| Happy Valentine's Day! A quick baseball love story: While Marissa and I met the literal first day of college as Freshman athletes who arrived on campus before all the other students did, we didn't start dating until the Summer before our Senior year. We had been best friends for 3 years so when we decided to take the plunge it was pretty serious right away, but we were still only 21 year old college kids and a lot can change in relationships at that age. Despite young love being unpredictable, when graduation rolled around later that year, we were trying to figure out what we would do next, together. |  Marissa and I pre-game at some random minor league ballpark in 2003. |
| Neither of us had jobs lined because we were waiting to see how the MLB Draft went for me; whether or not I got picked would determine exactly what our immediate post-college lives would look like. 2003 graduation was the towards to end of May but the draft wasn't until the middle of June so Marissa and I were still living in our house in Providence while everyone else on campus had left. This was not a big deal except that I needed to keep my arm in shape in the event that I did get drafted and had to report to Extended Spring Training right away. I couldn't afford to not throw for 3 weeks. With all my teammates were gone, who stepped up to be my throwing partner every day while waiting for the draft? Marissa! I mean, total keeper, right?!?! And we weren't playing some slow game of men's league softball catch; I was throwing in the low 90s at the time and while she never put on full catcher's gear in the bullpen, I'm sure she would have if I needed her to. Now THAT'S love (and crazy athleticism)! A few weeks later I did get drafted and Marissa never wavered in her support of my Big League dreams, even though professional baseball for me meant a career and "life" holding pattern for her while we saw how far I could make it. My Minor League career only last 2 years, but I know that had I turned into Crash Davis, she would have been right there with me every step of the way. Unconditional support. Unconditional love. I'm not sure I can ever fully repay her for that, but I always try to be as supportive of her as possible through the highs of life, but more importantly during the lows. I do this not as a way to "even the score" but because that's what love is and that's what makes for the strongest and healthiest possible relationship, which is as solid now in our 23rd year of being together as it was in our 1st. Today, and every day since we first fell in love, I feel ridiculously lucky to have my best friend, and favorite person ever, also be my biggest fan. Marissa, I love you the biggest. I'm your biggest fan too, and thanks for making 2 really cute and awesome kids along the way! Happy Valentine's Day to you all! DS |