The Boys of Summer

Holy crap, it's BoSox-Jays on ESPN.

Isn't it odd to be watching baseball? I think the last time I mentioned to someone that I was watching or keeping an eye on a baseball game, their response was, "Why?" Does anyone really care about baseball anymore?

I have fond memories of the Jays when I was growing up; late 80s and then the back-to-back World Serieses in the early 90s before the work stoppage. I remember games with my dad sitting on the crappy benches at Exhibition Stadium, steel benches that had two sets of 3 line ridges; one in the front and one in the back and upon which it was impossible to sit comfortably, benches that would either freeze or burn your ass with no in-between. I remember when the Skydome (now Rogers Center) opened and the wave would go around and around and around, and every seat was filled. I remember watching games played by those World Series winning teams and knowing, feeling, hoping that they could always come back and win, even in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs. I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when Joe Carter hit his Series-winning homer. I can probably still name all or most of the starting lineups of all those teams I watched, some of whom went on to win or had previously been winners with other franchises: Ernie Whitt, Fred McGriff, Manny Lee, Tony Fernandez, Kelly Gruber, Lance Mulliniks, Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby, George Bell, Dave Stieb, Jimmy Key, Todd Stottlemeyer, David Wells, Mark Eichhorn, Duane Ward, Tom Henke, Pat Borders, Greg Myers, John Olerud, Roberto Alomar, Candy Maldonado, Devon White, Joe Carter, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, Mookie Wilson, Pat Tabler, Jack Morris and Juan Guzman.

Is it really the sport itself, the teams or the individuals; or is it the people you share those memories with that make it special to you?