Customer Service

January 2020

Question:

Happy 2020! We’re not only welcoming a new year, but it’s the start of a new decade! List the TOP 3 baseball moments of the 1990’s, and explain why they are the most significant. BONUS: What do you predict will happen to baseball over the next 10 years? …..Good luck!

Winner:

January’s winner is father-and-son team Dan & Owen Warriner from Rocky Hill, CT!  Both BIG Red Sox fans, Owen is in 4th Grade, and Dan is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry while also serving as a hospice chaplain. Owen loves all sports, but his favorite is ….baseball! He is gearing up for the upcoming Little League tryouts…..Go, Owen!

Answer:

We are a baseball-loving family, and we always love reflecting on your monthly contests!  Looking back at the 1990’s has turned into meaningful conversations with my wife and son. It’s given us time to talk about what really matters in baseball. And playing well matters. But more importantly, it has given us an opportunity to talk about our character. It has given us an opportunity to talk about what really matters about who we are and who we admire in the history of the game of baseball.

Number Three: The 1994 Baseball Strike. Baseball is America’s pastime. It is iconic. It is heroic. Yet, this event is significant to remind us that baseball has a business side and it is run by people who will not always agree. We argue and fight. But, it is important to remain engaged and communicate in order to reach a compromise. This is true in both baseball and in life. This strike brought attention to issues like exorbitant player salaries, the ticket prices, issues of monetary fairness among teams, and player satisfaction.

Number Two: Cal Ripken Jr.’s streak for consecutive games played (2,632) occurred on September 20, 1998. This “Iron Man” Streak broke Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 by at least two seasons. In an era where it seems less frequent to take pride in a job well done, I think Cal Ripkin Jr. modeled pride in his work by his work ethic. He wasn’t perfect, but his teammates could count on him to be there and to stay true to his word. A job well done matters and this is certainly an occasion for applause. (Also, I like him because he was the only player to ever write a letter back to me and he sent me a sticker!)

And Drum roll please……..

Number One: Jackie Robinson Day is introduced and celebrated on April 15, 1997. The number 42 was retired by all major league teams in honor of Jackie Robinson. The occasion was on the 50th anniversary of his first game played. In those first games in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was the first African American player to ever play in the Major Leagues. He experienced racism in a way that is hard to fathom today. But it is so important to remember how far we have come in understanding equality among people in the past 70 years. He fought against inequality with his baseball skills and played the game well. In doing so, he showed others respect even in the middle of the competition. 

Bonus Question: What do you predict will happen to baseball over the next 10 years?

This answer comes from a conversation with my son, Owen. He is my little baseball star and encourages me to stay active in baseball as I coach his little league team. His prediction will be for increased use of cameras to film plays from all angles and to be used in reviews. He also says there will be use of robots to umpire the game and make the calls. He also made a comment that he thinks robots may be playing the game of baseball, too. I tried to get him to say more about this, but he really thinks robots could play. But that could be because we’ve been playing a lot with our board game Baseball Highlights 2045. If you haven’t heard of that game before, you can upgrade your team with cyborgs and robots players.

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