It’s true you can’t force your kids into liking something if they don’t like it. Let them try it once and see if it sticks…then move on to the next thing. Alison didn’t want to play soccer, so after a year of torture, her parents didn’t force her to keep playing. Me? I wasn’t so into water polo — treading water for that long just wasn’t my thing. Of course it’s not just sports I know, but whatever it is, we’ll just have to wait and see what exactly our daughter’s “thing” is. One thing’s for sure though. It’s a pretty safe bet that she will be a Dodger fan.

I know, I know. I just finished saying we can’t push things onto our kids. And that’s true. But just based on genetics alone, I’m pretty sure Dodger fandom will be in running through this kid’s veins. Like Tommy Lasorda says — she’ll “bleed Dodger Blue!” When I was little, I don’t really think my family pushed me to be a Dodger fan as much as I really just was one…for as long as I can remember. Same for Alison. Sports team loyalty is just one of those things that just gets passed down from generation to generation.

Of course, with a boy, I’d probably be excited to share baseball with him in a different way. We’d “have a catch” in our front yard and he’d probably play little league (or teeball at least until his genes catch up with him and he realizes he’s probably not destined for the majors). But of course with a little girl, that’s less likely — and with our little girl it’s extremely unlikely. No offense to us or our families, but we are not exactly known for our athletic prowess. Still, I can share with her what is perhaps an even greater love for me — watching baseball.

I can’t even describe how excited I am to take my little girl to her first Dodger game and share some peanuts and a chocolate malt with her. Alison will neurotically apply sunscreen and adjust her hat and I will explain to her what’s happening when she asks what’s going on, just as simply as my dad and grandpa explained it to me. (Of course she’ll be taught very early on that baseball games are not for beach ball throwing or chitchatting about things unrelated to the game that’s going on…this will be her first important life lesson.) Thankfully, Alison and I grew up having shared the Dodger Stadium experience. Probably our very first picture as a couple was at Chavez Ravine, so we can pass on the tradition together…(if not the season tickets).

And trust me, being a Dodger fan will not be the only thing we pass down to our children. I mean, seriously, who are we kidding? They’re sure to inherit our love of theatre as well — and occasionally our love of theatre and baseball will even collide, like they have before: