Fantastic blog by Mo Egger

[dabvu2498]

Get some tissues...

http://www.espn1530.com/pages/mo.html?article=8600548

[Spitball]

Thanks for the excellent post, dabvu. I ignored the tissue warning but shouldn't have.

[Joseph]

I lost my father 12 years ago. Growing up we always talked about going to a Reds game together, but we never did. There was always a reason, usually money, though many of the things listed on Mo's list were used from time to time. Work, too busy, too tired, too far to travel [4 hours from Cincy most of the time]. We never even got to the point where it was 'we'll go next week' it was always....'someday'.

Someday never came.

I attended my first Reds game a few years prior to my dads death. It was fun, I went with my then girlfriend [now wife] and her little brother [who is like a brother to me also]. I love them both dearly, but I always thought a boy should go with his dad to his first big league game. It didn't matter that that 'boy' [ie me] was 21, 22 at the time, because all my love of baseball was developed through my father. We'd watch the Reds everytime they were on NBC or whoever carried the game at the time. Hell I remember when we first got one of those huge sattelite dishes in the yard we'd tune in games from faraway lands like Florida and LA and we'd watch those games too. My dad always called pitches for the Reds pitchers as strikes it seemed like, it used to annoy me sometimes back then, but now I can't help but smile when I do the same thing when watching at home.

Baseball is a sport for fathers and sons. I learned a lot about the game from mine, but I'll always regret not going to a game at Riverfront with him. Dad's won't be there forever, even though we all think they are invincible, so yeah, like Mo said, go call yours right now and go see a ballgame this weekend or in 2 weeks when the Reds get back to town. You never know when he'll be gone for good. Mine was only 46.

[dabvu2498]

Thanks for sharing that, Joseph.

I emailed this to my dad earlier today and I just got off the phone with him.

When he answered, he said "I was wondering when you'd call." We both had schedules in hand.

[Johnny Footstool]

Never let yourself get into a situation in which you regret not spending enough time with someone you love.

[Caveat Emperor]

I spent last Sunday afternoon in the rain, watching the Reds sweep the Cardinals, with my dad. Immediately after the game was over, I wondered why on earth I don't suggest that we do that more often.

[RichRed]

One of my best memories is watching a lowly Asheville Tourists (Single-A) game with my dad, just the two of us. I was going through a rough patch and he drove from VA to stay with me for a few days. He was like that: drop everything to help us kids out. We had a great time, talking baseball and everything else.

I reminded him about that day shortly before he passed away, and told him how much it meant to me. Sure, I wish we could've done that more often but I'm grateful for that day we had together, watching a bunch of players neither of us had ever heard of.

I'm going to see the Bats play the Norfolk Tides today with my wife, my mom and my brother, and I'll be thinking about my dad and that special day.