Hagerstown Trip

I recently just got back from a weekend trip to Hagerstown, Maryland to visit by friend who is interning with the Hagerstown Suns minor league team; the single A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. I always seem to enjoy myself no matter where I am at, and this was no exception. A good friend of mine EJ and I decided to make the 4 hour trip down to Hagerstown. Within an hour in Maryland I was getting kicked out of a bar for wearing a backwards hat and having a vertical PA license. Besides this incident, I realized how amazing the game of baseball is. This game can touch so many people's lives in various ways that are hard to put into words. Here is my attempt to do so.

1.) The first night we sit behind an elderly couple in their mid 70's. Quickly I learned that the man was completely blind. I started a conversation with him that I was from around the Erie area and he then asked a series of questions about the Erie Seawolves. I soon realized that his vision had no effect on his sharp mind, and his love for this beautiful game. As the game started, he had a radio in one hand against his ear, and his wife would give a pitch by pitch summary of the game. Is there any other game that has such distinctive sounds as baseball? The crack of the bat, the sound of a ball hitting the mitt, the 7th inning stretch, and the call 3rd strike by the home plate umpire. This man, who once watched so many greats play, can now envision them in his head as he listens to the game from his 1970's Emerson Portable Radio.

2.) Although I did not think anything would top my love of baseball as meeting the elderly couple in front of EJ and myself, we got talking to a man who sat in front of us in the VIP section on Saturday. The man looked to be in his late 40s, and he was at the game with his wife who had both traveled from California. There son Jeff Kobernus was the starting 2nd baseman for the Suns. EJ and I didn't really mention him, but instead talked about other sport's topics such as the abysmal Pittsburgh Pirates, the NFL, and how stinkin' hot it was that day! Jeff's father was a very mild mannered, polite, and non-boastful man. He never bragged once about his son and was very intrigued with our story on why we were in Hagerstown being from Mercer, Pennsylvania. As Jeff's dad and his mom went a section over to film in the 3rd inning, EJ and I went over after the game and wished them a safe trip back and good luck to their son.
Now I know this does not sound out of the ordinary, but it was 2 days later that the story turned to be very special. EJ sent me a link on facebook to a baseball reference site with Jeff Kobernus' stats on it. As I scrolled down the message EJ posted another link with the caption "How about this one too" and low and behold his dad (also named Jeff Kobernus) was a minor league baseball player for the Oakland A's system for 4 years. He once made it to AA but never got any big league experience. A man, who is now following his son and watching him try to obtain a goal that was always just out of his reach. To Jeff Kobernus Sr. I commend you on playing a game that you loved with all your heart, and teaching it to your son. When your son steps on the Major League Baseball field, he will be doing it not just for himself, but for the family and for the love of the game.