My Poor Son

by kwellborn on Jul 28, 2008 1:51 PM CDT Comment 32 comments

Last year my family and I went to Rangers home series right before the All Star break. I remember asking my son, who was almost four at the time, who his favorite Rangers were (his favorite player is Roberto Clemente). He told me Mark Teixeira, Kenny Loftin, and Eric Gagne. Last year was the first season that my son was really old enough to have favorite players. Before that every time a player with a darker skin was up he thought it was Soriano and all the white players were Hank Blalock. Needless to say, last year was a tough trading deadline for him. It was not easy telling him his guys were traded away. I remember how I felt being 12 and the Rangers trading away ruben Sierra, but at least he was my favorite Ranger and as a kid I was excited about Jose Conseco coming to Texas. This year if you ask him who his favorite player is, he would quickly tell you, Jarrod Saltalamacchia. He says it quite well, I must admit. As you know, it is looking like Salts days may be numbered.

I know there are some other dads here with kids of all ages. Have any of you experienced anything like this? How have yall explained it to your kids?

By the way, I am hoping he doesn't start rooting too hard for Ian Kinsler or Josh Hamilton. I may have to make up some stuff about them, like they kick dogs and they hate Star Wars.

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A 4/5 year old's

favorite player is Roberto Clemente? How did that happen? I’m 25 and I’ve seen just a handful of clips on him….

I'm undefeated in fights. Have I been in any? No. Thats because people know my f'ing status. Don't mess with the elite. - Miles

by Dirk Diggler on Jul 28, 2008 1:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Clemente

I think he was my first baseball hero as a kid as well.

Rangers Farm Probables

by shroomer on Jul 28, 2008 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

mine as well

i did a book report on him when i was in middle school. ever since then…

Josh Hamilton is better than you.

by Longhorn on Jul 28, 2008 3:02 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

See, that I could understand

But how does a 4 year old know who he is?

I'm undefeated in fights. Have I been in any? No. Thats because people know my f'ing status. Don't mess with the elite. - Miles

by Dirk Diggler on Jul 28, 2008 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

My son

loves to hear baseball stuff. I read the biography Clemente by David Maraniss. http://www.amazon.com/Clemente-Passion-Grace-Baseballs-Last/dp/0743217810
I also bought him the book, Roberto Clemente; the Pride of the Pittsburgh Pirates by John Winter.
http://www.amazon.com/Roberto-Clemente-Pride-Pittsburgh-Pirates/dp/1416950826/ref=pd_sbs_b_2
He is my favorite player that I never got to see, or I should say he was. My wife found someone who was selling the 1971 World Series on DVD. So my son and I have have watched him play. He loves Clemente because I love Clemente.

Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Jul 28, 2008 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

also

the show on FSN “The Golden Age” is one of our favorite shows.

Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Jul 28, 2008 9:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK

fair enough. Your little boy probably has seen more of him than I have..

I'm undefeated in fights. Have I been in any? No. Thats because people know my f'ing status. Don't mess with the elite. - Miles

by Dirk Diggler on Jul 28, 2008 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Tell him to root for Chuck Morgan

He’s always at the top of his game, and the Rangers shouldn’t trade him to another club at the deadline. That Kansas City thing never happened.

That, or Rangers Captain. My kid calls it “Big Horsey”.

It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin

by txranger7 on Jul 28, 2008 2:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

That, or Rangers Captain. My kid calls it "Big Horsey".

I would kill that horse if given the opportunity…

by Lo'Ranger(s)714 on Jul 28, 2008 3:07 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your son

is racist.

There is no such thing as "untouchable".

by miles on Jul 28, 2008 3:08 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

He's not old enough to know what race is.

He’s more like a colorist.

by GhettoBear04 on Jul 28, 2008 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But he's old enough to know who

Clemente is?

"Sooner or later, prospects kill you, because you hang onto them." - Greggo, 11/22/2005

by Agreen07 on Jul 28, 2008 3:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

There is no such thing as global warming. David Murphy was cold, so he turned the sun up.

by SarasotaRanger on Jul 28, 2008 3:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No

if anything my son was a racist when he was 2, then he grew out of it. Which is about the age that everyone should grow out of it. My mom says that when I was two I would scream and cry at the sight of Asian people. Fortunately, I grew out of this.

