Daddy Unscripted Podcast

In episode 61, I had a life-altering conversation with Rob Gorski, creator of "The Autism Dad". Life-altering is an appropriate and not exaggerated description of our discussion. I, of course, am hopeful it has anywhere close to that effect and meaning for at least some of you.

As I said in my intro: Rob is one of those people that, to me, are deserving of the title "hero". Truly. Rob's ability to overcome some of the challenges he and his family are faced with is the stuff heroes are made of. Their "normal" day-to-day is extremely unique. And, I'm sure Rob would scoff at me for saying that or maybe politely thank me for it. But, the things Rob does that seem so amazing to me, he would probably just shrug and tell me how it really is just his life. And... that's what makes it heroic to me.

I truly feel very humbled after speaking with Rob. Hearing these stories about how much his family overcomes daily. How much they have overcome already. It also inspires me to know that I can do so much more, in so many ways. Not just in my own life... but for others, as well.

Rob has three autistic children at home. His wife has Aspergers and is autistic as well. Their 19-year-old son also has childhood disintegrative disorder. This means, though he is 19 years of age, his cognitive level is about at that of a 6 or 5-year old, and it's regressing.

This conversation with Rob opened the door to possibly the first time I have spoken at any length on the podcast about my daughter's autism. She does very well and is extremely high-functioning. But, that wasn't always the case. She definitely had a tough first section of her life, filled with lots of time with therapists in our home and outside of it.

I brought up the story of Carly Fleischmann that I had seen years ago on a 20/20 special. My daughter was young and already into her therapies when the video about Carly came out. At that time, we really had no idea where things would go for our little girl, but it gave me hope, all the same.

As we went back into Rob's history, he talked about his childhood, born in the late 70's and raised in Ohio as one of 6 kids. His parents were very religious and worked hard to send all of the kids to Catholic school, locally. As a kid who spent pretty much all of my years in private school, as well, we dug into private education a little.

As our conversation meandered into this topic, Rob shared something from his past that was something else I could truly empathize with: abuse. Let's just say that the way the adults surrounding him responded to what he told them about what happened from someone involved in the local parish understandably put an indelible mark on Rob regarding the Catholic church and organized religion.

You can't have a conversation about organized religion (or maybe, the Catholic church?) without touching on tolerance and acceptance, right? Our road led us there next and, I'd say a great deal of our episode really was steeped in that: Tolerance, Acceptance and Love.

Rob told me that he has gotten some flack from people on social media for voicing his opinion on politics and other things. Rather than people seeing the big picture of what our current government is doing that has massive effects on people with autism or other disabilities, some are telling Rob to "stay in his lane" and stick to the autism advocacy. Which, Rob states very succinctly in this episode, very well means that he absolutely has things to say about other things that really do affect his family and those with autism.

"...I want to be standing on the right side of history. I want my kids to know that I was not okay with this. That I spoke up... and I stood up... and I did everything in my power, as one person, to counter this..." Rob said, in regards to everything going on with the current state of hate and lack of acceptance on a grand scale in society right now.

I'd have to say, one of the funnier moments of the episode was when I tried to use an analogy that did not hit its mark with Rob...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 60, Will Henson tells us all about the adventures of his life. These are not just his adventures, but those of his Dad and his Mom during his youth, as well.

Will came to the podcast via Episode 56's guest Jon Loomis. So, a special thanks to Jon for leading such a great man to Daddy Unscripted.

When Will first emailed me, I couldn't have been more surprised by some of the things he quickly mentioned about his childhood. His parents' research of bats and mentioning to me that he was catching bats in Jamaica had me extremely interested, to say the least.

Spending much of his life on the east coast, Will tells some great stories of adventuring about from his childhood. He talks about being quite the nerd in High School, which I really associated with. It's not too hard to believe that a young Will decided to just up and move to Alaska.

As someone who, at times, was not afraid to try very new things and places in life, I am so massively inspired by Will's fearless life. We talked a bit about what it's like to "settle down" a little later in life.

