Generations Room

Father's Day is one of those "Hallmark holidays" that seems to have taken on a life of its own as a chance to buy Dad a barbecue grill, electronic device, or piece of sports memorabilia. I have a complicated relationship with my dad, but on Father's Day my thoughts often turn to my own kids and how many meaningful experiences that we have had together, even as they are teenagers now and our relationship is also fraught right now.

This year, as I've gotten into card paintings, I've thought a lot about the connection that fathers and sons (and in one example in this gallery, mothers and sons) share around the activities and pursuits that both of them share. It's certainly not a requirement -- I've never thought that I had to share the same interests as my kids, but I have also thought it was important to make their pursuits something of my own as well, so that I can have more than a passing interest in what they are doing.

The fact is that a multigenerational family in professional baseball is not too unusual. I can remember a feature in a Sports Illustrated MLB preview back in the 1990s that mentioned several, including the Boones which are now a three-generation family (Ray, Bob, and Brett/Aaron). This year, the Toronto Blue Jays have no fewer than three sons of former major leaguers: Vladimir Guerro Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette.

Here are the pairs of multigenerational major leaguers: I hope you have a very happy Father's Day.

Leading off, the Ken Griffeys. Ken Senior played for for the Reds, Yankees, Braves, and Mariners--and for the latter, with his son Ken Jr. They are the only father-son duo in memory to play together on the same team; there's even a snipped of a Mariners broadcast of Junior calling off his dad in the outfield, and they hit back to back home runs that same year. Ken Jr. has one of the more famous (and overproduced) cards of the 1990s, so I consider Ken Sr.'s 1991 card, that has him talking with Junior, to be pretty special.

Helen Callaghan and Casey Candaele are likely the only mother-son pair to play professional baseball. Callaghan was part of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and Candaele played for several teams and currently manages the triple-A Buffalo Bisons, the top affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Hairstons are a three-generation major league family; grandfather Sam also played in the 1950s. Jerry Jr. was both a Baltimore Oriole and (later) a Washington National, so I saw him play for the local teams quite a bit. I especially like Jerry Jr.'s card because it includes the "pink moon" visible from the Northeast earlier this spring.

This pair of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Senior resonates for me quite a bit. I wanted to paint them both with the colorful, bright palette that I think fits their personalities very well. As Vlad Jr. begins to tear up MLB, there have recently been photos circulating of him as a little boy with his dad in their Montreal Expos uniforms, often with a caption that says something to the effect of "this tyke is currently leading the American League in home runs."

 

Dante Bichette was a journeyman outfielder with the Angels, Rockies, Brewers, and a bunch of other teams in the 1980s and 90s; his son Bo has been another can't miss prospect with the Toronto Blue Jays, and on that team with Cavan Biggio and Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. It's quite a scene to watch.

Craig Biggio's 1989 Topps card was one of the first that I collected, and I always liked the incredible calmness in his picture. I decided to paint him and his son Cavan's card, from some 30 years later, as similar landscapes.

I love this pair of Delino DeShields Jr. and Senior. I'll always confess to having a soft spot for the Montreal Expos' old uniforms, with the racing stripes and the tricolor "M" on their caps. Delino Sr. was also an Oriole for several years , so seeing these two together is also meaningful.