A lifelong baseball fan, from the age of six I grew up in Casper, Wyoming. My dad is the primary influence for my sports passion. A St. Louis Cardinal fan, dad would dial in KMOX radio and listen to Cardinal games with Harry Caray and Jack Buck calling the action. Some nights the broadcast would be crackling and fading in and out, and other nights crystal clear. It didn’t matter to us – we caught what we could in those days before 24 hour televised sports programming. My first in-person major league game was in 1963 at the old Busch Stadium (Sportsman’s Park) where the Cardinals were beat by the Milwaukee Braves 7-5. Hank Aaron homered off Curt Simmons in the top of the first. The next day we saw a double-header against the Cubs, the teams splitting the twin-bill.
The kids in our area had a passion for all things baseball – we collected cards (which I still do), and played ball in many forms, from just a couple of us creating games to participating in the leagues in our community. Baseball was just about all we thought about, and the main focus of summers growing up. On a visit to the family farm where our dad’s grew up, my cousin and I went through a room in the old farmhouse that had old copies of “Baseball Magazine” and other sports periodicals from our dad’s youth. We split the “find” and I started reading some of those old magazines, which enhanced an interest in baseball history. My interest sparked, I started checking out books at the school library on past players and teams. About this same time my buddy across the street and I persuaded our parents to get us the APBA Major League Baseball Game, and played it incessantly for many years. In college a bunch of us would put APBA tournaments together drafting teams, accompanied by chips and beer.
Meanwhile my educational pursuit led to a Business degree from CU Boulder, followed by an MBA in Finance from CU. My professional career has involved many years in accounting and finance work and management, most significantly at Starz Entertainment here in the Denver metro area. Today I occasionally work as an accounting/finance contractor.
I joined SABR in the early 1980s. While I am a long-time member of SABR, my participation in the local chapter has ebbed and flowed over the years due to professional and family obligations. Now in semi-retirement, I am enjoying getting back involved more and meeting fellow baseball enthusiasts. My home life keeps us hopping as my wife Cathy and I have six combined kids in a blended family, all grown with only one not living in the area.