[:: Baseball ::]

Yes, we are 30+ days away from Spring Training, but I figure I might as well start my blog the day this year's Hall of Fame inductees are announced.

So what makes me qualified to write about sports (with more focus on baseball)? It's simple. I have been a fan since the days I didn't need a bra. Well, I suppose women don't really need bras, but that's a whole other blog topic that will not be addressed on this one. Baseball was my first boyfriend, best friend, confidant, and security blanket (at least it was my second security blanket).

As a young child, I lived in San Diego and was introduced to the game by Tony Gwynn and Dave Dravecky. At this point, I wasn't a huge fan. Granted, I was around 6 or 7 years old, but I would call myself a casual fan. When my parents would watch the games on TV, I would be watching with them. In 1989, my family moved to Alameda, CA where my transition from casual fan to fanatic occurred. This was the year of the World Series between the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants, The Battle of the Bay. From that point on I knew it; I found love and it was there 9 months out of the year. I became absolutely smitten with the game of baseball, specifically the Oakland A's. To this day, I still love my Oakland A's. They constantly break my heart, but I continue to run back. In addition to my A's, in the 90s I found a place in my heart for the Giants. The National League has intrigued me because of the strategic play (because of the lack of a Designated Hitter) and the Giants are the team I watch to witness the art. More recently, within the last 5 or so years, I have become a huge Phillies fan. Of course, they can't replace my beloved Bay Area teams, the Phillies, however, add to my fanaticism when there is nothing be be fanatical about in the bay (just take a look at our records from the past year). My introduction to the Phillies came about by following the career of an old high school friend. He was drafted by the organization in '96 and plays for them to this day.

So that, in short, is my explanation to why I am qualified to write about baseball. I simply love the game. Here you will find all my frustration, jubilation, and contemplation about the game, and more than likely, the A's, Giants, and Phillies.

Until next time...