[the 'stache]

Chris, when I was a little kid, I spent a lot of time in bed. When I couldn't go out to play baseball, I read about it. And I read a lot. I am fortunate to have two parents that have always nurtured my desire to learn. They bought me books, and checked others out of the library for me so I could immerse myself in the game I loved.

Some of the books I read as a kid:



Before I reached ten years, I knew how to say Lajoie. I not only knew who the Milwaukee Braves were, I could rattle off Hank Aaron's lifetime stats. I knew Cap Anson was the first hitter to ever gain 3,000 hits. Joe DiMaggio was "Joltin' Joe" to me when my other friends knew him as "the coffee guy." I read everything I could get my hands on. When I was ten, the Brewers were in the World Series, and I was lucky enough that my teacher, Mrs. Travato, was married to a man that worked in the Brewers front office. Buying baseball cards just seemed natural to me. I got packs of Topps baseball cards in my Easter Egg basket. On weekends, my dad would drive me to the local card shop, and I'd ooo and ah looking at the Stan Musials, and Roberto Clementes in the glass display cases.

I collected until I was in my 20s. College and girls took my money and my time. But now I won't ever leave the hobby again. They can pry my baseball cards out of my cold, dead hands.