Looking back at 2008

All of my life, I have associated years with the significant events that happened that year. And often, that association was baseball related. 1967 was the Red Sox/Cardinals and Bob Gibson... 1969 was the Orioles (I saw them play in Anaheim that year) and the Amazin Mets... 1975 was the Red Sox/Reds and Game 6... 1982 was Harvey's Wallbangers... 1989 was the A's/Giants and the earthquake... 1998 was the great home run chase and the year my family and I went on our baseball vacation...

And there are the Strat-centered references. 1987 was the birth of the Warpigs... 1989 was my first title... 1995 was the year we lost the division to the Fungoes and then got a second chance against him in the World Series...

And of course there are other things outside of baseball I associate with certain years. 1963 was the Kennedy assassination (both of my parents were in Dallas to see him that day)... 1969 was man walking on the moon... 1978 was the year I graduated high school... 1982 was the year I got married... 1987 was Aren... 1993 was Kara... 2007 was when I became Catholic...

So what things will we associate with 2008? Our country elected its first black President... Michael Phelps dominated the Olympics... the Inmates won their first division title... the DVs reached their first World Series... the Killer Bees won their first championship...

But 2008 will always be, for me, the year we lost Herman. It still seems almost surreal that he is not here and won't be at the draft next year. I keep expecting to hear from him with some question about the computer or how to order his cards or a comment about something I wrote on Big Innings. Everytime I make a trade I expect an email ragging on me about how I took advantage of someone. And I don't know WHAT I'm going to do about my tax questions next year.

This past year was rough. It took its toll on us emotionally and physically. We argued and fought, but we laughed and made up, too. We head into 2009 with a new owner, a new champion, and maybe a new perspective on Strat's place in our lives. It may not be life or death, but it's important in the connection it gives us to each other and the release it gives us from the day to day grind of work. It's nice to have something like that. Something we love. Something that requires us to count on each other and have others count on us.

Here's to a great and prosperous 2009. Let's have some fun. To quote manager Jimmy Dugan in A League of Their Own...
May our feet be swift; may our bats be mighty; may our balls... be plentiful.