Baseball Heaven

5 years ago, my father went to Baseball Heaven.  We received a letter in the mail in a card saying "I believe in the Field of Dreams, and I'm pretty sure that's where your dad went..."

Since then, I literally find sanctuary at the baseball fields.  Afterall, we spent almost every day at the fields, John Adam and I would have a game, dad would be coaching, mom would be working the snack bar, or tending to parental matters ("You don't know politics until you become the President of a Little League," daddy used to say). Our family dinners were Saturday nights, in the Snack Bar of Valley Providence Little League in Reno, Nevada. 

So I heard long ago Heaven is whatever you want it to be. You are surrounded by everything and everyone you love.  I believe in Baseball Heaven.  This is my idea of Baseball Heaven.

• There are no lines at the Snack Bar-and there is no groaning coming from the crowds worried about spending so much money on food and beer.  Snack Bar food in Baseball Heaven is free.
• You get every Big League Chew flavor you can handle...and get this guys-it NEVER loses it's flavor.
• You get to have batting practice with Jackie Robinson, Willy Mays, and Mickey Mantle-and you pull the ball oppo field every time.
• You have the perfect pop-up slide into 2nd and 3rd base.  I would say your uniform doesn't get dirty, but in Baseball Heaven, a dirty jersey, is a great jersey.
• Baseball Heaven your team is not only made up of legends and Hall of Famers, but your shortstop could be your mom, your dad, your favorite little league coach...or the love of your life that you may have lost.
• You have a decent batting average.  One that keeps you honest, and still reminds you to play hard.
• Your sunflower seeds peel off the shell perfectly every time-and you throw the shell on the ground because there is no sign at the Baseball Heaven fields saying "No seeds allowed..."
• Angel Hernandez does not umpire in Baseball Heaven
• Your parents are in the stands and cheer for you every time you are at the plate and on the field.  And they are waiting for you after your game to tell you how proud they are of you.  Even after and 0-for game. (In Baseball Heaven-0-fors to not excist)
• When you pitch, you throw perfect games.  This doesn't mean the batters couldn't hit off of you necessarily. This means- every game you throw in Baseball Heaven, is a perfect game.
• Your mit is perfectly oiled and broken in.
• Nasty one-hoppers do not exist in Baseball Heaven unless they conclude in a web-gem catch.
• Your cleats kiss the concrete in the dugout perfectly everytime-a sound that makes you smile.
• Cleat chasers, are in Baseball Hell. They are not in Baseball Heaven.
• Every mom is The Team Mom.
• You still cannot step on the foul lines in Baseball Heaven.
• You don't have to measure the plate in Baseball Heaven.  Your bat will cover it just fine.
• You rob homeruns, then give them to the poor.
• Pete Rose makes the Hall of Fame in Baseball Heaven.
• I get to play catch with my dad again in Baseball Heaven.
• There are no rain delays in Baseball Heaven.
• You don't have to break in your cleats.
• Everyone has his/her own walkup song.
• The umpires in Baseball Heaven have a consistent strike-zone
• There's no crying in Baseball...Heaven
• Every player makes the All Star team

With Father's Day just around the corner, I became inspired, and just like every Father's Day before that, I will pour a bottle of dad's favorite whiskey in the coach's box where he would rarely give me the sign to bunt.