When I was 8 I would watch the evening news and memorize the National League standings. When daddy walked in the door after a day of work I would recite those and the box scores. Daddy and I would go out to one of his events and he would find it amusing to have me recite the baseball stats to those we met. He took pride in my interest in his sport especially in his Pirates.

My sophomore year of high school Dad promised that if he could get tickets to a Pirates playoff game he would take me. He landed three and my older brother decided to forgo a weekend of parties at his private college to make the 4 hour drive home and attend with us.

We watched the Pirates take on the Braves in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series. We sat in the fourth row from the top at the now demolished Three Rivers Stadium.

The crowd was electric that night as we watched Tim Wakefield (and his knuckleball) lead the Pirates to a 3-2 victory.

I don’t believe I left my seat the entire game.

Last night, 21 years after that series would end with the Pirates loosing painfully to the Braves in Game 7, I watched Daddy’s Pirates play their wild card game with two of my own children.

The crowd still electric.

Me enamoured with Francisco Liriano’s pitching.

My Sidney memorizing the line up and my Ellie mimicking my cheers.

I didn’t leave my seat.

Amazing how life comes full circle.