Diamonds For Women

[sunnyblue]

Well hello there, Pearl. It's so nice to see you back and posting again. I read your post and it seems like the plate has been full lately. Congratulations on the new grandbaby. I have been wondering about you and also about Riverdunesrat, too. Wish you could have joined us at the All Star Game. Hope you got to read about the fun we had. One of these days we may even get pictures of it posted, lol, but I am counting on Cathy for that.

Our Dodgers are up and down since the break. Who knows what the next few weeks will bring! It sure looks up in the air right now!

[Pearl Girl]

I am always, ever hopeful, never say die, positive the Dodgers will rebound and be playoff bound. I am such a optimist when it comes to the Dodgers every season. I drive my husband nuts! No surprise there.

So I am sure they will start to pile up those W's, and crushing the cubs always makes me smile. Wish they crushed the giants more often! Ha ha, the two teams I dislike the most.

So GOOOOOOOOOOOO DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
_________________
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.

- A Bartlett Giamatti

[dodgerblue6]

Well, we took the season series from the Cubs and still lead the Giants head-to-head, so September will determine that. I am always the optimist, too!

Sunny:

[forloveofthegame]

It looks like a voice from our past has returned. Welcome back to the Diamonds board, Pearl girl!

I agree, it would have been real fun to have her join us at the game last month. What a fun time we all had together, not only for the big game, but for the activities we were all involved with. The Fan Fest, the Home Run Derby, being a fan and a volunteer at many of the events. For me personally it was just such a fun time and I know the other gals agree. If you have not read our stories about that week, I hope you will take some time to do that. And by the way congratulations to your family on the new baby! If she is a future baseball fan then all the better!

[dodgerblue6]

[sunnyblue]

To Cathy,

[Pearl Girl]

I watched Roy pitch to the Astros today. He sure pitched a gem as did Kershaw, but alas, no run support for Kershaw. Looks like the Dodger's season is slowly slipping away. Makes me sad to see this, but I don't think they are getting the attention from the owner(s) they should be getting. There should be a law that if you own a MLB team you are NOT ALLOWED to divorce while being an owner.

Have been busier than a one-armed paper hanger. With the economy in bad shape I have more business than I can shake a stick at. I have a consulting business for non-profits and advise them how to be more visible in the community, how to increase their donations, fund raisers, how to increase their volunteer base, write grants, etc. So you can imagine how bad things are now for all those non-profits out there. Gives new meaning to the term "non-profit."

And we have a new granddaughter. So my daughter has been spending lots of time at our house getting kid help.

I need to start taking more time for me so that I don't go crazy. It is hard to imagine that MLB season is almost over. Very, very sad that the Dodgers have not done better. I am still hopeful for a miracle. It's not over till it's over.

Hope you are all well.

And now I can go out and buy a Barajas jersey. It was always my hope that he would be a Dodger. Since that is my name, I am thrilled that he is a Dodger, as is all my family and all the legions of Barajas in Spain!!!!
_________________
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.

- A Bartlett Giamatti

[forloveofthegame]

Hi there, Pearl.

[Pearl Girl]

My poor little new baby granddaughter was admitted to the Children's Hopsital Sunday morning. She has some virus, they don't know what, but she is dehydrated and not eating. She may be there two days depending upon what she has. Please keep her in your prayers. She is so tiny and hooked up to all kinds of things right now in her little bed. Her mom, my daughter, is staying with her.
_________________
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.

- A Bartlett Giamatti

[dodgerblue6]

OMG, Pearl! How difficult to have a little one in the hospital. I will definitely pray for her. Pobrecita!

Hope you are able to enjoy a nice holiday!
_________________
"The Dodgers have always occupied an enormous place in the history of the game. If the Yankees are the most successful team in baseball history, the Dodgers are the most essential. Their legacy is unique."

-Baseball Hall of Fame

[forloveofthegame]

How is the baby doing? I hope she's better now. Please let us know.

[Pearl Girl]

Thanks everyone for your concerns and good thoughts. They released Madelyn from the hospital with instructions if this and that did not happen to take her back. A day later they were back in the emergency room of The Texas Children's Hospital from 10:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. when the decided to re-admit her. She stayed a few nore days was released and then went back again. This time they kept her until she was completely well, eating and doing all the other things babies are supposed to be doing at that young age. Which only covers, eating, sleeping and pooping!! But she got it all under control again, with no more fever, and most importantly, no more dehydration. As little as she is, she seems to be very happy to no longer have people prodding, poking and trying to wake her up. She is even back to smiling.

Dodgers were in town. Strange events at one game when Joe Torre was thrown out in the first inning of the Sat game. Whatever he said, he said very quietly, as we sitting very close by and did not hear him.

Otherwise, it was good to see the Boys in Blue in Houston.
_________________
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.

