I wanted to take a moment to explain where Cathy & I came up with the name Casey for our first child. It has to do with, of all things, baseball. Or more specifically, a baseball player. (And, no, it is not the “Mighty Casey” that struck out that fateful day in Mudville.)
Casey is named after former major leaguer Sean Casey. Sean was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1995, but just before the start of the 1998 season, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Dave Burba.
Opening Day in Cincinnati is an event unlike any other, as it practically shuts the city down. Not only was 1998 Sean’s first Opening Day, it was the first time Cathy & I had gone as well (a streak that will continue this year, our 12th straight Opening Day).
A few games later we were back, and Sean had a great night, driving in a couple runs. After the game not only did he sign autographs and talk with the fans, but he actually exited the gated area where the players parked so that he could sign and talk to fans face to face. There were just a few people around Sean that night, as most fans didn’t know who this newcomer was. That would soon change, although Sean’s habit of signing for fans did not.
Sean certainly made a name for himself on the field, especially during the 1999 season in which the Reds were in contention for a playoff spot. Sean hit .332 with 25 homeruns and 99 RBI. But off the field Sean was perhaps even better. “The Mayor”, as he came to be known, showed that he was a different type of ballplayer. Heck, he is a different type of person.
Sean is a gracious, humble, grounded guy, who often does volunteer work with organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Make-A-Wish. He had a reputation among players as being friendly, and would often be seen talking (and talking) to opponents that reached first base.
During his 8 years in Cincinnati, I had a chance to meet with him a few times. I ran a website devoted to him for a while and he left tickets for me at the gate for a game once. The fact that he would often recognize me and even remembered my name blew me away. But that was Sean. I remember a newspaper article about Sean that described how even though he was on the road, he made a point to find and attend church service before a Sunday game. That really made an impression on me.
He was traded from the Reds to the Pirates of his hometown in Pittsburgh in what was a very sad day for many in Cincinnati. We made it a point to get tickets to the first game the Pirates visited Cincinnati and were among the crowd that braved a cold, rainy night to give Sean a standing ovation upon his return to Cincinnati.
After his stint with the Pirates, he went to the Detroit Tigers, where he got the chance to play in the World Series in 2006. He hit two homeruns and batted .529 in the Series, but the Tigers lost to the Cardinals. Then he went to my second favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, as a bench player in 2008.
He was a 3 time All-Star with a lifetime batting average of .302. He played for teams that reached the post-season twice and made over $40 million during his career. But knowing Sean, the professional accomplishment he may be most proud of was winning the Hutch Award in 1999, given to “the player who personifies the spirit, courage and integrity of former manager Fred Hutchinson”. Casey was voted in 2007 as "the friendliest player in baseball" by over 400 fellow players in a Sports Illustrated poll. (He garnered 46% of the vote with the second place player Jim Thome getting only 7%.)
So, when we found out that Cathy was pregnant with a boy, we wanted his name to mean something. I suggested Casey, fully expecting Cathy to resist naming our firstborn after a baseball player. But she knew Sean wasn’t just a ballplayer, but someone that exhibits the type of person we hope Casey grows up to become.
While I was hoping Casey would be born on January 20th and share my birthday, he waited until the following day. It was then that I realized that perhaps Casey knew what he was doing, and wanted to be born on the day that shared the uniform number Sean Casey wore for much of his career: 21.
Just a few days after Casey was born, Sean announced that he was retiring from baseball, citing the lack of a regular starting position. He joined the newly launched MLB Network where, no doubt, he will be the nicest guy on the air.
Casey is named after former major leaguer Sean Casey. Sean was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1995, but just before the start of the 1998 season, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds for Dave Burba.
Opening Day in Cincinnati is an event unlike any other, as it practically shuts the city down. Not only was 1998 Sean’s first Opening Day, it was the first time Cathy & I had gone as well (a streak that will continue this year, our 12th straight Opening Day).
A few games later we were back, and Sean had a great night, driving in a couple runs. After the game not only did he sign autographs and talk with the fans, but he actually exited the gated area where the players parked so that he could sign and talk to fans face to face. There were just a few people around Sean that night, as most fans didn’t know who this newcomer was. That would soon change, although Sean’s habit of signing for fans did not.
Sean certainly made a name for himself on the field, especially during the 1999 season in which the Reds were in contention for a playoff spot. Sean hit .332 with 25 homeruns and 99 RBI. But off the field Sean was perhaps even better. “The Mayor”, as he came to be known, showed that he was a different type of ballplayer. Heck, he is a different type of person.
Sean is a gracious, humble, grounded guy, who often does volunteer work with organizations such as Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Make-A-Wish. He had a reputation among players as being friendly, and would often be seen talking (and talking) to opponents that reached first base.
During his 8 years in Cincinnati, I had a chance to meet with him a few times. I ran a website devoted to him for a while and he left tickets for me at the gate for a game once. The fact that he would often recognize me and even remembered my name blew me away. But that was Sean. I remember a newspaper article about Sean that described how even though he was on the road, he made a point to find and attend church service before a Sunday game. That really made an impression on me.
He was traded from the Reds to the Pirates of his hometown in Pittsburgh in what was a very sad day for many in Cincinnati. We made it a point to get tickets to the first game the Pirates visited Cincinnati and were among the crowd that braved a cold, rainy night to give Sean a standing ovation upon his return to Cincinnati.
After his stint with the Pirates, he went to the Detroit Tigers, where he got the chance to play in the World Series in 2006. He hit two homeruns and batted .529 in the Series, but the Tigers lost to the Cardinals. Then he went to my second favorite team, the Boston Red Sox, as a bench player in 2008.
He was a 3 time All-Star with a lifetime batting average of .302. He played for teams that reached the post-season twice and made over $40 million during his career. But knowing Sean, the professional accomplishment he may be most proud of was winning the Hutch Award in 1999, given to “the player who personifies the spirit, courage and integrity of former manager Fred Hutchinson”. Casey was voted in 2007 as "the friendliest player in baseball" by over 400 fellow players in a Sports Illustrated poll. (He garnered 46% of the vote with the second place player Jim Thome getting only 7%.)
So, when we found out that Cathy was pregnant with a boy, we wanted his name to mean something. I suggested Casey, fully expecting Cathy to resist naming our firstborn after a baseball player. But she knew Sean wasn’t just a ballplayer, but someone that exhibits the type of person we hope Casey grows up to become.
While I was hoping Casey would be born on January 20th and share my birthday, he waited until the following day. It was then that I realized that perhaps Casey knew what he was doing, and wanted to be born on the day that shared the uniform number Sean Casey wore for much of his career: 21.
Just a few days after Casey was born, Sean announced that he was retiring from baseball, citing the lack of a regular starting position. He joined the newly launched MLB Network where, no doubt, he will be the nicest guy on the air.
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