Will's professional life is not exactly boring, either. He is a licensed psychologist who works a lot in the threat assessment space with schools in his locale. I'm sad that something like this has to exist at all, let alone, has as much involvement as it does these days. But, obviously the need is there and his role is very important.

Will has not only helped create a website that helps train educators; he has also developed and designed a historical board game. As in his childhood, he now spends a significant amount of time taking his two daughters fishing with him. He provided me with some amazing photos, that I will share at the end of this post with you all.

You can find more about Will's work by visiting www.321insight.com

You can also check out the board game he designed by visiting www.historicalboardgaming.com

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify| Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Another episode that Twitter gets a lot of the glory for bringing me yet another fantastic guest. I am not one to spend my time in just one arena. I think that goes for pretty much all aspects of my life. True, when I get into something I really get into that something. But, I throw my net pretty wide.

For some years now, I have been extremely interested in the things that are not right in front of my face. That meant looking outside of mainstream media and network news. This opened my eyes to a lot of the things that are starting to get a little more light shed on them lately.

I shake my head as I type this. How is it possible we are still talking about racism? And as I type that sentence, I feel like it makes me appear ignorant. I'm not trying to re-invent the wheel with this post. I'm not trying to write something to have it go viral. Now, that would be ignorant. But, a big part of me wants to scream out: "HOW IS RACISM STILL SO PREVALENT?!"

As a person who happens to be white (I credit that phrase to Amanda Seales), it deeply saddens me that this is still an issue. In many ways, it really doesn't seem like we have gained that much ground since 'the old days'. Over the past couple of years alone, the racist acts that you can find pretty much daily... it's just astonishing. And in my whiteness, my maleness and my not getting any youngerness, it's all downright embarrassing and leaves me incredulous at times. And, yes, I'm aware I just put my own self into a category right there.

During my personal search for more reality (good or bad), it has led me to a lot of people I respect in many ways. Benjamin Dixon is someone I stumbled upon via Twitter at some point in 2018. I very quickly recognized his fire for putting the spotlight on important issues. At the time, I wasn't aware of what Benjamin was working on in the background.

We recorded this episode a couple of weeks before its initial launch, but on Valentine's Day, The North Star was officially (re)birthed into the world. A project of Benjamin and Shaun King's, the North Star was originally an abolitionist newspaper established in 1847 by Frederick Douglass.

Taken from their website: "Started in 1847 by Frederick Douglass & Dr. Martin Delany as the leading abolitionist newspaper of its day, we have rebuilt and relaunched The North Star as a modern hub for liberation journalism. Every article, podcast, broadcast, and story that we tell will not just be told to change the news. The North Star is here to change the world."

I reached out to Benjamin late last year and I'd almost be okay with describing myself as giddy that he was interested in recording for Daddy Unscripted with me. I felt like I knew a decent amount about Ben's life going into the recording but quickly learned I truly had no idea.

As we talked, it really started unfolding how many similarities we had. From our youthful years with fathers that were pastors to many of our tales as Dads, we have a lot of common ground.

You'll hear us get a little emotional in this episode as we talk about missing our Dads. Benjamin gives a solid history of his life before I nudge him into a history of his career. I'm so happy we were able to record this episode during such a busy time for Benjamin. Make sure you check out all of the things that keep Benjamin busy and the ways that he is working to make things better and clearer for others of us in the world.

Go to Benjamin's Twitter to find links to pretty much everything, username @BenjaminPDixon. Also, make sure you check out The North Star at www.TheNorthStar.com

Daddy Unscripted can be found on:

iTunes | Spotify| Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

Website: www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 58, former major league baseball player David Newhan tells some remarkable stories. He fought through his minor league journey and when his shot for making a big league roster arrived, he made it impossible for them to put him back on the bench. When he had a horrific accident nearly 10 years ago, he fought, quite literally, for his life with that very same tenacity.

In October of 2016, Episodes 19 & 20 of the podcast featured my conversations with hall of fame baseball writer Ross Newhan. Yes. You're making the right connection there: Ross is David's dad. When I sat with Ross, the hope was always that he and David would become a Father/Son package on Daddy Unscripted at some point. That time has finally arrived.

David had unique access to professional baseball players from a young age. He was born into a home with two baseball-loving parents and his interest in baseball never wavered. While his dad was working over the long and grueling seasons, David was busy bettering himself as a young baseball player. And he did it well. So well that he went on to play in college.

Following a season at Cypress College, David went on to play for Georgia Tech in 1993. His teammates there included Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Jay Payton. To complete his collegiate play, he spent the next two years back in California, putting up huge numbers at Pepperdine University. He was drafted in the amateur draft later that year by the Oakland A's organization.

David spent 3 years in the A's minor league system before being traded to the Padres. His career then went the way of many minor league journeymen: he has played at the minor and major league level for 10 different baseball organizations. It was with the Orioles that David saw his most significant success. In 2004, during a call-up to the big league club, he took the baseball world by storm. He even had a 20-game hit streak.

One of the moments a lot of baseball people may remember most would be a hit off of Pedro Martinez in Fenway Park. He drove the ball deep off of the center field wall, Johnny Damon fielded it and threw it toward the infield. Out of nowhere, and for completely unknown reasons, Manny Ramirez cut off the throw going to the cut-off man. In a true display of "Manny Being Manny", the oddball play allowed for Newhan to get an inside-the-park home run off of one of the best pitchers to play the game.

His career hit some turbulence in the seasons to follow; some significant injuries did not help. In 2009, David was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as a player-coach for their Triple-A squad. That summer, while at his home in Oceanside, CA, everything would change.

David's re-telling of the fateful day surfing in the ocean brought chills, even though I am no stranger to the story. Remarkable, amazing, astounding, unbelievable and miraculous: all of these words come to mind to describe what took place. As he dove unsuspectingly into a sandbar and fractured his C2 vertebrae. The injury is known by doctors as "the Hangman's fracture" -- it's the same injury that actor Christopher Reeve suffered that left him a quadriplegic.

It is truly almost insane to think that David was not only somehow able to keep from drowning in the ocean, but he made it to shore and was able to walk home. If that's not enough to wow you, consider the fact that in 2011 David accepted an invitation to spring training with the San Diego Padres.

After spending some time as the assistant hitting coach with the Detroit Tigers, David's path has brought him right back to California. He is about to start his third season as the Angels' minor league infield coordinator. I would be shocked if David isn't managing a big league team at some point in his career.

I encourage anyone to complete the circle by listening to both of the Newhan generations' tales of life. It's very interesting to hear the connections between their stories. I know that sounds so obvious that I must be dumb for even pointing it out. But, with both of their...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 57 features Michael Shields, editor in chief of Across The Margin (in its written and Podcast format). Michael not only has his "Beyond The Margin" podcast on the Osiris Podcast Network; he also is a part of the Welcome To The Party, Pal podcast and the God, Ween, Evan podcast. Yeah... I thought I was busy, too. Michael finds time for all of this, somehow, as well as for being a Dad!

Michael and I have wanted to sit down and do an episode for my podcast for a long time now. Somehow, I even ended up recording with someone he sent my way (Evan Kaufman) before I actually recorded with him! Finally, we made it work, and we probably could have talked all night.

I can definitely sense a difference in these conversations when they are done with other people who talk with people on a podcast. I think that became instantly obvious with Michael and me, as we were kind of all over the place from the moment we started recording.

To say Michael's stories were unique would be a massive understatement. The story he tells about when his Dad nearly died some years ago had me in complete disbelief. Talk about events with truly amazing timing. You will want to hear him tell that story. I don't want to spoil it here. Seriously. So, listen in. I will say: it was one of two experiences Michael has been through that has slapped him across the face with that truth of "life is fleeting".

Let me throw a little info out to you about his podcast. Across the Margin's "Beyond The Margin" has had some fantastic guests, and I will throw out a few of them to you: Micah White who created Occupy Wall Street, Dr. Genevieve Guenther who runs End Climate Silence. org, Jack Bryan the documentarian behind Active Measures the famed Russia doc. I could go on...but he has had a great many other musicians, comedians, actors, writers, and more. So you really need to check out all forms of Across the Margin.

