We love you, Matt Carpenter

Meet Luke.  

His love for Matt Carpenter is an unlikely affection in more than one way.  First of all, we do not, nor have we ever, lived any where in or around St. Louis.  We are in Texas (near Matt's hometown actually). I'll be honest and say that I had not ever heard of Matt Carpenter until I turned on our TV one day to show Luke "baseball on TV" (more on that later).  Secondly, he became a fan mid-season - before the rumblings about the post-season were in full swing. Little did we know we would be rooting for our hero in the World Series.  And finally he is 4.  Sure, you say, kids are fans.  But four-year-olds kids change heroes like they change underwear.  Luke's adoration is unfailing. 

When we play baseball in the back yard, he is always Matt Carpenter first. (He usually cycles through the other Matt's that play for the cards and some Rangers mixed in after but MC is always first).  He is in a little baseball clinic on Friday nights and when they play practice games at the end, while the other kids are tossing their gloves in the air and drawing shapes in the turf, Luke is narrating.  "Matt Carpenter steps up to the plate, runners on first and third, here comes an RBI for Matt Carpenter!"  The only time he changes character is when they send him to first and he tells us he is switching to Matt Adams.  Or, at home when he puts on his osh kosh shirt that has a 7 on it, he is Matt Holiday - he asked me Friday morning why don't they make shirts with 13's on them?  He was Matt Carpenter for Halloween - and despite staunch opposition was forced to wear a Rangers shirt with his St. Louis hat, because the Cards jersey I ordered was wayyy too big. We tear open baseball card packs - dying to get a Matt Carpenter card - the closest we have gotten is Molina - which delighted Luke - but not the same. My brother sent him a Cardinals hat, and of course, what was the first thing he said? "A Cardinals hat!! So I can be Matt Carpenter!"

He watched the Cards all the way through the series religiously and kept up with Matt's batting average and OPS. Not a person in our family is a Cards fan - although that has all changed. Our love of St. Louis is somewhat sac religious.  My brother (Luke's Uncle Bob), the other person in our family who eats, sleeps,  and breathes baseball is a die-hard Rangers fan - those who know, see what a conflict of interests this is. 

We use Matt as we train him up in character.  "Would Matt Carpenter never let his friends go first?" "Does Matt Carpenter throw a fit when he doesn't make a catch?"  (if your are half as decent of a person we have made you out to be, you are a saint). Luke found out that it was Matt Carpenter's birthday the other day and his head almost exploded.  

For the few people that keep up with this blog and for the rest of our close friends & family - you already know of Luke's love of the game.  It is a genuine love of all things baseball - and it begins again every morning as the sun comes up.  More often then not, it is the first thing we talk about when we get up and the last thing we talk about when we go to bed.  I turned on the TV one time early summer to show him the "big boys" playing baseball on TV and suddenly, I found myself recording games so he could watch in the morning instead of cartoons.  I learned the hard way (we missed a huge grand slam) to extend the recording.  I've said it before and I will say it again - people tell me all the time, " yeah, our kids like baseball too" and I just smile and nod.  I know in my mind, it is not likely the same. Luke's love of baseball in a rudimentary form began around 9 months and steady grew from there. Below I have compiled a number of video clips that only begin to illustrate this progression right up until this past Friday, when we took him to the cages for the first time and he was making contact with balls being pitched around 40 mph.  My brother was in town for Thanksgiving and Luke couldn't wait to see him and play ball with him.  Thank goodness for his kindred spirit.

So, Matt, if you read this - know that there is a little four year old boy in Houston, Texas (who's a pretty decent little player), and he thinks you hung the moon.  He looks up to you, he believes in you, he wants to be just like you. Thanks for, up to this point, being someone I am delighted to have my little one love.  And my guess is now for fielding practice Luke will no longer want to be a second baseman - third base will probably look pretty good to him.

The Very Beginning

Catch with Momma

An Experiment in Throwing

Window Baseball

First Major League Game

A Matt Carpenter Halloween

Batting Practice

In the cages