My dad loved Baseball. He was always watching the Minnesota Twins from his comfy recliner with our family cat, Jasmine, on his lap. I went to two Twins games with my dad before he died in 2006. Baseball will always have a special place in my heart because of the passion my dad had for the game. Most critics of Baseball say the game is boring to watch, and I get it. It’s a lot of watching for nothing to happen. It’s exactly why I love it. It’s a game to sit down, have a beer, and socialize with friends.

For those who aren’t from Minnesota, our baseball team is named after our two cities. In most states, there are at least two major cities. Our major cities in Minnesota are right next to each other, so they are often named “The Twin Cities,” hence the Minnesota Twins. Our baseball stadium when I was growing up was the Metrodome, which was a big stadium for both the Vikings and the Twins. The Metrodome collapsed one year after enough snow piled onto it. Without getting into the specifics, this led to the creation of Target Field, which is an outdoor stadium in Minneapolis.

For my friend’s birthday, we went to a Twins game. The Twins played the Houston Astros, the same team accused of cheating after winning the World Series in 2017. I find that’s important to mention because while they still kept their World Series title, they still cheated. Anyway, my friends and I went to a brewery and a cidery before the game. The Twins ended up winning the game 5-2 over the Astros.

While driving home from the game, I thought about how much my dad would have loved to see the new stadium. My dad has been gone for 15 years now, and I’m at a point in my life where I can fondly recall memories from my childhood and feel blessed that my dad was in my life. Baseball will forever be a sport that reminds me of my dad and his devotion to the Minnesota Twins.