One of the things that I love about 'our' boys heading off to college (okay, so I am a few years removed from that but nevertheless ...) is that the baseball families they hook up with in college help so much with the transition. We can rest more comfortably at night knowing that they are with other players, that they share a common bond, and that (hopefully) they have another soft place to 'land' should they struggle along the way.
Parents who have not enjoyed the roller coaster ride that is baseball have difficulty understanding us ... they just 'don't get it'. But I have always felt that the bond that baseball brings for players and parents with each other and with 'strangers' is one of the greatest benefits of the game that other sports just don't present.
windmill ...
Okay, I don't feel so bad now since I went thru the withdrawal with son 30 miles away. Love the Grandpa story ... just wonderful to know that he has such a great bond with his grandpa ... a special relationship that many boys (and their parents) would covet.