Tobiah's First Twins Game

Four weeks ago today Tobiah William entered the world. I'm still amazed and in awe that I'm actually a dad. The thing is that I'm absolutely loving it. Tobiah is such a good little guy. I know that every parent loves their kid and think they are the best, but I really think he's a little stud. One of the things that I always imagined was taking by boy to "the game". I think James Earl Jones said it the best in the movie Field of Dreams

"The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game: it's a part of our past, Ray. It reminds of us of all that once was good and it could be again." Terence Mann - Field of Dreams

I love that movie for so many reasons. It's about a man foolishly chasing his dream and following voice that ultimately will become his destiny. I love that it is about the game of baseball and how nostalgic the game has been. It looks back to the past when towns would recruit players to play town team baseball. I love that its about old players coming back one more time to relive their dream. The dream that was stolen from them from the commissioner of baseball after the black sox scandal in 1919. I love all the twist and turns that the movie gives us. I love that quote by James Earl Jones and how it describes the game and how baseball has been the only consistent thing in the history of our great country. The thing I love most of all is how Ray sees his dad on his field and how Ray realizes that everything he went through in building the field was to give Ray the opportunity to make amends with his dad. The quote below is the end of the first conversation that Ray has with his dad.

John Kinsella: Well, good night Ray.
Ray Kinsella: Good night, John.
[They shake hands and John begins to walk away]
Ray Kinsella: Hey... Dad?
[John turns]
Ray Kinsella: [choked up] "You wanna have a catch?"
John Kinsella: I'd like that. 

That's gets me so emotional. To me there isn't anything more special then a son playing catch with his dad. I think back of the hundred maybe thousands of times that I've played catch with my dad. I love and treasure every throw, the sound of a ball crisply hitting the glove, that feel of the ball moving through the air. Today as I sit typing this, I wonder how many times my dad had to hold back the tears as him and I were playing catch? I bet Ray felt the same way as he had a "catch" with his dad and I look forward to the first time that Tobiah and I play catch. I say all of that to properly set up how special it was for me to take Tobiah to his first game. I know that he didn't understand where he was at or what he was doing or even how monumental that moment was for me. I've always dreamed of having a son that I could enjoy the game of baseball with. The reason I desire it so much is because I know the bond the game can create. My dad and I are best friends today and a major driver is because of the bond we have for baseball. It was my dad's first love, my first love and hopefully it will be Tobiah's first love.

 It was giddy all day because we were to Tobiah's first Twins game, but Steph was also going to bring him to my work and give my coworkers an opportunity to meet them. Tobiah was a little hungry when he arrived and was a little fussy, but there were plenty of "moms" there to hold him and have him stop fussing. It was so much fun for me to watch my coworkers hold him or even stop down and meet him. At about 5:30, we were off to the game. I never really took time to think about all the extra time it takes to get around with a baby. Not only do you need to feed and change him, but you need to pack his diaper bag (diapers, wet wipes, extra clothes, bibs, pacifiers and burp rags), get him into his car seat, placing him in the car, taking him out of the car, strapping on the Bjorn, loading him into the Bjorn, adjusting the Bjorn and grabbing his diaper bag. That is quite a few more steps then go, park, go.

 We did not sit in our normal seats behind home plate, we sat in the 2nd row of the Powerball Pavillion. The seats were a lot of fun. I love getting a different perspective of the park. Attached are the pictures I took from our seats. The weather was absolutely perfect. The game time temperature was 78 degrees with a slight breeze. Tobiah was such a trooper during the game. He was super good. He slept for the first two innings, with the exception of one time when the announcer said "Baseball fans, your Minnesota Twins". He jerked himself awake gave a big smile, yawned and fell back a sleep.

It was such a perfect night (except for the Twins losing), the best part of the game was Ben Revere making one of the best catches I've seen in my life. He chased down a ball hit to dead center and with his numbers facing home plate, he lept and caught the ball as he crashed into the 411 sign in dead center. The ball was crushed on a line and Revere chased it down 50 yards and then lept and caught it. It was honestly a great catch. I later heard Gordo's radio call of that play and Gordo even said that Revere won't catch this one. That kid plays with heart, Twins style, now only if we can get him to ground out to the pitcher so much.

Even if Ben Revere didn't make that catch it still would of been a memorable night for Steph and I. This is only the first of hundreds of Twins games that I will be taking him to in his life. I'm so happy that we had the opportunity to enjoy it outside at Target Field. Tobiah will never be subject to the confines of the Metrodome. He will only know outdoor baseball, the way God meant it.