As I said before baseball is more than just a game. Baseball is about the memories that come from going to a game, watching a game on TV, hearing a game on the radio or just a simple game of catch. When I see or hear anything about old Drillers Stadium in Tulsa the first thing that pops in my mind is the sights, sounds and smells of the game. Yes, I said smells. The sight of the field when I would first walk into the seating area would render me breathless every time. The sight of the players warming up and getting ready for the game. The sight of watching a player hustle down the first base line during the game. The sound of the ball popping in the gloves and the sound of the crack of the bat and ever the sound of the crowd. The smell of the hot dogs, hamburgers and all other kinds of food. The smell of the grass after it has been prepared for the game. All these things rush through my head when I think about Drillers Stadium. I'm sure I'm not the only baseball fan that has that happen to them when thinking about a certain stadium. I will never forget when I went to my first Major League game. My sister and my mom surprised me and my nephew with tickets to go see the Texas Rangers play in Kansas City against the Royals. I knew that major league stadiums were much bigger than minor league stadiums. But I so amazed just how big Kauffman Stadium is. The stadium can seat 39,000 people and seeing how old Drillers Stadium could hold about 10,000 you can just imagine how amazed I was. I had seen the Rangers play before. It was when the Rangers played the Tulsa Drillers in exhibition games back when they were still affiliated with each other. I will never forget just how big Jose Canseco was in person. And I will never forget the monster home run he hit during one of the exhibition games one year. There was a Homeland store (Wallgreens now) that sat across the street from the old Drillers Stadium. Canseco's home run landed on the roof about middle ways on the building. If you have ever driven past the old Drillers Stadium in Tulsa on 15th and Yale you know just how for that was. Maybe one day I will get to see the Rangers play in their stadium in Texas at the Ballpark In Arlington.
So why am I a big Texas Rangers fan? Well when I was little and had been to a few Tulsa Drillers games my dad told me that the Drillers were affiliated with the Texas Rangers and I guess that sealed it. I loved the Drillers and if they were affiliated with the Rangers then I love the Rangers too. But that love for the Rangers soon grew into a die hard obsession for the Rangers. I was sad when in 2003 the Rangers moved their affiliation from the Drillers to another minor league double A team. There was this connection with they players where you could see them live and in person one year in Tulsa and the very next season you could see them reach the heights of the major leagues with the Rangers. I don't know, I just grew up a Rangers fan. It is in my DNA. I am such a huge fan of the Rangers that I remember Nolan Ryan's last season before retiring. I was able to pick up the end of a Rangers game on the radio when they played the Seattle Mariners in Seattle on September 22, 1993. Nolan Ryan was pitching and during the game he tore a ligament in his throwing elbow. Still with his arm injured he continued to pitch until he could no longer stand the pain. His last pitch was recorded at 98 MPH despite the torn ligament! With only a couple weeks left in the season this would be the last time Nolan Ryan would pitch. What I remember most was at the end of the game during the Rangers post game show they talked to Nolan about his injury and about his career then played a small tribute to him. I cried. I knew the end was coming at the end of the season but this was too soon. Nolan was scheduled to pitch at least one more time but his injury wouldn't allow that to happen. So there I was at the age of fifteen crying like I had just lost a loved one. But really I had just lost my hero. When something about your team makes you cry then you know that you are a die hard fan.
In baseball I have learned that heroes come and go. Players of my father's generation like Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams all have left behind a legacy of greatness. Sadly for my generation the same cannot be said. All star sluggers such as Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzalez and others all were destined to leave the same legacy of greatness, that is until we all found out that they all used steroids. Their legacy will be tarnished in the eyes of the fans forever. Not all of my generation's stars used steroids. All stars like Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn, Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr, Wade Boggs, Mike Schmidt and Will Clark are the true stars of my generation. Someday fans will look back on them the same way we do with Mantle, Mays and DiMaggio. As I said before, in baseball heroes come and go. The Ozzie Smiths and the Mike Schmidts have all retired but a new fresh crop of stars are rising up to take their place. Stars like Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Troy Tulowizki, and Prince Fielder all have very bright futures ahead of them.
In the years ahead I look forward to sharing all my memories of baseball with my kids. I look forward to telling them about all the stars that have come and gone maybe even tell them I seen a legend or two. I can't wait to take them to baseball games or watch a game on TV with them. I especially am looking forward to playing a simple game of catch with them. Although I may not be as brave as my mom by not using a glove. I always told her that she was tougher than leather because of that. I know that this may sound lame but baseball means so much to me. Not because of the teams or the players but because of the memories of family and friends. As I said baseball is more than just a game.
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