I'm Riding For

Mitch Perlich

Where do I begin? I'm truly at a loss of words... You introduced me to my love for baseball (even though you supported the wrong team, I mean we all know the Brewers are better than the Cardinals!) but you also introduced me to my closest friend, Trev. I find it so poetic that when you two were our ages, you & my dad also became close friends. I remember riding down to Milwaukee for our first baseball game while Trev & I played baseball & Fantastic Four on the original Xbox. Where has all that time gone? I think one of my favorite stories is when we went to our second baseball game. I was in high school now & it was Trev's birthday. You & my dad got us some poster boards that we could decorate & we decided to use them to point out it was Trev's birthday & ask for a baseball. The problem? Our seats weren't the greatest so we weren't having any luck. You & my father didn't let that stop you though, since the game was an absolute landslide on the score board (yes, the Cardinals won, I remember), you two decided to sneak us over to the team dugouts. While there, a player from the Brewers acknowledged our signs & held up a finger to signify "one minute". The next thing we knew, one of your favorite players from the Cardinals had NAILED a home run! Trev & I watched in shock as that ball came flying towards us & landed right in front of us, in the middle of the team dug out. One of the players immediately picked it up & then held up each hand one at a time, essentially asking which ball Trev wanted. We immediately pointed to the home run ball & the player laughed as he threw it up to us. Now most people would think this is the end of the story but no, we managed to make it just a little bit better. After the game, we were walking back to our vehicle so Trev and I decided to play catch...with the home run ball!!! We got that ball all scuffed up while you and my dad watched in horror. A memory Trev & I will cherish forever. This year I ride for you Mitch!