Tommy 5

Tommy took a final look at himself in the mirror before heading downstairs; he was wearing a soft yellow button-down shirt, that his mother bought him for Christmas this year, over a white t-shirt.  He wasn't particularly fond of the color itself but his mom liked him to wear it & as far back as Tommy could remember Ginger always had some shade of yellow on.  It became her trademark when she hosted 'The Aunt Ginny Show'.   Casey Bradshaw was waiting for him when he got downstairs.  They headed to the hotel Casey's girlfriend, Lindsay, & sister, Samantha were staying at. "I am going to warn you, Metcalf, about my little sister, she will probably ask you a bunch of questions about your dad tonight but you just have to bear with it." Casey wanted to give his new friend a heads-up. Tommy spoke up, "I don't mind that, my dad is great & he has lots of fans" "Consider yourself warned, Metcalf.  Sam went to every game she could with my dad.  Believe it or not I wasn't a big baseball fan until I got to high school & realized, I not only loved to watch but was really good at playing." "I was the complete opposite, my whole family jokes about how I was born with a bat in my hands.  I followed my dad around all the time." Tommy always got a big smile on his face when he thought about his parents.  He was the only guy he knew who always adored his parents, never going through that awkward adolescence where communication with your parents was unheard of. "I am sure Sam & I will get along just fine even if all we have in common is an admiration for Jeff Metcalf." It wasn't long before they picked the girls up & went out for dinner.  Sam & Tommy hit it off right away.  She explained to Tommy how she ended up with his dad's jersey.  It turns out that the Bradshaw family is originally from River Run.  Sam & Casey's dad, Dave grew up going to school with Jeff, moving to Toledo when Dave & Jeff were 11 years old.  One day Dave was at a game with his daughter & took her down to meet Jeff.  Jeff remembered his grade school chum & autographed his jersey & gave it to her to remember the day.  "From then on I was hooked, Jeff Metcalf had a fan for life. I used to annoy my family by writing up a summary of each game complete with commentary & read it for them after dinner. I followed his career until he stopped playing.  His last game was one of the saddest days of my life.  But I guess I have him to thank for my career choice.  I am now a sports writer for the Toledo Times."  Sam felt like she was monopolizing the conversation.  She felt foolish for confessing how much she admired Jeff Metcalf to someone who really knew him.  But she couldn't help herself, she was afraid to stop talking for fear she might reach out & touch Tommy's beautiful dark hair.