I highly encourage you to seek out Michael's work on his website at www.acrossthemargin.com and check out all of the podcasts he is involved in!

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For Episode 56, Jon Loomis, one of the founders of Baseballism, talks about his Dad, his childhood, his early relationship with his wife, being a Dad and what led to the creation of Baseballism as we know it today.

For you fans and regulars of the podcast: you know about my love for baseball. I haven't been as direct, however, about my tremendous respect for well-run and unique companies/brands. So, diving into the people behind Baseballism to inquire about good guests for the podcasts wasn't a reach. I'm always impressed and grateful when things come together like this from my "cold calls" for guests.

Jon couldn't have been a better find for the podcast. His childhood history was really interesting and unique. I mentioned this at the end of the episode: his life could have gone a completely different way so easily. While his Dad was a JAG in the military (yes, just like that tv show you may remember), Jon spent his early youth in Naples, Italy. At about the age of 6, his parents moved them back to America, landing in Oregon.

This father-son story is a little different from a lot of former guests; Jon and his Dad didn't have a lot of shared interests. I enjoyed having that reminder since I've become so accustomed to hearing the opposite: there is a very solid bond, as it is, between family members. Regardless of any outside interests or passions that may connect two people in a bigger way, when it comes down to it, there is a least common denominator: they are family.

Jon played a lot of baseball during the course of his life: starting as a kid, playing through high school and into his college years. So, baseball was a pretty consistent part of his life. The group of guys he played baseball with during college became lifelong friends. Within that group is where the seeds of Baseballism would eventually grow from.

Similar to his own parents' love story, Jon met his wife in high school and they married before they were 25 years old. Jon spent a good amount of his professional life in the world of finance. It was 2012 when Jon's friend Travis sat with others about what his plan was for the potential evolution of "Baseballism", which had been a baseball camp for kids prior to that.

I love the mindset behind Baseballism's products. I love the success story of what they have created. I love the incredibly intelligent path they have taken with their business model and how they plotted their course. And I loved having this opportunity to learn so much about Jon Loomis along the way.

You can and should absolutely go and find Baseballism on their website at www.baseballism.com or find them by name on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted Facebook: Daddy Unscripted www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 55, the final episode of 2018, features Ryan Dempster as my guest. I am not going to be presumptuous about your knowledge of who that is. So, here's some details before we get too far.

Ryan is a former MLB pitcher. He came up through the Florida Marlins organization and eventually went on to play for the Red, Cubs, Rangers and Red Sox. His longest stint was that of 8 seasons with the Chicago Cubs and he finished his career with the Boston Red Sox.

Not just because of my ridiculous passion for the Red Sox, but let me tell you a little more about his grand finale as a major leaguer. His final season was in 2013. That's the year of the Boston Marathon Bombings.

We covered a lot of ground in this episode. Ryan told about his Dad and Mom's history, how they met and what kind of man his Dad was before Ryan and his brothers entered the world. His respect for the hard work his Dad put in to provide for their family was clear and obvious, and it sounded well-deserved. Currently, a retired fire chief, his Dad is the Executive Director of the Dempster Family Foundation of Canada.

The foundation was founded about a year after Ryan's daughter Riley was born with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome during the 2009 baseball season. The genetic disease is the second most common genetic disorder in the world. The foundation has grown and evolved over the years and has now transferred over to the 22q Family Foundation.

If you're no stranger to the podcast, you've heard me use the word "kindness" a lot. Even as part of bigger terms like human kindness or gentle kindness. Ryan and I really dove into this, heartily agreeing about how much people in this world could benefit from being nicer to one another. I mentioned in an email later to Ryan that, in relation to what we talked about, I should trademark "Outbreak of Kindness".

Ryan's career path, like any other baseball player, is quite the journey. As we walked down memory lane, we paused for a bit to talk about his special final season as part of the 2013 World Champion Red Sox team. He talked about how much that championship meant for the city of Boston, so much more so than for even the players who won it. With everything that city went through in the month of April that year, even if you weren't watching baseball at that time, or rooting for the Red Sox, you can easily recognize what that meant to the people who adopted the moniker Boston Strong.

