Dearest Baseball,

When I was a kid, I was inspired by another kid. The Kid. Ken Griffey, Jr. He was the coolest. I collected his baseball cards. I wore my hat backwards. I batted lefty in the backyard so I could imitate his iconic swing. Along with others, like Ichiro, who would start running before making contact. And Gary Sheffield, who seemed to try to slow down the pitch with the wag of his bat.

In 2000, Griffey was traded to the Cincinnati Reds, a team I had little knowledge of, outside of Barry Larkin. I decided to dig a little deeper to get to know this team that I might find myself following. The more I dug, the more I found myself buried in all things Reds.

I grew up in central Pennsylvania, but in 2001, while my sisters were attending college in Ohio, I had a great excuse to catch my first Cincinnati Reds game. Sadly, my man Kenny G Junior, wasn’t in the lineup. I got to see some of my new favorites though, Sean Casey and Aaron Boone banged back to back bangers.

It wasn’t long before two big innovations took things further. Twitter and MLB AtBat. My twitter quickly became a Reds news feed where I found countless Reds blogs to keep up with daily, as well as follow some Reds players, where they could really start sharing their personalities. Anyone remember those #DatDudeGIVEAWAYS? With MLB AtBat I found my(cheap college student)self listening to as many Reds games as I could for a few years before I could afford the MLBtv package.

For my bachelor party in 2010, I went to a Reds postseason game in Philly (thankfully not game 1 where Roy Halladay threw a no-no). Admittedly, under my Reds jersey was a Chase Utley shirt. The Phillies became my honorary hometown (distant, but) second favorite team. Philadelphia fans, however, did not approve. Continually, they tried to pick fights. They made fun of the fact that I brought my glove. Perfect time to show them my ball I caught during batting practice. (Thank you Bill Bray)

My wife (Phormer Philly Phan) now roots for the Reds, and she’s way better at getting autographs than I am (we never leave a sporting event without a ball, autograph, Christmas card photo or a personalized get well soon video for our nephew). For my 30th birthday, we saw the Reds in Tampa. After the game, the ump threw a ball above the tunnel he was exiting. Determined, she reached with her bare hand in front of a ready youngster with a glove to grab it. “Not today kid, it’s my husbands birthday!” Then proceeded to get it signed by Scooter Gennett and Jesse Winker. (I sure hope the kid doesn’t hate baseball now)

It all started with a man who loved the game that he played, who had fun playing it, while wearing his personality on his sleeve and a smile on his face. It sparked a relationship that will last for the rest of my life.

The game is growing and evolving. Kids have more distractions than ever. I encourage players to continue to play the game, while having fun together, being themselves. And the MLB to let them. You never know how many lives you can impact. Let the kids play.

Your Valentine,

Timmy Abildness

Don’t worry, my wife other Valentine approves this message. She’s a real catch. I hit a home run with her.

(Photo via marinersblog.mlblogs.com)

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