Ephesians 1:3-10

by kwellborn on Jul 28, 2008 9:40 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

How I remember the Rangers

These memories are from when I was very young, so it is possible that this Rangers “team” was never actually on the field at the same time, but I remember them like this:

Geno Petralli
Rafael Palmeiro
SS Jeff Huson
Julio Franco
Steve Buechele
LF Inky
CF Cecil Espy
RF Ruben Sierra

I loved Steve Buechele and was crushed when he was replaced by Dean Palmer. As I reflect back, Deano was obviously the superior player, but I’ll never forgive him for replacing Steve, BOOOOOOOOOOO-shell. I also hoped Inky would play here forever, but the reality was that he never was nearly as good as he was in the eyes of a child. In reality, he should have been better. Maybe if he had spent some time in the minors… I didn’t mind too much when Pudge pushed Geno to the backup role because hell, he was PUDGE. But man, every time one of those players got traded, it was like being told Santa wasn’t real. Like another suck-ass life lesson. In hindsight, I got to enjoy that team relatively unchanged for a pretty good length of time.

There’s probably not a good thing to your kid. Not everything is a teaching opportunity, and it won’t be long until he understands on his own anyway.

by bhudson on Jul 28, 2008 3:24 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

to ^TELL your kid...

that is

by bhudson on Jul 28, 2008 3:25 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Love those guys...

Sierra leaving was a huge shocker.

I remember when we picked up Raffy and Julio… great trades!

Someday I will become a RangerMAN!

by RangerBoy on Jul 28, 2008 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Inky = Shane Churla

Don’t know why, but the mention of one always conjures up thoughts of the other.

by robert_d_wilfong on Jul 28, 2008 5:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

That man

racked up an impressive amount of penalty minutes.

"Sooner or later, prospects kill you, because you hang onto them." - Greggo, 11/22/2005

by Agreen07 on Jul 28, 2008 5:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I still remember

going out in the backyard with my dad and playing catch.

If it was a popup I had to run for, I would yell out that I was Oddibie McDowell as I ran for the ball.

A grounder and I would shout that I was Jerry Browne, who I loved because my dad called him “the Guvnah”... Does anyone remember Jerry Browne? Was that just my Dad’s nickname for him? Or was the gov’na a real nickname for him, and why?

The 40 Trumps All!!!

by thedirkatron on Jul 28, 2008 6:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Jerry Browne vs. Jerry Brown

Baseball Player: http://www.baseball-reference.com/b/brownje01.shtml (The Governor appears to be an authorized nickname)

Politician: Governor of California from 1975-1983
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Brown

I remember Mark Holtz calling him “The Governor” on the radio, but I didn’t understand why until the politician ran for President in 1992.

It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin

by txranger7 on Jul 28, 2008 6:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey, thanks

For some reason when I thought of the old Rangers from when I was a kid and the players I idolized he popped into my mind and I couldn’t for the life of me remember why we called Jerry Browne the Governor.

Now that I read about the politician I vaguely remember my Dad explaining it to me back in the day.

Thanks.

You’re the man now, dog.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

by thedirkatron on Jul 28, 2008 7:05 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I got to meet Boo a couple of weeks ago

His son was is a 3rd baseman for the Palm Springs Power. He also attends OU. I was in Palm springs a few weeks ago and saw someone that looked like him, but put it out of my mind quickly knowing I had just seen him 2 days before on Fox taking Busby’s place. Then a player named I think Garret Buechele came to the plate, and I thought that was weird. How many Buechele’s could there be. I then looked for the guy (small crowd to witness the game with a starting temp of 110) There he was sitting in between a bunch of shirts with BOO on them. Got to talk to him before I left, really nice guy. That brought back memeories of my child hood.

by Ranger Capt on Jul 28, 2008 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You

CAN ACT LIKE A MAN! What’s the matter with you? Is this how you turned out? A Hollywood finocchio that cries like a woman?

by brettgardner on Jul 28, 2008 3:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

How the hell

Does your son know who Roberto Clemente is?

Salty is not going anywhere, do not be dumb. If his favorite player were Gerald Laird though, I would be worried.

by SaltyGoesYard on Jul 28, 2008 5:35 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Tell your son...

his favorite player is Kevin Millwood. Whether he likes it or not. Hurry up, you have 3 more days ton convince him.

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jul 28, 2008 5:48 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

to not ton

"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates

by slc ranger on Jul 28, 2008 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Max Newberg loves Franchise Face

Maybe you should steer your little dude in that direction, cause, apart from one little card-throwing-out-of-the-back-window-of-a-moving-car incident, that seems to working out for the Newberg clan.

And with FF’s contract, dude ain’t going nowhere, so no worries about that apsect.

The 40 Trumps All!!!

by thedirkatron on Jul 28, 2008 6:05 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs