Last Saturday Jeff and I didn’t have any plans to go out that evening. We were running a bunch of errands with the kids and just kind of having a lazy day. At about noon, our friend Brian called and told us about a function that was going on that evening for the Orem Owls, which is the minor league team for the LA Angels and that Mike Scioscia was going to be there. He said someone had canceled and he asked if we wanted to go. Uh, yeah! Jeff grew up with Mike Scioscia playing for the Dodgers and he was one of his childhood heroes. So we asked Laura if she’d watch the kids and we went. Jeff had meant to find a Scioscia baseball card but forgot so when we got there and we were standing in line to meet him, we didn’t know what he was going to sign. We had some gum so I suggested he sign a gum wrapper so we went with that. And that I saw Jeff’s iPhone with his white cover and I said, “Have him sign your iPhone!” YES! It was brilliant! So it was finally our turn and he got to meet Mike Scioscia and shake his hand and take our picture with him. He said it was the first time he’s ever been asked to sign either of those things. We like being original. Jeff asked him if it was alright that he was here as a Dodger fan and Mike said, “Yeah, that’s okay. We won’t give you priority seating or anything, but you can stay.” We shook his hands, which are really strong by the way, and got our picture taken with him.

After that we had a nice dinner and he gave a little speech/talk/whatever it’s called and at the end he took some questions. Someone asked him what his favorite baseball memory/moment is and he said the 1988 World Series. He was a Dodger back then. That’s Jeffy’s favorite baseball memory/moment as well. Jeffy asked him if he ever raced Benji Molina and Mike Scioscia started to chuckle. He said that one time, Tommy Lasorda said that if Mike was in a race with his pregnant wife he’d come in third. He said he wasn’t very fast but he could have beaten Benji. Then a guy in the back of the room with a Yankees hat on raised his hand, and once Mike saw that it was a Yankee hat, he told him to go somewhere else and didn’t answer his question! We all thought he was joking but he never did answer his question! Too funny.

It was fun to be there with Jeffy and to see him meet this man who he watched and knew all of his stats and everything. I love the passion Jeffy has for baseball. I love that I have come to love baseball and everything it represents. I love baseball diamonds and the way they look. I love the smell of the dirt and the smell of the grass and I especially love baseball diamonds at night. The game can be so relaxing to watch but yet so exhilarating at times! I love it! And I’m thankful to Brian for thinking of Jeffy to come and meet Mike Scioscia. It was fun!