Craig Biggio 3,000 Hits Celebration

Yesterday, in the blazing heat, we waited an hour to get into the doors of Minute Maid Park. Why so long? Yesterday was the day the Astros chose to honor Craig Biggio for his career milestone. For a stadium giveaway, they were giving a 'bronze' statue to the 1st 3,000 (I think) fans and a t-shirt to everyone. And everyone wanted one. After fighting the crowds and the heat, we finally made it to our seats. All was well until the lady who sat in front of me arrived. This chick scrunched down in her seat until her head was practically on my knees, put her feet on the railing so I couldn't see the field, and then proceeded to pull out Vicks Vapor Rub & sniff it. Yes, I could smell it too and I'm hard of smelling! But, once the ceremony began, all those thoughts were gone. They really did a great job. Jeff Bagwell, Nolan Ryan, some other ball player (sorry long time Houstonians, you probably know him), and others were there to help celebrate with Biggio. His 14 year old son stood in front of the packed stadium and gave a speech. It was the coolest, sweetest thing. And, might I add, his son is CUTE. Lamb wasn't with me but I was sure to take pictures for her. Not that she cared. The bat, jersey, batting glove, and cap worn when the 3,000 hit happened were donated to the Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. The whole thing was just neat. But, the most magical thing was when Biggio started talking. Bear felt like he was talking directly to him when he had this to say:

"I know all the kids in Little League fields across the world have big dreams,"
Biggio said. "You should go for it. I am a person that can vouch for that. I
wasn't the biggest kid, and I wasn't the strongest kid. But if you've got a big
heart and a big dream, you've got to go for it. Don't let anyone crush your
dreams at all. If you want to be a big-league baseball player, go for it."

Bear is not the biggest kid, nor is he the strongest. But, he has the dream and the desire. He *wants* to be a MLB player. He *wants* to be in the museum and the Hall of Fame. He can do it, he's just going to have to work hard at it. Bear is never the super star of the team. He is an average, every day player. A team player. His batting is his weakness. His speed is his strength. However, he has something that every coach who has worked with him has seen. Whether it be his coachablitity, his desire, his dedication, I don't know. They have all told us that Bear will be a great ballplayer if he keeps at it. Who know? Maybe one day I'll be sitting in a chair on a MLB baseball field honoring MY son for his achievements. After all, Craig Biggio says it could happen.