LukeDooley.com

I had the opportunity to witness something pretty cool last night…. it was a moment I won’t likely forget anytime soon. As you likely know, I am a sports nut, and that includes being crazy about my hometown Cincinnati Reds baseball team. I’ve followed them for as long as I can remember. As a kid I would sit with my grandpa and listen to the games on the radio late at night when I spent the night at their house. I can remember my dad taking me down to a few games each year to experience the action in person.

Last night I made the trip to the ballpark. Not because the Pirates were in town, and they are a legendary franchise, not because the pitchers were Cy Young caliber, not because the Reds are in first place, and creating buzz around the city. In fact, none of that could be further from the truth. I made the trek to Great American Ballpark because the Reds star prospect, Jay Bruce, was making his major league debut, and I wanted to be able to say: “I was there”. This is no ordinary prospect… this is the: “Best thing since sliced bread” prospect. Jay Bruce will be looked to as the savior of the Reds franchise… he’ll roam the outfield at GABP for the next 15 years… hopefully bringing titles home to Cincinnati a few of those years. I was so excited I even made a homemade jersey to wear to the game. Although the little boogers with the real deal jerseys made the jumbo-tron and SportsCenter highlights (can you sense my bitterness?)

It turned out to be a magical night. Bruce reached base all 5 times he stepped up to the plate. He knocked 3 base-hits (2 singles & a double), and walked twice. As cool as it was for me to be there, I can’t imagine how the 21 year old Bruce was feeling as he played the outfield next to his boyhood idol (Ken Griffey Jr.), and rounded the bases as his new teammate and superstar slugger Adam Dunn hit a 3 run bomb to give the Reds the lead.

The coolest part of the evening for me though had nothing to do with the game itself. I was able to witness one of the real treasures in life on full display: The Father – Son bond.

I rode down to the game with my good friend and fellow Journey Churchgoer, Gary Renner and his son Jacob. First of all, you have to know that I’ve never met a kid quite like Jacob. This kid is a baseball nut. He is seven years old, and uses baseball language that most adults don’t understand. He was talking about the starting pitchers, the bullpen, and the leadoff hitter. He remembers everything about the game. He always knows how many outs there are, how many guys were on base for this play, or that play, and who hit which ball where. It’s really quite impressive.

So here we were out late on a school night. That didn’t seem to matter though… what mattered was the memories that Gary & Jacob were making. For years they’ll talk about Jay Bruce’s first hit, and how the crowd cheered: “BRUUUUUUUUUUUUCE” each time he stepped to the plate, and subsequently reached base. They’ll talk about the peanuts, the popcorn, the rain, and how we managed to sneak our way into lower-level seats just behind the Reds dugout.

I watched with a sense of hope that one day I too will be able to share a similar moment with my son or daughter (please God, give me a son). I look forward to those days, and I thank guys like my Grandpa, my dad, and Gary who have set examples along the way about making memories with your children.

The lesson from last night:

2 Tickets to GABP – $40
2 Waters, 2 slices of Pizza, Peanuts & Popcorn – $35
Gas on the way down – $4.00 per gallon
Parking – $10
Staying out late on a school night to make an unforgettable memory with you kid: Priceless