The last pitch Ryan made in the major leagues was in that World Series. As a matter of fact, his final pitch was the final pitch of a strikeout that sealed the Game 1 win for the Red Sox. As remarkable as that is; as meaningful and important... Ryan looks back on how amazing his time was with the Cubs as the years that meant maybe the most to him.

Now, aside from work for the 22q Family Foundation, Ryan spends time working for the MLB Network as an analyst, works as a special assistant to Theo Epstein with the Cubs and holds something called "Off The Mound", similar to a late night talk show, where he sits and talks on a stage with other athletes. He is also very happily busy being a Dad... all the more so with the very recent birth of another daughter.

You can find more about the 22q Family Foundation on the web at https://22qfamilyfoundation.org/. On Twitter, you can follow Ryan at: @Dempster46. You can also check out Off the Mound on Twitter at: @OffTheMound.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted Facebook: Daddy Unscripted www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 54 is my conversation with Brando Rich, co-founder of "Cash or Trade". If you enjoy going to concerts, you should definitely check Cash or Trade out (either via their website or their app on your smartphone).

Brando and I took a long walk down his life's road before we got to where he is today. He told a lot of stories about his childhood in the Northeast. I really enjoyed the tales that went beyond teenage mischief about himself and his brother. As teenagers, their love for music and concerts whisked them away on some pretty wild adventures. Oh, by the way, his brother Dusty is the other co-founder of Cash or Trade. 

Brando told the story of their aha moment that led to the creation of Cash or Trade. It's remarkable to me that a couple of guys who got the shaft trying to get tickets to a big Phish show were driven to create something as radical as Cash or Trade: an idea based around creating a community of people committed to selling and buying tickets at face value. And those people are you and me. 

Brando's stories about life with his brother really resonated with me. I'm no stranger to having a brother that is basically your best friend. I have been blessed by one of my brothers and the relationship we have had since I can remember. And, much like Brando and Dusty, we love music and the experience of concerts. So, it was pretty neat to hear someone else talking about things that felt so much like some parts of my life that I wouldn't trade for anything.  

You can find Cash Or Trade on the web at www.cashortrade.org. You can also download their app on your smartphone. On Twitter, they are at: @CashOrTrade. You can also visit them on their Facebook page.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted Facebook: Daddy Unscripted www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Episode 53, you'll get to meet the hilarious Evan Kaufman. Evan is another fellow plate-spinner, like me, tackling numerous projects all at once and laughing in the face of fear of new(ish) parenthood whilst doing so. You might even say he guffaws at it. People may look at you funny if you do. But, go ahead. Try it anyway.

We really tackled a lot of different topics in this conversation. We kicked right in with a discussion about the early phases of a baby and the common difficulty of the bond with dad during those early times because of the "blank slate" that young baby can represent.

We joked a little about the difference between us and our wives with what we choose to binge watch or even watch in bed before bedtime. Evan and I, similarly, watch dark stuff and things that dig into our souls a little. I won't speak for his wife, but my wife would much rather re-watch a light sitcom for the 20th time than delve into something that may prove to be a little heavy or suspenseful. My wife is still trying to erase her memory of our journey with the show Lost.

Evan talks a bit about his grandparents and their deep roots in Wisconsin and how his Dad created the beginning of change by moving out of Wisconsin. Evan's Dad lost his Dad when he was under 25 years old. So, for those who have followed the podcast to this point or have heard me talk about my circumstances, I can absolutely empathize with what that can look like. We even get into how, given[ his Dad's technique at wooing his Mom, there was a possibility Evan could not have even come to exist.

Our discussion about Evan and his wife walked us down the road of the collaborative effort that "adulting" can be with partners in parenting. We praised our wives and that praise then got heaped onto women in general. Just a little reminder that this podcast isn't just for men or only about men. Without woman: there is no man. And, certainly (and obviously), without woman: there is no Dad.

