, but I don't think there is much room for baseball between frozen lemonades and hot dogs and mascots and all the other fascinating distractions that exist in any baseball stadium.

  Yet, I cannot imagine not sharing this love with my children.  I hope they grow into a love for the game, and I look forward to sharing my love of baseball with them.  I hope they enjoy evenings at the stadium, even if they don't grasp it all at first, but more importantly, I look forward to large chunks of time with them, without televisions or computers, but simply children and parents, together as a family, watching men play a wondrous game.

  Of course, if they don't turn out to be Reds fans, they may have to go live with someone else.