Out of left field

Baseball has been a regular part of my son's life for the past couple of years. T-ball games. Visits to the local AA ballpark. My own professed love for the NY Yankees.

Still, I was surprised by the answer he gave when I asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up.

"I'm going to be a baseball player."

I know he likes the game, but he also loves NASCAR driver Carl Edwards and he loves watching Roger Federer and most Sunday afternoons, he'll eventually wander into his father's lap as they watch the football game while I prepare dinner. So he never showed a more intense interest in baseball than other sports.

Knowing that he can regularly change his mind, I asked him the question again a couple of other times. Yet he gave the same answer.

I tried to drop him the hint that even if he played baseball he would still need to go to college. He just shrugged.

At school, they asked the kids to wear baseball hats today (No, it's not some particular World Series commemorative moment). Leaving the house with his NY Yankees cap, he gave me his goodbye kiss.

"Mommy, this is a baseball kiss. It's very important that you take this kiss and put it in your brain so that nobody takes it away. OK?"

Ok, I said, wondering if I had heard him right. Where does he come up with that?