Quiet time around the house this time of year

Laguna Hills, CA – A professional baseball season is commonly referred to as a grind due in part to the overall length of the entire schedule. From early February to October if your team is competing in the World Series is a long time to play professionally in any sport. Baseball players generally have a small window to decompress from the game if they really want to remain on a roster spot. The off-season is filled with an enormous amount of business surrounding the game but most if not all players continue to prepare their bodies and minds for the grind of another season. The few times that my son John Lamb has popped into town recently has afforded some quiet time around the house this time of year. Despite his Tommy John surgery earlier this year in June he has continued his rehabilitation at the Kansas City Royals spring training facility under the watchful eyes of staff. Therefore anytime my son comes home it is special due to the high demands of a professional baseball lifestyle.

This recent trip home for Thanksgiving was embraced for the obvious but enhanced last Wednesday for the simple reason of having lunch with both my kids. Professional baseball may keep my son away from home for plenty of good reason, but getting the limited opportunity to spend any time with my daughter is always cherished. Having both of my kids together is extra special to me, as many fathers would agree. Our lunch together was simple in idea but heartfelt none the less due to a complicated situation that evolved before my daughter’s first birthday. So I think you might understand the overall excitement with having them together now that she’s an adult with a few more liberties away from her mother. The day was eclipsed by John and I continuing our way to the Los Angeles Auto Show to dream a little about fancy cars.

My son is healing up well from his elbow surgery and set to begin a throwing program in January to prepare for the 2012 professional baseball season with the Royals. No exact time tables or details have been provided by my son to share on this platform. The family and close friends are genuinely ecstatic over his progress, as I’m sure many Royals fans that are keeping a watchful eye on the minor league system of the organization. We are eager to see him throw this coming spring in Surprise, AZ at the Kansas City complex which is shared with the Texas Rangers club.

I’m not willing to share any opinions of the evolving baseball business issues that are typical during the break from the grind of the season. The one thing which has made this fan extremely happy was the 5-year deal attached to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between Major League Baseball and the Players Association. It’s good for baseball not to jeopardize the growing fan-base rather than experience a labor dispute similar to the National Basketball Association. Many of the details can be argued but the most important thing to me is there will be no work stoppage of America’s pastime for at least another 5 years.

So for now, the household will continue to enjoy all the extra time around John Lamb during the off-season from professional baseball. Next break of time with him is set for this coming weekend due to a scheduled autograph session at a local vendor in South Orange County. John will be at the MVP Sports Cards shop in Laguna Hills this coming Saturday, December 3, 2011 at 2pm. He will be available to sign for an hour leading up to the raffle of a 1958 Mickey Mantle card by the owners of the well- established sports card trading store. Even though his return from Arizona this weekend will be short, the family always enjoys his presence while trying to take a quiet break from the grind of professional baseball.