Brian Sweeney – From Local Boy to the Majors
You probably think that being a professional baseball player is pretty cool. See that guy in the picture? I've known him since the day he was born. When I introduced my husband to Brian Sweeney, he asked him, "What's it like to be in the show?" Brian replied, "It doesn't suck!"
Brian is the little brother of my best friend, Christine. I remember when Brian was born. Right from the start, he was a problem. We had to "Keep it down. The baby's sleeping". UGH!
As he got older, it was, "Hey girls, can you babysit?"
Uh, Do we have a choice? I remember one particular time that, ok, I'll admit it, I'm not really proud of. We put him in a tree. Hey, he wanted us to put him in the tree, and we did. But, we kinda left him there. He's fine.
Brian always loved baseball, and I'll make a long story short, he went from Little League to winning a Yankees Scholarship while at Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains for College Ball. From the Mercy College Baseball team, he went into the minor leagues.
The day the Seattle Mariners called him up to the Majors was, of course, another problem. He got the call, and then tried to call his father. The only man besides my own dad that I call "dad". That was August 16, 2003. The very day the Eastern seaboard power grid decided to take a vacation.
Brian was traded to the San Diego Padres, and if that wasn't far enough from home, he then went to Japan. How the heck are we supposed to root for the home team on this side of the planet? We all had to learn how to say Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. See what a trouble maker he is?
The little boy from Yonkers, who dreamed about pitching in Yankee Stadium, got that chance while he was a Seattle Mariner. There he was on the mound. My BFF, Christine, and the rest of the Sweeney family, in the stands with signs "BRIAN SWEENEY" and "WE BELIEVE!" Derek Jeter comes up to the plate. I was watching from my living room in Brookfield, CT and all I remember about that moment was my son, Johnny, saying to me, "Mom, you better calm down!"
He struck him out! Yup! Brian Sweeney struck out Derek Jeter!
Brian retired from playing, but didn't put the baseball down. The Philadelphia Phillies named Brian Sweeney as pitching coach for their rookie league Gulf Coast League for the 2015 season. This year, the Phillies moved him up to coach the Lakewood Blueclaws, in New Jersey.
I've had him on the air with me several times. You've probably picked up by now that not only do I love Brian, but his sportsmanship does come in handy. We love to tease him, and he takes it all. But I will tell you this, I join the rest of his family when I say how proud I am of him. He's a great husband, father, son, brother, cousin and friend. Always a gentleman. Always "family first". Always a great sport.
I am so proud of you, Brian, and I'm so glad you got out of that tree. See? I didn't mention your prom at all, or that silly shark haircut you had a couple of years ago.
Listen to Linda G weekdays from 3-7pm on 105.5 FM, online at kicks1055.com/listen-live/ or by downloading the radioPup app for your mobile device.
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