I've avoided opening this thread because I knew it would make me sad, but as the exhilaration has finally started to level off, I've found myself thinking about my dad (and how much it sucks that he missed this) even more. He died in '97 at age 53--super young, but still the longest lived male in his family line. (So yeah, I'm fucked.) I think about him a lot, but baseball season is when I miss him most. All the stuff he's missed since he died--the terrible teams, the profound heartbreak of 2003 (which honestly would have killed him if he'd survived his heart attack in '97), the homerun chase, the cocktease teams in 07 and 08...it all would have been so much more fun if he'd been there with me. Obviously there are other, more important Big Life Moments he wasn't around for. Each one, I'm keenly aware that he's not there. I thought I'd never feel his absence more deeply than I did the night I got married. But in some ways, I think I was wrong. Because I'd give anything to talk to him right now, or even better, to have seen his face when Bryant made that throw to Rizzo. Instead I'm left to imagine it, one more reminder that even life's high points are colored with a little bit of sadness. So here's to you, Pops. Wish you could've seen it. Though let's be honest, there's no way you'd have survived that Rajai Davis homerun anyway.