For people of my generation, it has been a tough week or so. We lost Theo Huxtable, Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan, and Tommy McLain all within a couple of days. Then came the big one as news broke Monday night that Ryne Sandberg, possibly the greatest second baseman to ever play the game of baseball, died.
As fate would have it, in a way, I had a special connection with Sanberg this past weekend.
I took a road trip to Louisville, Ky., and toured the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory. While on the tour, I had the opportunity to hold an autographed Sandberg bat. I also held a Kris Bryant bat and pieces of wood that would become Ian Happ bats. Needless to say, as a Cubs fan, I was nerding out.
I nerded out on other things as well over the trip. In Nashville, on the way up to Louisville, I stopped and toured Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage.
A day later, I drove up to Columbus, Ohio, and walked around the football stadium at The Ohio State University. While I was walking toward the Olentangy River, I kept hearing Keith Jackson say, “From the banks of The Olentangy.” By the way, the river is not that wide from what I saw of it. It is more like a bayou than anything. Then, I drove down to Cincinnati and stopped by the home of President William H. Taft. I got there just before it closed but still got a chance to tour the museum.
Also in Cincinnati, I walked around the Bengals’ stadium. Apparently, people going to a music festival inside the stadium thought I worked there because different people asked me where different things were and if they could get a golf cart through. Then I went to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. I got to scratch another MLB stadium off of my list. The Reds’ stadium is right on the Ohio River. I sat three rows from the top behind home plate and had a great view of the park, the river, and surrounding Kentucky. I could see boats sailing in the river and wondered if the river was good for fishing.
Good thing I got out of town when I did because people got shot and killed at that festival a few hours later.
While in Louisville, I also toured Churchill Downs saw the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, play the Louisville Bats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.
The trip was a great experience, and Louisville is a place worth going back to. There is so much more over there that I can nerd out on.
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