It’s a small world when you love baseball

I’m in Fort Wayne, Indiana visiting a client for my real job. While walking through the office today, I looked into one of the open offices and saw the jersey above. I knew right away I was onto something.

One of the employees of the company was former Red Brian Reith’s father. Instantly, I began chatting him up.

We talked about his disdain as a parent for Bob Boone. His son’s journey that led him through the Yankees organization, the trade that shipped him to Cincinnati for the likes of Denny Neagle (along with Drew Henson) and his fall from grace as a Major Leaguer. We talked about the night before his big league debut that he thought would come against the Big Unit Randy Johnson (it came against Curt Schilling and the 2001 DiamondBacks that won it all). We also talked about the Sports Illustrated Article immediately following that game that quoted he and his son.

We continued to talk about his time in the big leagues and eventually his times that led to him playing in the Mexican leagues and baseball in other countries after his time as a Major Leaguer was through.

You couldn’t have talked to a nicer guy. Just another big leaguer who has passed through time and the big leagues rather quietly whom I had the pleasure of crossing paths with in life–sort of.

I’ll be watching the Reds from some hole in the wall tavern establishment tonight, and hopefully they award us all with a win out in San Francisco.

And tomorrow, I get to end my week on the road and head back to home sweet home. I’ve been to Fort Wayne, Indiana now. The home of Brian Reith, former Redleg.