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We met way back in 1976 when I was just eight years old. I didn’t know very much about you at that time. But my grandmother felt it was a great idea for us to meet and get further acquainted with one another. You were as foreign as a far and distant land. Little did anyone know how close we would become in the subsequent years that followed.

I remember being intimidated by your very presence. It was hard to figure you out, initially. It felt like trying to pick up a second language. And as a shy kid…I couldn’t look you in the eye without feeling intimidated. But I was determined to conquer my fear of you and accept every challenge we suddenly faced.

You were extremely fast…so very complex and even intricate…down to the slightest detail. Yet my intrigue was through the roof. I had begun to eat, drink, and dream of you only…non-stop! You had become my obsession. The more time I spent with you, the deeper I fell. You were all I wanted to do.

As time went on, people would see us together, and they knew we were a match made in heaven. You were good to me, and you made me happy. We would go to experience and accomplish many great feats together. I got to meet some incredible life-long friends. And I don’t know what my life would have been like without you.

I don’t see much of you anymore, but the memories are forever embedded in my soul. I still miss your scent, the joy you brought into my world, and the confidence I gained from being with you for so long that can never be replaced. My grandmother must’ve seen something in you. I’m glad she introduced us. BASEBALL…you will always be my first love.

-Butch Ford