October

October might be my favorite month. I love that it starts to get cool and I am released from the oppressive heat of the south. I love seeing the leaves change colors. But, most of all I love the World Series.

For most of my childhood and adolescence I believed that I would grow up to be the replacement for Cal Ripken Jr. The stage was set perfectly. Cal began his career at nearly 21 years old and retired when I was about to turn 18. There might have been a short little gap between us as I worked my way through the minor league system, but this could have been filled by Miguel Tejada. By 2004 he would have been out because of steroids and the next homegrown Marylander would take the reigns for a 21 year career at SS for the Baltimore Orioles. Sadly, this never came to fruition. But in spite of my failures, I still get giddy in October. This World Series however has made me feel old. The reason is Raul Mondesi.

I remember baseball players from the 80's and 90's with an alarming accuracy. But, if I met them in real life I might not recognize them. For me, this is Raul Mondesi:

That's mid 90's baseball gold. It was smack dab in the middle of the steroid age and the junk wax era and I was dialed in. Raul Mondesi is about 12 years older than me. His son however was just named to the Royals' World Series roster. He made his debut yesterday in game three, striking out. (p.s. Baltimore, I could've debuted and struck out as well). But, what made me feel old is that I'm about 12 years older than Raul Mondesi Jr.

Good grief. I started feeling old when players that I collected hawkishly like Matt Williams and Don Mattingly started becoming managers. But this takes the cake!