Playing baseball was a big part of my childhood. My father loved the game of baseball. I remember when I was a kid in the late 1980's I used to go to bed at 7 pm right when the TV show Threes Company came on. The only time I was allowed to stay up past my bedtime was when the Dodgers played. I remember watching a 35 inning game against the Houston Astros when Tommy Lasorda brought in our third baseman Jeff Hamilton to pitch because he ran out of pitchers. One of the fondest memory with my dad and brother was watching the 1988 World Series, especially game one when the injured hobbling Kirk Gibson hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth on a full count with two outs. Those memories bring a lot of joy to me when I think of them in retrospect. The 1980s was an interesting time to live in. 

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My father coached my brother and taught him how to be a pitcher. I remember watching my big brother play and I remember I wanted to do what he was doing. I wanted to copy him. In a funny sort of way, I wanted to be like him hence the reason I played baseball and grew a fondness for the game at a young age. I played second base for a majority of the teams I was a part of. The last league I played for was the City of Industry Sheriff's League in the dog days of 1995. 

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Since I played the game it was natural for me to start collecting baseball cards. Collecting baseball cards was a big part of my childhood. When I was a kid my older brother was an avid collector. He would set up booths at card shows and sell cards. My dad supported and enjoyed the hobby with him. 

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I remember my brother having a lot of cards from players like Nolan Ryan, Gary Carter, Dave Parker, Roberto Alomar Jr., Ryne Sandberg, Andre Dawson, Wade Boggs, Barry Larkin, Roger Clemens, Kirby Puckett, Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Mike Mussina, etc. 

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When I was a kid at a card show with my brother I won a 1969 Joe Namath card. I remember at the time I must have been 7 or 8 years old (1989) and thinking that I had a really old card. 

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