Ah yes, it is that time of year again when the cold grip of Winter loosens and the boys of summer take the field. Baseball season has begun. I am hardly one that could be labeled a sports nut. I don't follow any team so closely that I can tell you the names of their first string players or their stats. It is rare that I catch a full regular season game on television; although when the World Series is on in October I try to catch majority of those games.

Despite my status of being an absent fan, baseball has always been something special to me. As a child playing a pick-up game at a neighbor's house was the standard activity during the Spring and Summer. Going to the Indianapolis Indians with my Grandfather and the whole family was a highly anticipated outing and is the source of many great memories. I remember watching the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds on television and standing in the living room imitating Pete Rose's or Johnny Bench's swing at the plate.

As an adult the opportunity to take in an Indians game has become a rare treat; but one that I plan for at least once or twice a year. The whole experience of attending a baseball game with your family and friends has a Zen quality to it. Shouting out the song "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" with over a thousand other fans at the end of the seventh inning is great fun. The thrill of that ball being knocked deep into the outfield at the bottom of the ninth inning is energizing. Mostly its about taking a few hours out of a busy schedule and getting back in touch with that inner-child and creating new memories with your family and friends.

Play ball!