I have Autism, not cooties.: Why baseball means so much to me.

Update: Edited on April 25 to add pics of the opener.

I know I post a lot of baseball related pics. I don't know a lot of stats. I love watching the game. Walking into the stadium and hearing batting practice and people cheering.

The smells. Hot dogs. Popcorn. Cotton candy.

I grew up going to the Metrodome. Kent Hrbek will forever be my favorite Twins player. Not because he went to Kennedy as well (albeit earlier than I did) but because he's an awesome player and guy.

I grew up in a baseball loving family. I don't remember how old I was when my dad coached the women's softball team at our church, but I do remember going to watch them play, and loving it.

I played my first year of softball when I was in 3rd grade. We lost every game. I told my dad that I was never going to play again! He said, "Yes, you are. Look at this way, you can't get any worse." I'm glad he made me stick with it, because I played until I graduated (with one year of fast pitch thrown in at Kennedy). I played on various co-rec teams for a long time, and I love every second of it.

We went to different baseball stadiums on every vacation starting when I was 9. I think it was a random, "Hey, the Angels are in town, let's go to the game!"

(That was the trip where the tarantula was in the bathroom at our campground. Not a pleasant memory of mine)

My dad and I went to a few places by ourselves too, when I was around 11-12. Chicago, Kansas City, and Milwaukee.

When I was 14, we went to Detroit with my Uncle Tom, Aunt Cora, and cousin Tedd. Doubleheader! We didn't tell Tom until after the first game though, because he wouldn't have gone otherwise! Haha!

In 1993 (I was 17 and it was my last family vacation) we went to Denver. It was the Inaugural year for the Rockies, and we needed to see some mountains. We stayed in a at a KOA Kampground in a cabin (kabin?) but I slept in the truck, where there WEREN'T mice and spiders. My family could have those, thankyouverymuch. That's when I decided that the Rockies were going to be my second favorite team.

In 2008, we road tripped to Denver for the weekend to see the Twins (and Justin Morneau!) play the Rockies. And see their new(ish) stadium. We left on a Froday afternoon, watched the Saints play in Sioux Falls Friday evening, saw the Twins game Saturday night, and made it home Sunday night. Hard core fans drive that much in one weekend.

In 2012, we went to Arizona for Spring Training, and to visit the army base where I was born. That was a blast! Woke up in Sierra Vista to 36 degree weather, while it was 50 in Minneapolis. 🙄 That was the first (and hopefully only!) time a kid behind me puked during the game. We went to a Golden Corral on the way home for breakfast, and Dad said, "If all you have for breakfast is cotton candy and chocolate fountain, you're riding in the trunk!" That's not the ONLY thing I ate, so we were safe ;)

We toured Chase Field, so I decided that because of my Arizona background, I need to love them too.

In 2014, we went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for minor league ball. On the way we stopped at FIELD OF DREAMS. I basically ran around saying things like, "Kevin Costner stood here! James Earl Jones sat here!" And stood in varying stages of disappear in the corn taking selfies. Because duh.

We went to the home opener in 2010, the Twins' first year at Target Field, and we're going this year, on his birthday. Tomorrow. BASEBALL.

I've been to 20 (I think) MLB Stadiums in the US and Canada. He always told me when I was younger that guys would be impressed by that. I'd roll my eyes and give a, "Whatever". Now I roll my eyes because he was right.

I'm sure I learned to keep score at a young age. We're going to work on that with Nick tomorrow. 😉

So, I may not have memorized tons of stats, or know who the home run leader is, (wait, yes I do, it's Barry Bonds. Holla!) but I LOVE to go to games. I don't care if my team loses. I'm not a fair weather fan. I have a TC tattoo on my foot, for crying out loud! #dedication

My favorite movie is Field of Dreams. Obviously.

Love you, Dad!

Home opener in 2010