The "Baseball Excitement Comes To Lancaster" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking to my brother about the deal that the Philadelphia Phillies pulled off a few days ago.  

New Phillie Bryce Harper

Phillies just signed a young man by the name of Bryce Harper who had started his major league baseball career in the Washington Nationals organization.  The Phillies thought so highly of him that they offered him a mammoth 13-year, $330 million deal that he recently accepted.  It will make him the highest paid baseball player of all-time.  A few other items about his contract are: Longest contract in major league baseball history and highest paid free-agent in history.  But, we Phillie's fans will eventually measure his worth in titles, not dollars.  We last won the World Series in 2008 while Carol and I were visiting the island of Barbados with friends Jere and Just Sue.  

Returning in 2008 from Barbados at Philadelphia airport. 

The final game of the series was the date we returned to the Philadel- phia airport.  The last inning of the game was broadcast live by our American Airlines pilot.  Pretty neat, since most of the passengers were from the Philadelphia area and the plane was pretty noisy during the last 15 minutes of the game.  After landing and heading home from Philadelphia to Lancaster, cars were blowing their horns and waving banners out their car windows.  That was 11 years ago and we need to experience the same feelings once again.  Funny, but we are going to schedule a trip to Barbados once again for the fall.  Could it be an omen!  As the Phils wait for Bryce to slip into his new uniform, players on the team are excited.  The team is currently in Clearwater, Florida playing in spring training games.  Comments from many of the players show their excitement about obtaining Bryce.  Harper signed the long contract knowing he would be a Phillie for the rest of his career.  He is currently 26 years old and has statistics to his credit that would eventually place him in the Hall-Of-Fame.  That's provided he continues to produce as he has in the past.  He comes to the Phils along with other outstanding players such as outfielder Andrew McCutchen, reliever David Robertson, baseball's best catcher J.T. Realmuto and outstanding shortstop Jean Segura.  All these guys will be part of the atmosphere of Citizens Bank Park before long.  If you have ever been to a baseball game in Philadelphia when the team is in contention, you know how much the fans love the players.   Hopefully, very soon, these new acquisitions will be part of that atmosphere.  

Cameron Gallagher

Now, not all the good news in baseball is centered in Philadel- phia.  Seems that the Kansas City Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez has been injured and may miss the entire upcoming baseball season.  Not good for the Royals, but perhaps a chance for local player Cameron Gallagher to step in to the catcher's spot.  He had a chance to play in 35 games during the past two years and did well.  

Cameron hitting his first homer in the major leagues.

This may be his big break to prove he is worthy to be a first-string catcher in the major leagues.  I had the chance and honor to repair a large framed collage of baseball memora- bilia that Cameron had received from the Royals.  Cameron is the son of Glenn Gallagher who I had as a student in high school.  He was a fantastic football player as well as baseball player.  

Glenn giving my grandson a lesson on hitting.

He played quarterback at Clemson, was drafted after his junior year by the Toronto Blue Jays, but had a career ending injury after a short time in the minors.  He now gives baseball lessons in Lancaster.  Our grandson has learned quite a bit from his teaching.  Grandson Caden will be playing on the "Mountville" travel team this coming season.  The excitement generated by the upcoming baseball season is almost too much for this old guy!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Cameron Gallagher's framed piece that was damaged that I fixed at Grebinger Gallery