Number 5

Our number 5 Thing Not To Miss At Irish Fest This Year is one near and dear to my green little heart. Our 2009 heritage area display, The Irish In Baseball.

I say near and dear for a couple reasons. One, I love baseball, especially baseball history. And two, since I designed the display, I've grown kind of fond of it over the past few weeks. You'll learn some stuff, you'll see some great images and you'll come away impressed with the contributions the Irish have made to our national game.

But lest you get the idea that this exhibit is just a series of boards on a wall, allow me to dispel that notion. We'll be bringing Kansas City's proud baseball history to life. You'll meet and talk to Red Sullivan, Clare-born manager of the 1884 Kansas City Cowboys, KC's first major league team. You'll meet more recent Kansas City big leaguers, Greg Pryor, Dennis Leonard, Al Fitzmorris and Jerry Terrell. And you'll learn more about the partnership between the Royals and your Irish Fest as we celebrate Halfway to St. Patrick's Day next month out at the ballpark.

Root root root for the home team. One week to go.