A grandfather’s guidance and appreciating the diamond

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Q Factor

July is one of my favorite months in the year. It’s my birthday month, so I obviously enjoy that. July also means that you’re usually out of school and, if you’re able, it’s a prime time to take a vacation.

In my hometown of Naples, July means the Watermelon Festival – a great time to see friends and family you haven’t seen in a while as well as enjoy nice, cold juicy slices of watermelon.

Please believe me when I say that if it’s Saturday, I’m doing all that as you read this column

July is also a big time for my family – I’ve got several family members with birthdays in late June and early July, so it’s awesome to celebrate them so close together. One birthday was always special to me.

My birthday is July 7 and my grandfather, T.S. Hill, was born July 6. He’s passed away, sadly, but when he was alive, it was a tradition for him to take me out on his birthday for an early birthday dinner.

One of the first times I remember doing it, we went to Western Sizzler for our birthday dinner. I remember I was young and I wanted to order a hamburger. Granddad looked at me and smiled.

“That’s fine if you want it,” he said. “But it’s your birthday and you’re growing up. A growing boy like you should have a steak.”

Every year we did it after that, if the restaurant had steak available, I ordered a steak.

My family has always supported my crazy dreams of talking about sports. Granddad was no different. I’d walk to his house during the summer and we’d sit and watch baseball games.

I still remember it: HSE – the precursor to Fox Sports Southwest – would show the Texas Rangers. TBS would show the Atlanta Braves. WGN would show the Chicago Cubs and, sometimes, the Chicago White Sox.

Granddad watched the Cubs a lot, so I remember those 90s teams. Ryne Sandberg – the Ryno, Shawon Dunston, Mark Grace – I even remember some of the players that didn’t stay long like Tuffy Rhodes, Heathcliff Slocumb and Glenallen Hill.

My favorite player from those early 90s Cubs teams had the coolest nickname – Andre Dawson, known as “The Hawk.” He was an outfielder who played from 1976-1996 for the Cubs, the Montreal Expos, Boston Red Sox and Florida Marlins.

He was the first player that I wanted to be like in my (albeit brief) baseball career. He attacked every ball in the batters box. He covered the outfield with aplomb. He looked so mean and young me thought that was so cool – like he’d get a hit off you and then knock you out if you had a problem with it.

Current me thinks Andre Dawson is cool, too, by the way.

It’s why I, an East Texas boy, have an attachment to the Cubs. I like to see them do well because those were the games I started watching with my granddad.

Eventually, I became a Braves fan partly because of Fred McGriff. Another player with a cool nickname – “The Crime Dog” – who hit for power (493 homers in his career). Those Braves teams broke my heart, coming so close to the World Series – and sometimes getting there – but falling short.

They finally won it in 1995 – the first time I’d seen one of “my” baseball teams win it all. That team had some of my favorite players: Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, David Justice, Javy Lopez, Chipper Jones – and the Crime Dog.

Of course, I liked the Rangers and Astros because they were Texas teams. But my favorite baseball player? The one I wanted to be like when I played? The one I thought was the coolest ever?

George Kenneth Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey Jr. was a player my granddad liked, but a player I loved. He was so cool to me – the long stride he would take just before trotting around the bases when he hit a home run, the way he turned his hat backwards, the fact that he had his own video games, the fact that he appeared on one of my favorite Simpsons episodes (Homer at the Bat) – he was tailor-made to be one of my favorite players.

Junior was on two of the first four posters I ever put up in my room. (Michael Jordan was on the other two.) I owned two of the three baseball games bearing his likeness. I’ve always wanted that teal Seattle Mariners jersey with the number 24 on it.

I wouldn’t have had the appreciation for baseball that I have now, though, if it weren’t for my granddad. Granddad was also one of the first people who indulged my love of sports. He’d make sure to ask me what I thought of various sporting events. He’d quiz me on trivia and stats. In short, he’d keep me ready for any sporting event.

He would have been excited to see the Rangers get to the World Series and heartbroken they fell just short. There may or may not have been some cursing from him in some of those games.

He would have been glad to see the Cubs finally break the “curse of the billy goat” and win it all.

So in this, our birth month, thank you, Granddad, for helping to mold my future. Thank you for helping grow my love of sports and indirectly exposing me to one of my favorite athletes of all time.

And thank you for the appreciation of a good steak.