By: Jana Dunow
Have you ever felt that there are things in your life that have always been a part of you and who you are? That’s how I feel about baseball. My brother and I often joke that baseball is in our DNA, but I really believe it’s true. From the time I can remember, I have been in love with baseball. According to my mom, she would take me to my brothers’ little league games when I was 2 months old. My mom loves baseball, too. She says I was a Dodger’s fan in the womb. This is all thanks to my mom. When the Dodgers moved to California, she became a Dodger fan. She watched them play at the Coliseum.
My maternal grandpa loved baseball as well. He is the one that taught me about the nuisances of the game. The Dodgers or Angels were always on the TV during the baseball season. If we were out in the garage, the radio was on so we could listen to the game. Vin Scully was the soundtrack of summer. Grandpa liked ballplayers that played the game with no fluff like Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson. He would not have been a fan of bat flips. I am not a fan of bat flips, either. Grandpa was a purist.
As a kid, my dad would coach little league teams. I was usually the team’s manager. He taught me how to keep the scorebook. There was something oddly satisfying about drawing the line around the diamond to signal a homerun or writing in a K for a strikeout. I played softball, but it wasn’t the same. I would rather be in the stands keeping score. When I was a freshman in high school, I was the manager for the baseball team. We had a PA system so I even got to announce the batters as they came to bat. It was so much fun.
Being an Air Force brat, we usually didn’t live near a Major League team. My first Major League game was at Atlanta’s Fulton County Stadium to see the Braves play the Dodgers. What made that experience even more special is that my grandpa attended the game with us. My dad had called the stadium to get tickets and wanted to make sure we were sitting near the visitor’s dugout. He was assured we would be, but when we got to the seats, we were surrounded by Braves fans. They didn’t have much opportunity to cheer as the Dodgers won the game. My mom and I got a lot of dirty looks probably for cheering too loud.
In 1987, I went to my first game at Dodger Stadium. I was in awe. There is nothing like Dodger Stadium. Plus, I got to see my favorite player, Steve Sax (aka Sweetie Stevie as I liked to call him), play. They played the Cardinals that night. Jack Clark hit a homerun off Bob Welch and the Dodgers lost, but it didn’t deter the feeling of being at Chavez Ravine.
When my dad retired, we moved to a little town in Southwest Oklahoma. We would travel the four hours to Dallas to see the Texas Rangers play. The first game we attended; my dad got the tickets without knowing who the Rangers were even playing. It didn’t really matter to us. What a thrill when we found out that Nolan Ryan was pitching that night. Dad and I were so excited. You would have thought we won the lottery. I also remember one afternoon when Dad and I were bored visiting my mother’s aunt in Dallas. We left my mom and my great aunt to visit and we decided to go see the Rangers play. We sat in the outfield bleachers and watched Jose Canseco get hot dogs thrown at him. There was a rain delay, but we stuck it out and finished the game. It was a great afternoon at the ballpark with my dad.
From Air Force brat to Air Force spouse, I would drag my husband to games to see the Trenton Thunder play when we were stationed in New Jersey or the Bowie BaySox when we lived in Maryland. There were trips to Veteran’s Stadium, Jack Murphy Stadium, Camden Yards and Coors Field in between. I still have a lot of baseball stadiums to visit on my bucket list. Being at the ballpark with the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the aroma of hot dogs cooking, especially Dodger dogs, is intoxicating.
Baseball has always been an escape for me. I am busy as a wife, mother, student, and podcaster. Baseball allows me to take a break from whatever is going in my life or in the world. I get to root for my favorite players, second guess manager decisions and just enjoy watching the game. I text my big brother every day and the conversation is 99% baseball. We decided to take our love of the game and started a podcast, Sibling Rivalry Baseball. Nothing is better than talking about baseball and the Dodgers with my big brother. The podcast not only keeps my brother and I connected, but it also keeps the baseball memories of my dad and grandpa alive. Baseball is a part of who I am and I wouldn’t have it any other way.