Evan praises his Dad for how great he was with managing time and being creative with doing things with his kids. We got a little into the battle between wanting to share experiences that we loved as children with our kids and wanting to give them experiences that we maybe missed out on. The story Evan tells about being a teenager and bailing out on his Dad to hang with friends is that gut-punch that we all fear as parents... dreading that moment when our kids no longer have the same level of interest in us.

We had a discussion about how important it is for people, not just men, to advocate for themselves. Evan primarily brought this up in relation to his feeling like his Dad maybe didn't excel at that... and didn't maybe chase things that he would have liked to do in life. The things that get left on peoples' live's proverbial shelf to gather dust for maybe no great reason is kind of saddening. Especially things that people can do within the realm of everything else going on in their life. Evan's observance of that in his Dad's life really struck a chord and I appreciated him bringing it up so my audience can think about that, in case they are leaving things un-done or not really attempted in their own lives.

Did you all read that last part? Go back and read that. Make some plans to do some things you've set aside. Now we can move along in this further after you've done that.

I used to work in the cubicle world. Oh, boy... did I ever. I worked for a big beverage company (I won't name-drop here...) for a little over 5 years about 12 years ago. I eventually worked my way into their Accounting department before leaving that company for another cubicle job. At that large company, I worked for 13 plus years, working internationally, traveling a ton and basically doing a cubicle-type, semi-monotonous and severely unrewarding job. So, when I talked with Evan about how I know that feeling of being unfulfilled by the thing that you are spending the majority of your waking hours doing, I really meant it.

Life can really be a cycle in that way....

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 52 is my conversation with Chris Plowman. Have you gotten tired of hearing me say how I met my guest on Twitter? If so, hold on tight... because I met Chris on Twitter. Shocking, right?

I am definitely not unique in the fact that a lot of my childhood involved collecting and trading baseball cards. I have immensely fond memories of riding the public bus with my brother for sometimes close to an hour to get to a (somewhat) local card shop to flip through old cards for any wanted gems of favorite players. We would usually leave with at least as many individual cards or "wax packs" of cards that our minimal allowance would yield us.

My son was born in 2012. Around the time of his 1st birthday in 2013, I decided to start collecting cards again. I thought it might be neat to get a full set of Topps baseball cards for every year of his life and present them to him when he is maybe 12 years old or so. It just so happens that my beloved Red Sox won the World Series that year. So that really helped push me along and even start collecting Red Sox only cards on the side of this new project for my own enjoyment.

When I was little, we used to walk around with a folder of our most prized cards, or ones we thought we may want to try and trade with other people. Your trading efforts didn't easily expand beyond friends at school or in your own neighborhood. Well, once I got a little more into it all recently, I discovered another use for social media. Wow. What a difference it all makes. So, there were all these other people online who were collecting and trading. Adults... like me! It did actually surprise me a little.

After some time, I stumbled into Kidority Kards, a group that formed to give away cards and all kinds of cool things for kids who are collectors. I was not only impressed by this idea, but I knew I wanted to know more about it.

This all leads to my conversation with Chris Plowman here. Chris is heavily involved with Kidority Kards, a fellow collector and sports fan and, of course, a Dad!

Chris has a truly unique story to tell not only about his own upbringing but also of his life as a Dad. His stories are pretty real and raw, just the way we like it here on Daddy Unscripted. Chris is a really nice guy and I was excited to get the time to talk with him here.

You can find all of the different links Chris mentioned on Twitter at: @BuckCityBreaks or @KIDorityKards or you can look either up on Facebook. You can also go here to visit The Hobby Lounge on Facebook.

Daddy Unscripted can be found at:

iTunes | Stitcher Radio | Google Play | Tune-In Radio

Twitter: @DaddyUnscripted

Facebook: Daddy Unscripted

www.daddyunscripted.com

Daddy Unscripted is proud to be a part of the Osiris Podcast Network! You can check out the Osiris Pod website to see what other great podcasts are part of the network by going to OsirisPod.com.

Intro and Outro music proudly provided with a partnership by Umphrey's McGee.

You can send questions and suggestions for future guests to us via email to [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.