All great stories, they bring back some great memories for me. Even the TPX bat of the 90s my how I wanted one of those but they were too much for my family so I never even asked but I always borrowed my buddy's when I batted and it was the thing to have back then...
The baseball gloves have triggered some good memories for me, I was born in 1980 and about 1988 I started playing city league ball in our small town. I showed up to the first practice and didn't even have a glove, I didn't care just growing up on the out skirts of town being around other kids that wasn't my brother or sister was a treat. Dad worked rotating shifts at Proctor and Gamble he made Pringles he even looked like Mr. Pringle on the can back then,he used to tell us they modeled it after him! He showed up after work with a brand new glove one day. A Rawlings with Rickey Henderson's signature. I was quite the ball player back then always making the All-Star team at the end of the season and traveling all over West TN and Dad was always there when he wasn't on shift sometimes even after working 3rds he'd take me to a game even ending up in multiple games during the tournaments. It's the only glove I ever had, over time I out grew it but I never cared it was a gift from Dad and I was oh so proud of it. I used it in Babe Ruth, High school even church league soft ball even after I graduated high school and was working. I had many make fun of me for using such a small glove over the years, heck I even bought myself a Corvette when I was 15 going to some of the church ballgames I always laughed with them about it and played it off it never bothered me they just didn't know how much I loved Dad and was proud that he took the time out of his schedule to get me that glove.
The other is a metal toy car I played with at my grandmother's that belonged to Dad when he was a kid- they now sit inside my living room so I can see them when we watch TV, now my wife doesn't like them there but so far I'm winning that argument.
I lost Dad, December 6th 2021 to pancreatic cancer he was 67 he went down in a matter of a couple of months and it was very rough on me.
I have a 15 year old boy and a 5 year old girl, the older I get the more I cherish those times. I work but I don't work rotating swing shifts like he did and retired after 34 years and then worked several more years for a different factory. The appreciation I have for him doing all that I can't explain.
Good thread, Thanks for that I've enjoyed telling my story.I think I needed that.
