Minor League Baseball is a Slice of America: Memories With Dad

This is the third year that our five-year-old daughter Delaney has been attending Clinton LumberKings games with her Daddy.

Delaney loves getting autographs and see the players or as she calls them “her friends.” Just getting to the LumberKings game is an event at our house. Daddy has to make sure that Delaney’s three-year-old sister Alivia gets a nap or we are all in trouble. Delaney usually starts in just about the time her sister falls asleep. “Daddy are we going to the game tonight?” That eventually turns into, “Daddy you have to get ready.” Not to mention, her world-famous “Daddy, you have to wake Liv or we’ll be late!” Finally the time arrives for Daddy to say the two words she’s been longing to hear, “Let’s go.”

This night we arrived a few minutes after they had opened the gates and I hear about it, “See I told you we would be late.” I assure her they wouldn’t start with out her. As we walk in it is the same as every other game we attend. Fist bumps, high fives and even some hugs for the LumberKings staff working the gate. Then it’s off to the playground. Tonight we aren’t there long before it’s off to the clubhouse to grab some autographs on her ball and she would talk with her players. Tonight she gets a big hug from LumberKings Manager Mike Jacobs. Then it’s off to our seats.

Now it’s time for the show to begin, no, not on the field but in the stands. We have had people tell us they love watching our girls during the game. They start by singing the National Anthem, then, “Take me out to the Ball Game.” One lady told me she enjoys coming just so see the girls that they are so cute.

Delaney would start chanting “Let’s go LumberKings “ with a clap,clap,clap, slowly the crowd would start to join in. When Bubba Hollins would come to bat Delaney started up “Let’s go Bubba”. Once again the crowd would join her. See what she didn’t realize was she was getting the crowd that had been quiet for most of the game into it.

The boys would go on to score four runs in that eighth inning and take the win 4-2. The question is, Was it a special chant from a sweet five-year-old that awoke the crowd and carried on to the players on the field that led the LumberKings to victory? Well this proud Dad for one truly believes it was.

For more on the LumberKings, check back here for the Wood Chipper Report on Thursday mornings throughout the 2019 campaign. Thanks for reading today.