- A Bartlett Giamatti

[forloveofthegame]

Any updates on the grandbaby topic?

[Pearl Girl]

Madelyn (nicknamed "Rella" as in Cinderella, by her big sister) turned 2 month old today and she is a real beauty with a head full of dark brown hair. I am using all my spare time to teach her to say "grandma." No luck yet, but those coos are starting to sound like "Go Roy Oswalt."!!!!! Or so I imagine.

So far so good with no return trips to the hospital. Thanks again all for the good wishes and prayers for her.
_________________
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.

- A Bartlett Giamatti

[dodgerblue6]

[Pearl Girl]

Hope everyone has a jolly holiday. If you're driving for the holidays or traveling at all, stay safe! I am asking Santa for a peaceful world for Christmas. Might be a little hard to fit that in my Christmas stocking when he comes down the chimney, but even a little peace will make me happy.
God Bless you all for the holidays.
_________________
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart.

- A Bartlett Giamatti

[GilHodgesFan]

I just now joined the group, having met Linda in a few baseball groups on Facebook. It is wonderful of her and her friend to set up a place just for women to talk baseball. I am happy to be a part of it.
I didn't grow up in a baseball household though my younger brothers played Little League and were Cubs fans for as long as I can remember. They got their love of the Cubs from my uncle and grandfather who both listened to Cubs games on the radio and watched them on TV.
When I was in jr. high my dad took my brothers and I to a minor league game (we have a 1A farm team here in Cedar Rapids Iowa) where Indians HOFer Robert Feller was making an appearance to meet fans and sign autographs. I got his autograph and was trying to think of something to ask him. I thought if I asked him if he knew Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig maybe that would insult him because perhaps he wasn't old enough to have played against them LOL So I decided to ask him about the only player I'd heard of back then - Joe DiMaggio. When I asked Feller if he knew Joe DiMaggio he said gruffly "Yeah, I've heard of the guy". I went back to my seat and asked my dad why Feller acted that way when I asked him about Joe DiMaggio. Dad said it was because Joe D. could hit off Feller. I had no knowledge of that when I innocently asked my question LOL Feller probably thought someone put me up to asked the question LOL Unfortunately I don't think I have my autographed photo of Bob Feller today because I threw it away thinking Feller was a snob as not only had he answered my question so gruffly but later in the game I saw him walking around the concession stand area and he had his nose in the air. I didn't think his picture was worth keeping after those two incidents though now I wish I still had it!! Since that time I have found out that Feller didn't have a very outgoing personality and it was difficult for him to meet fans, he didn't generally like to. There is a Bob Feller museum here in Iowa which I need to see at some point and Feller was always very good about coming back to Iowa so I have to give him credit for never forgetting his roots.
My dad took us to several Cubs games when we were teenagers and the Cubs with Don Kessninger and the Dodgers with Steve Garvey became my favorite teams when I was a teenager.
After I got married and was raising my daughter I didn't have, or at least didn't take, time out for baseball though I occassionally watched a game on TV.
It was a couple of years ago that my love of baseball was revived - with the help of a guy named Gil Hodges. I read the book "Praying for Gil Hodges" and though I had heard Steve Garvey speak of Gil Hodges during his playing days and Gil Hodges is mentioned in the movie "Field of Dreams" I didn't know much about him other than he played First Base for the Dodgers. I loved the book and began reading everything, absolutely everything I could find on Gil Hodges. I love the guy for the incredible character and integrity he had, his love and devotion to family and to God, winning a Bronze Star in WWII, saving Ryne Durern's life from committing suicide by talking him down off a bridge in Washington DC but never talking about it to anyone (Ryne talked about it in his autobiography called "I Can See Clearly Now"). Gil never got booed at Ebbets Field even during a batting slump and in fact the people of Brooklyn prayed for him, sent him rosaries, rabbits feet, etc. Gil was beloved in Brooklyn and I have never heard of anyone who didn't like him.
I have joined with as many Gil Hodges fans as possible to try to get Gil Hodges his deserved place in the Hall of Fame. I cannot believe he is not in the Hall as he was a mainstay of those great Brooklyn Dodgers who won pennant after pennant in the 1950's and finally beat the Yankees for the World Series title in 1955 the year I was born. Gil should be in the Hall of Fame with Campy, Snider, Robinson, and Reese. He won the first three Golden Gloves awarded to First Base and was the best defensive First Baseman, if not the best First Baseman, of the 1950's and a much better First Baseman than Tony Perez who is in the Hall of Fame. And then of course there is the Miracle Mets of 1969 - as manager of the NY Mets Gil virtually took a perpetually losing team and made them World Series winners.
I could go on and on about Gil Hodges but I have already written a book here about my love of baseball. People won't want to stick around to read too much more LOL
I also love the Brookyn Dodgers and have read all I can find about them as well. My interest in them is personal because they finally won the World Series as I said, in 1955 the year I was born. I was born very premature (August instead of December) and weighed 1 lb 12 oz at birth. No one expected me to live as my mom had lost previous babies early on in pregnancy. Doctors basically left my care up to the nurses because they said there was nothing they could do for me. A dedicated nurse fed me with an eyedropper and kept close monitoring of my oxygen, turning it down as she saw me getting stronger. I was in the hospital from August to December of 1955 fighting to live while the beloved underdog Brooklyn Dodgers were fighting for the pennant and the World Series win. Both us underdogs won that year!
So now that you've read my "book" hopefully you won't mind if I stay. I promise I won't be this long-winded all the time Unless we are talking about Gil Hodges LOL
Sincerely, Lu

