Many of my favorite childhood memories are of my grandfather taking me to Chavez Ravine to see the Dodgers play.
The one that will be forever cemented in my memory was my first ever trip to Dodger Stadium. It was a Sunday afternoon game on May 23rd, 1982. In my first ever game at the ballpark (I was five years old), I saw Bob Welch throw a complete game shutout against the vaunted St. Louis Cardinals (who were deep, with Ozzie Smith, Keith Hernandez, rookie superstar Willie McGee, etc.). They even went on to win the World Series that year.
But as great as it was to see my heroes like Ron Cey and Steve Garvey, I was mesmerized by the performance of Bob Welch. Everything he did was flawless. He was an artisan pitcher of the highest order. Fortunately, it would be the first of many memorable starts that I would have the pleasure of witnessing until Welch went to Oakland in 1988. However, as good as they were, they will never replace the magic of that first game.
I've been lucky enough to witness a lot of amazing things in my life. I've seen the sun kiss the rooftops of ancient bathetic cities, felt the sand between my toes on majestic beaches on different oceans, I've stood, awestruck, in the early morning in the Pacific Northwest, watching the Northern Lights cascade across the sky... And I've seen Bob Welch take the bump at Chavez Ravine and mow down a handful of superstars and future Hall of Famers.
I was never the same after that. I was, from that moment on, A "Baseball Man." That love never leaves you, no matter how many times the game breaks your heart. It's a lifelong love, and Bobby Welch was a huge catalyst in creating that spark.
The older you get, the more it means.
Mr. Welch left us a few years back, but I can only hope he's on the mound, somewhere, in some other life, bringing joy to a little boy at the ballpark for the very first time.
In the meantime, here in This world, pitchers and catchers report to camp at Camelback Ranch in three months. And after that, for a few months out of the year, I get to be a kid again. Some would say Bobby Welch won't be there, but I'd have to disagree..
