I always said that I was a fan of sports. Well, last week I had a chance to do some of the things that we fans usually just dream of.
Early in the week I had a chance to take batting practice with the Phillies. First, I had a chance to meet the fellas in their locker room. Then they dressed me up in some Phillies gear and I headed to the batting cage. I think I saw about 20 pitches and I connected on most. My best drive was a one-hopper over the left field fence for a ground rule double. Even though I'm a Cubs fan I must say that the Phillies are a really good team and they are on an incredible run right now. I like the guys on that team and I hope they continue to do well.
I also had a chance to meet Ken Griffey Jr. and we exchanged jerseys. What a great guy and obviously a player headed to the Hall of Fame. He came to Philly one home run shy of 600 and will certain pass that milestone soon. We talked about the joy we have playing the games we love for a living and how that fun helps us to play well. I was a bit in awe. I remember watching him play baseball when I was in high school!
Sunday night I had the chance to see the Celtic s host the Lakers. Jeffrey Lurie invited me, Brian Dawkins and Brian Westbrook to Boston to see the game with him. Mr. Lurie's been a Celtics fan forever and you know I love basketball. The energy in the building was great with the Celtics leading all the way. The Lakers made a game of it late which will help them now that the series shifts to Los Angeles.
Having been able to experience these things last week, I can only hope that some kids get that same feeling next week. On Saturday I will host my 8th annual All-Star Kid's Football Clinic. My dad and I along with a bunch of my teammates will put about 300 kids through various football drills. The kids have a good time and get a chance to meet some NFL players. I hope we provide them with lasting memories like I had last week.