Grandpas + Baseball = PB&J

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Grandpas and baseball seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly.

My grandpa, or Papaw, as I called him, played a significant role in making me into a baseball fan, beginning way, way back in 1977.

We've heard quite a few baseball stories over the past several days involving grandfathers. Justin Verlander's grandfather confirmed for us this week that his grandson was indeed hooking up with curvy Kate Upton. I bet Justin's grandpa is super proud, and probably is begging  Justin to bring Kate to Thanksgiving dinner.

Tonight we heard another grandfather story from Sergio Romo, who, standing in the dugout during Game 2 of the Word Series, giddily told Joe Buck, Tim McCarver and the millions of us watching the Fox broadcast, about calling his grandpa, a longtime Dodgers fan, on the day he, Romo, was drafted by the Giants.

"Oh, no. Not those guys," the Giants' closer recalled his grandfather saying.

Following the game, after Romo saved the Giants' 2-0 lead over the Tigers, Ken Rosenthal asked Romo what he thought his Dodgers-fan grandfather might be thinking.

"I'm assuming he's wearing his Giants shirts I've given him, orange and black," Romo said. "I'm hoping he's proud of me."

Of course he's proud of you, Sergio.

Back a few years ago, I worked as sports information director at a small college. One day I saw my grandpa wearing the baseball cap of that school, a college with which he otherwise had no connection. I knew then and there he was proud of his goofball grandson.