[dodgerblue6]

Welcome, Lu! I am so glad to have you posting! Not that I don't love my other fellow fans here, but I also love seeing some "new blood" here since we haven't had anyone join in awhile. I had already promised that was on my list of 2011 resolutions--to "recruit" new members.

[sunnyblue]

Hello to Gil Hodges Fan! That was a really good introduction and I'm glad you have some connection to the Dodgers. Looking forward to talking more. ~ Catrina (Sunnyblue)

[GilHodgesFan]

Thank you so much Catrina (Sunnyblue). I wish I was out there so I could be a legitimate Dodgers fan but I do feel an emotional connection to the Dodgers. I'm hoping to get tickets to the Chicago White Sox/LA Dodgers game this summer. My brother bought me a Dodgers replica jersey with Gil Hodges uniform number on the back for Christmas. I am going to get a Brooklyn Dodgers baseball cap and wear them to the White Sox/Dodgers game
I have always been curious why the Dodgers have not retired #14. I have heard it could be because they only retired Dodger HOFer's numbers (except for Jr Gilliam's retired number). I wish the Dodgers would consider retiring #14 in honor of Gil. It doesn't seem fair that Dodger players get to continue using his number. The Cubs retired Santo's number even though he isn't in the HOF so out of respect Gil's number should be retired.
Thank you so much for your nice welcome and I look forward to discussing baseball and the Dodgers with the group
Sincerely, Lu

[GilHodgesFan]

Thank you for the nice comments Linda. I am looking forward to hearing all about the Expo. I have Spring fever bad (weather-wise and baseball-wise)! I will definitely be heading to our first Kernals minor league game. Then in May, if all goes well, I'll be going to the White Sox/Dodgers game with my Gil Hodges jersey and Brooklyn Dodgers cap on I'm wearing the Brooklyn cap so people know I'm a Gil Hodges fan and not that I'm wearing #14 for the current LA Dodgers #14 (nothing against the guy but I feel #14 should always belong to Gil). I wish the Dodgers would consider retiring #14. Anyway wearing my Gil Hodges Dodgers shirt will show I'm not there to root for the White Sox in the May game

[forloveofthegame]

Lu/aka "Gil Hodges fan" -

Greetings to you. I am the resident Padre fan here. I liked reading about your background and I admire your devotion to Mr. Hodges. Also agree that's a funny story about Bob Feller. Nice to meet you and I hope to read much more from you this year.

Cathy

[GilHodgesFan]

Nice to meet you Cathy. Thank you for your nice comments and your welcome to the group I think it's great you are the resident Padres fan. We can all have our favorite team and not argue about it like guys do LOL The main thing is, we all LOVE baseball and it is fantastic to have other women to talk to about baseball

[jpochard]

I've been a Reds fan ever since the '75 / '76 Big Red Machine back-to-back WS wins. It really kicked in though with the Wire-to-Wire 1990 World Champs team.

No other team can beat the Reds for history and connection to the game. There are many with similar deep traditions, but the Reds have always held the distinction of being the first professional baseball team. We have an absolutely wonderful team Hall of Fame Museum here at the ball park and I really recommend that anyone who attends a game at Great American Ball Park to take the time to visit the Hall of Fame as well.

Opening Day here is a local holiday, with a tremendously fun Opening Day Parade and events downtown. We used to be the official "opener" for the season, always having the first game - however that has since gone away. We are still, however, the only team to always open the season at home.

I used to listen with my Dad to the games on the radio and now very rarely will I miss watching a game - even the late west coast ones. I get to aproximately 3 or 4 games a year and wish I could afford more. I am, however, a self-proclaimed "seat snob", but I'm also cheap which is not a good combination. If you ever visit our ball park, give me a holler and I'll give you some in's and out's about what to see and do.

