While I’m not a big fan of interleague play, I am excited to see the Dodgers play the Rangers this weekend. And it’s not just because they share the -gers suffix. ;)
My early post “Back in the day” talks about my love for baseball over the years, stretching back into early childhood. I am told we were Athletics fans when I was a baby*, but as a military brat who moved around a bit before alighting in Texas, I wound up a childhood fan of the Rangers.
The team was never that good during my fan years of the mid-70s to mid-80s, though they turned in a few close calls in the AL West. The Rangers didn’t make the playoffs until the 90s. Luckily for my childhood sports fan ego, I had the Cowboys to cheer for in the 70s.
But despite it all, if it was summer time (and the heat + humidity outside wasn’t fatal ;) I was running around the “bases” in my back yard, throwing and batting a tennis ball off a brick wall, playing as a Ranger.
I’m a recently minted Dodgers fan, circa 2002-03, and like any religious convert am something of a zealot. However, there’s still a part of me that adores the Rangers, so this weekend’s interleague series between my two baseball loves at the new Arlington ballpark feels pretty special.
However, I will still be rooting for the Dodgers to kick their butts. :)
* Being born in Northern California, thank goodness I didn’t wind up a Giants fan! ;)