I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to honor the memories of three individuals featured in Dugout Wisdom that are no longer with us: Bob Howsam, Buck O'Neil and Kirby Puckett. Each of these men so graciously shared with me a story for inclusion in this book. Bob talked of his lovely wife Janet and how she was his rock through the ups and downs of one of the greatest GM careers in baseball history. Kirby, the day before he passed, told me about thinking about his father throughout his first big league at-bat and how to remove fear from your life and replace it with unconditional faith. Buck reflected back some 80 years to a moment when he was working as a child in a celery field when his dad inspired him to dream big and find a better place. I can't help but think that, like Buck's childhood dream, all of these men are in fact in a better place at this very moment. May their memory and inspiration stay alive...always.

I'm riding the 6 train to Yankee Stadium for tonight's Yankees/Orioles game clutching the book. In the midst of a quiet moment, I start thumbing through the book innocently when a handful of people start asking me about it. They are clearly Yankee fans (I'm a Chicago fan for the record). They are clearly drawn to the stories from Whitey, Goose and Guidry but I asked them to take a glance at Bobby Doerr, the Red Sox great, whose story of his father's sacrfices during the Depression paved the way for him to pursue a Big League career, albiet for these guys, with the enemy Red Sox. These big, both in spirit and in actual size, Yankee fans paused and said, "That's a real man. Even if he did play for the Red Sox." Time to get off. Yankees win 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth and more importantly, I feel as though I help bridge relations between Red Sox Nation and Yankees Universe.

Driving to Cooperstown today and there is something magical about arriving in the town that even transcends the baseball nostalgia. The drive itself is worth the trip. It is a journey through rolling trees and such great street names as "Pudding Lane" and "Cherry Blossom Bridge Road" that you can't help but smile. There's a feeling as though you are stepping into a time machine when you arrive on Main Street. (Or it could be the feeling in my stomach as Josh, the Dugout Wisdom business manager, and me are wondering if the meat we just ate at a roadside highway was actual road kill. Jury is still out.) However, regardless of how our tummies are feeling at the moment, the sight of arriving at Cooperstown's one stop light and perusing the collection of jerseys walking the street calms even the most upset stomach. In front of us, is a 40-something year old man in a full early 70s Catfish Hunter jersey, a Cub fan walks behind him with a simple Cubs T-shirt and littered around them are many Yankees and Red Sox fans. Think Pleasantville meets Fenway Park and you get the idea. Off to get a beer at Cooley's and just soak in the atmosphere a bit more and calm that stomach with a few pints.

At the heart of this project is a celebration of every player's "baseball father." For those in the game, this "baseball father" is also known as their scout that first signed them. Whether you are a Hall of Fame player or the stereotypical Crash Davis-type who is a lifer in the minors, a scout, at some point in your youth, saw great potential in you. This book, in many ways, is a celebration of the relationship between scouts and these players. Relationships that go beyond the baselines. One of the benefactors of this book is the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation, a charity that was established to help provide financial support for retired scouts. USA Today's Bob Nightengale wrote a brilliant piece on the scouts and their changing role in today's paper. Here's the link for you all: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-05-18-Scouts_N.htm

For those of you that have read Dugout Wisdom already, you'll know that many of the stories capture the parent/child relationship. It is these stories, in my mind, that encompass what this book, and arguably, dreams are all about. I'm honored that the players in this book, like Goose Gossage and Phil Niekro recognize this too. I've always been curious, as a fan, as to the personal side of these players. Or more aptly, their mindset before they were stars. I think after reading it everyone will understand that most of these players have had a strong foundation and love at home that allowed them to be their best self. I'm honored to share that Goose also has been proactive in helping us celebrate this life lesson simply by offering this quote for us to use in the promotion of the book as a fitting Father's Day present: "A father's love is the foundation of learning to enjoy a Hall of Fame life. For any son or daughter that has a dad that is a lover of baseball and a dreamer, I can't think of a better Father's Day present than receiving a personalized copy of Dugout Wisdom and a Hall of Fame membership. It celebrates all that's great about family, baseball and life."

Don't let the headline fool you, the Mr. Met I'm referring to is Omar Minaya. Omar is the Mets General Manager and I had the pleasure of sitting with him at tonight's game at Shea Stadium. Omar, in my mind, is the perfect modern day GM because he embraces the past legacies of the game while understanding and adapting to the future. An ardent supporter of scouts, Omar gushed when thumbing through Dugout Wisdom upon realizing that each player's scout was recongnized. It was a joy for me to watch him skip to the end of each profile and smile at each name in the same way you and I would recognize long lost friends while flipping through the pages of a old school yearbook. I'll do my best to share with you firsthand experiences like tonight's in this forum but my memory captured most was the glow in Omar's eye when he mentioned Roland Hemond. For those that don't know Roland yet, I'd encourage you to check out this link (http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/cws/team/exe_bios/hemond_roland.html). I simply describe Roland as my very own "Tuesdays With Morie" but perhaps Mike Veeck describes him best when he famously introduced Roland by simply saying, "What Johnny Cash is to music. Roland is to baseball." In addition to all his accolades, Roland is the reason that Dugout Wisdom was born. He wrote the Foreword which I know you will all treasure as our very own Mr. Met did tonight. DBG, 5/14

Paul Molitor shared with me that "dreams are a process built over time." My wish for all of you who read this blog and the book Dugout Wisdom is that, in time, you have a deeper understanding of your dreams and possibilities through the experiences highlighted both in this book and through this blog. I will be using this forum to share with all of you the realizing of my dream of connecting with the hearts and minds of the game's greatest legends. Please know I'm just a fan of the game like many of you and I'm honored for the privilege to sit down with these men and women and understand what it takes to have the perseverance, dedication and passion to pursue a dream not only in baseball but in our lives. I'll be posting some personal stories on this site throughout the summer and encourage you all to post a note of your own or ask any questions as this forum is all about extending my good fortune with each of you. With that disclaimer, I'm proud to say that Dugout Wisdom is officially published!! I'm even more honored to say that our leadoff hitter and first purchase was made by my dear friend Jeff Idelson, the newly named President of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Thank you Jeff for your friendship and support and being a Hall of Fame friend. DBG, May 13