Baseball 2009

Baseball season 2009 has officially started. It's a great time of the year even if you get 4-6 inches of snow this week like we did in Northeast Ohio.

Dave Porter forwarded me this article from National Review and I thought I would pass it along. In short, it's basically 30 different fans stating why they love their MLB team.

http://article.nationalreview.com/print/?q=MGU5M2QzNTM4MWQ3Y2MzYjY4ODY5MzNiZTMzN2FhNDk

It got me thinking about friends of mine who have particular favorite teams. I though I might list them below in the order they show in the article.

Baltimore Orioles - #1 O's fan in my life has to be Brian Whisler, Grove City College buddy.

Boston Red Sox - Two guys come to mind - Steve Farrington, fellow little league coach, a true life long devotion to his beloved Sox. Steve breaks the mold in that he is not a typically Sox fan. He loves the game, loves his Sox, but is civil about it.

The other friend is my cousin Steph's boss - Glenn Montgomery. Glenn has graciously invited me to a Sox game this summer and I am planning on taking my daughter Annie to a game at Fenway. We can't wait.

My best friend growing up in Chagrin, John Niemoller, does not count. He lives in the Boston area and jumped on the bandwagon in recent years. Sorry John.

New York Yankees - Yankee fans are certainly the worst. I have to list my brother Doug. We have lively chats about the Yanks.

Tampa Bay Rays - My good friend Mike Barrett has a brother Tom who lives in TB. TB, Tom Barrett, obviously loves the Rays - they wear his initials on their hats.

Toronto Blue Jays - No one comes to mind.

Chicago White Sox - honor goes to my neighbors Paul Murphy and his son Daniel. Paul grew up on the south side of Chicago and is very devoted. We still love him.

Detroit Tigers - #1 Tiges fan is my dear Christian brother, Joe Abraham. Extremely devoted. Sadly, he is a UM grad and loves his Wolverines as well.

KC Royals - There are no Royals fans that I am aware of.

Minnesota Twins - Good friend Jimmy Grosz grew up in the Twin Cities, now resides in West Palm Beach, FL. Solid Twins fan.

AL West: A's, Rangers, Angels, Mariners - pass

Other notables:

Pirates - the once proud franchise is now the laughing stock of MLB. I know many Pirates fans. My father grew up a fan, as did my Mom's dad. I remember Grandpa Migliore always listening to Pirate games when we visited. Other notable fans: Brett Flenniken and Dave Porter, two of my closest friends. Very solid guys, very loyal to their beloved Buccos.

Cardinals - GCC buddy Marc Cooper is a huge Cardinals fan. One of my favorite GCC memories was watching the 1982 World Series at school with Marc. Cards played the Brewers. I rooted hard for the Brewers, but Marc's Cards prevailed.

Phillies - My good friend Andrew Higgins comes to mind. Andrew grew up in Philly and now lives in Green Bay, WI. It was fun last year talking to Andrew as the Phils won the World Series.

Cleveland Indians - of course, I am devoted. My good friend Jim Gilmore is also worth a special mention. Jim is a passionate baseball fan and since moving to Cleveland he has faithfully supported the Tribe. I have been to many many baseball games with many different people. There is no one better than Jim.

If I forgot someone, please forgive me.

Go Tribe