The 2018 Major League Baseball season started today, which is the earliest it’s ever started by the way, but it began to make me reminisce about my old playing days from five years old until high school.
Last night I was in the press box covering the Raiders for the Richmond Observer and every time I do that, I find myself staring out into left field where I used to roam the outfield. I also find myself watching Cam Carraway, simply because he and I share the same number – 14.
It’s crazy now to think about how many players have worn number 14 before me, but definitely since I left in 2001. They are of course completely different uniforms than the ones we wore many moons ago, but to me, there’s always going to be a connection among players who share numbers in school no matter the sport.
During the winter when I was covering the Lady Raiders basketball team, I would also find myself looking at the giant photo outside the gym of the 2000 team I was lucky to be on that made it all the way to the state championship. We were no match for the team that Apex High School put out that year, but the journey was the best part.
Game after game in the playoffs that year, as we continued to win and make it further and further – that’s the most exciting part.
Of course, just being able to play for a championship is special but to be a part of a team and have that camaraderie with your teammates is something that can’t be duplicated. I’m still good friends with the majority of guys on the high school teams I played on.
As far as the present day Raiders, they have a lot of talent, and strategy-wise, play very similar to the way we did. Tear up the base paths, move runners over and hope for a big hit or two throughout a game. And of course, we also had stellar pitching just like this year’s team.
Although I will say, with head coach Ricky Young having a double digit amount of guys to put on the rubber, they definitely have us outnumbered in that department.
Looking into the future, things always seem to be bright for Raider baseball. I look forward to continuing to cover them and to see who will wear 14 and who will fill the space that I used to occupy in left field.
It’s a tradition like no other.
