My Nickel’s Worth

I am getting a great birthday present this year—baseball season is starting on my birthday! Yes, baseball season which means spring, the smell of freshly cut grass, and the snap of the ball in the glove. I love baseball.

Each year, I have high hopes for my own personal favorite MLB team. It is a new season, and anything is possible. I remember the first year I played tee ball.

I remember the first year I played tee ball. I was four. I had watched so many MLB games with my Nana, I thought I was playing for the New York Yankees. My mother recalls me practicing with my bat and tee in the backyard, and I would occasionally stop and wave at our fence; when she asked what I was doing, I told her I was waving at Nana because I knew she was watching me on television.

That same year, my grandparents took me to the Ballpark in Arlington to watch the Yankees play the Rangers. We waited in line with my baseball, and famous Hall of Fame Manager, Joe Torre, signed it. He then took a picture with me. I still have the baseball and the picture! After that moment, I was really convinced that I was a real MLB player. I played every year from then on, and I played short stop and pitcher.

And as much as I love playing baseball, I also love being a fan.

I have always been fascinated by Major League Baseball stadiums, being able to visit the old Yankee Stadium when I was eight years old, always acknowledging the history behind ballparks such as Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. My goal is to one day be able to say that I have been to every single ballpark in the league. That goal will continue into this season as I visit the brand new Texas Rangers stadium Globe Life Field, which I am very excited for.

While I have my favorite team, I also enjoy watching great players (on other teams) break records and do well. For instance, players across the MLB recording their 3,000th hit over the last few years—such as Adrian Beltre, Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols. This is one of the biggest accomplishments you can have as a player, so when the time comes, I love to witness history, regardless of what team you play for. Baseball has been plagued by the Houston Astros cheating scandal as of late and I cannot say that this did not impact my team at all and possible outcomes of games, but I am looking forward to a new season, putting the past behind us, ready to watch a new decade of baseball.