Bullpen mom forever....

Yesterday I had another interesting conversation with the big kid. Actually, all of our conversations are interesting, because I never know what to expect. When I see his phone number on caller ID, is he calling because he is happy, sad, or broke? These emotions and economic status updates are the usual reasons for communication between us. Although, he did call me on Mother’s Day from the airport on his way to the food court to grab a quick sandwich. The team had lost, so he was in a bit of a foul mood.

Back to the conversation…”Mom, they want to make me the game closer.” Hmmm, I thought….great, now I can watch the entire game and wait until the 9th inning for an appearance from this day on....so, the life of a Bullpen mom continues...no game starts, just finishing the game...this is how it will go for the next 3 years… no going to the bathroom or for a walk after the 7th inning...wait, wait, wait....pitch 3 to 5 minutes with a tremendous amount of pressure...…game over....But this is not about me...

“Is this a good thing?” I asked with great interest. “Yep!” he reports. OK, so explain it, big guy. Here is how it goes...according to Buddy…”the coaches like me…they think that I have an attitude and intensity that they have never seen in a freshman...I go out there and lay it all out on the line and don’t care (do they really know him?). I hit 88 mph on my fast ball last night. I blew the ball past a first round draft pick then he hit into a double play. They see great potential in me as a closer. This is awesome!” Happy, happy, happy... a closer....Brad Lidge, Mariano Rivera...closing games with a run difference in the score...he would be a hero or a zero...is he ready for this? Am I?

As a mother, I am happy when my kids are happy...so he is ecstatic... I am happy too. Yet, from this day forward, I keep the title of Bullpen Mom since he is forever relegated to his beloved bullpen and insane fellow pitchers, eating sunflower seeds, hanging out, enjoying the scenery, swatting bugs, chatting with the fans, and entering the game at the end. This also means that Tink is Bullpen sister...Dad is Bullpen dad...…Grandparents are Bullpen grandparents, Diva Dog is Bullpen dog, and you (my wonderful readers) are Bullpen readers....