I am a photographer and like to incorporate that into my fandom. I was the team photographer for a summer collegiate level team here in town - the Hamilton Joes. Named after local sports icon, former Reds pitcher and announcer, the late Joe Nuxhall - I thoroughly enjoyed being the photographer and went to a championship with them in 2010. However, it was a pretty severe time comittment and was also a very hot job. Being recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, the cons of doing the job began to outweight the benefits.

I have just recently turned my office into a fancave with a Cincinnati Reds theme. My inlaws lived with us for 10 years. They have both since passed away and we have converted their space into office space for my husband and myself. You can see the results here: http://www.pbase.com/jpochard/home_office

You can see all of my other photography at that site as well.

My husband is not a fan, but both of my daughters have been raised right and are both Reds fans as well. My older daughter moved to NY in March of this year and they (she and her hubby) took my only grandbaby with them (how rude.) I have warned them that if this grandma ever sees a Mets or Yankees outfit on that child, I will have to call in the authorities. Football, basketball, hockey (they are only about a 10 minute drive into Canada) can all be represented - but baseball demands loyalty

My daughers are 30 and 17. My 30 yr old lives in Norfolk, NY where her husband earlier this year accepted a call to pastor a small church up there. I purchased MLB tv for them to be able to watch the Reds and because I have and will be visiting alot. My 17 year old just graduated high school and will be attending Anderson University in Indiana in the fall. So...we will soon officially be empty nesters. After having our home open for all sorts of guests over the years it will be quite different to have that peace and quiet again.

Right now one of my most exciting plans is my first trip to Cooperstown this in only couple of weeks - to be there for the induction of one of my all-time favorite Reds, Barry Larkin. It will be fun to compare the national HOF to our great local one. If anyone has been there during the induction weekend and has any advice for me - I'm all ears.

Barry was one of my favorites and some others are Sean Casey, Johnny Bench, and of course right now Joey Votto. Love watching Brandon Phillips play defense, but he occassionally needs an attitude adjustment. Ironically, I am not a big Pete Rose fan. I respect his accomplishments, and I do think he belongs in the HOF, but he's not someone I look up to or am a fan of.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have. I am looking forward to getting to know you ladies.

[dodgerblue6]

[forloveofthegame]

Welcome, again. I enjoyed your post. We'll see your boys here tonight. I am only sneaking in here for a minute, so will check out your photos later.

Thank you for sharing your story. It is good to have a fan of a different team here!
_________________
"Baseball is an allegorical play about America, a poetic, complex, and subtle play of courage, fear, good luck, mistakes, patience about fate, and sober self-esteem." - Saul Steinberg

[GilHodgesFan]

Thanks for sharing your story. I love your fancave! It's nice that you have the space to be able to do that. I have a corner of our rec room devoted to Gil Hodges with some Dodgers things there as well but I don't have space to do a room theme like you have. The other corner of the rec room where we have a bar is my husband's Green Bay Packers corner.

I enjoyed reading about your dad fostering your love of the Reds and that is has been passed down to your daughters. You are lucky to be part of such a rich heritage of baseball in that the Reds were the first professional baseball team.

I am not a stats person like others on here. I enjoy watching games on TV when I have the time and going to different Major League ballparks. I watch games purely for the enjoyment of following a team I love again. I do need to read up more on baseball in general and study the game more. Perhaps when I retire I will have time to do that

Like Linda, I too am more of a traditionalist when it comes to baseball but we have no choice than to accept change. Thankful the basic structure has not changed. That is the comforting thing about baseball and thank the Lord some incidents like the Shoeless Joe scandal and the steroid era did not destroy the game. There will always be some great guys on our teams we will love to root for, a great hot dog (and today some other great foods as well) to enjoy, Take Me Out To the Ballgame, teams we love to hate LOL, and great announcers we will always love. You will discover how Linda can so very vividly describe ties to baseball and the love of baseball that is passed down from generation to generation.

I am glad you joined the group As forloveofthegame said, it is great to have a fan from another team here.

Thanks again for sharing the great photos and your history of love for the Reds.
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[jpochard]

[GilHodgesFan]

You obviously have a God-given talent for interior decorating and photography

$600 for decorating your whole fancave sounds like a good deal to me. From what you've told us it sounds like you did a lot of bargain-shopping and saved money. That was nice of your husband to help out with the Reds window. It is a very sharp looking room

My husband has said similar things as yours about my Gil Hodges collection. Like your husband, it is obviousl they are not mad about it but it is probably not how they would spend their money. Like you, I paid for my Gil Hodges things on my own.

Your Reds room not only looks relaxing but it is a great tribute to your favorite team
_________________
"If you had a son it would be a great thing for him to grow up to be just like Gil Hodges" -Pee Wee Reese (Brooklyn Dodgers)

[jpochard]

Thanks for the kind words. Don't know about the decorating talent, but it's the way I want it, so I'm happy with it. I'd love seeing photos from other members of some of your "tribute" rooms, corners, etc.