A Fourth of July Granmance by Alisa Fisher

Let’s start with the photograph. A selfie taken by oldest son Peter, 27, with grandfather, Greg, 87, at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on July 4, 2026. Greg is “Papa” to Peter. Despite the record heat and humidity, Papa’s increasing difficulty with walking, and the Reds’ slump, Peter and his grandfather stayed three hours for the entire game. Field level seats just past first base. The next morning this is what Peter had to say:

• Like a coach, Papa gave a play-by-play speaking about exactly what a player should be getting ready to do in the moment.

• Papa passed Peter his credit card and said, “Get me a Coke and you can get whatever you want.” Papa’s love of Cokes, Oreos, and chocolate milkshakes are a well known “secret” in the family.

• The usher, John, stopped by to say hello because Greg has been going to games for a long time—a season ticket holder since the 70s. John and Greg are good friends.

• Peter said, “Papa told me about how he met and talked with Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Brooks Robinson when he was a MASH doctor in Vietnam in 1966." Peter explained, “Mom, that’s like meeting LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Shohei Ohtani all at once.” He added, “Papa said Hank Aaron had the biggest forearms he ever saw in life, but he was a really quiet guy. Musial and Robinson were quite garrulous.” 

The granmance: Peter and Papa share a keen intellect and a love of baseball. Peter grew up playing, and Papa watched almost every game he ever played. Papa has seen Peter hit home runs, steal bases, and drive in runs. Even now, Papa shows up once in a while to watch Peter’s adult league games.

Observing all this, it is hard not to feel a sense of awe and gratitude about this bond. So, on our country’s 250th birthday, I am celebrating a grandfather and grandson who spent the holiday watching a baseball game together. The Reds lost, but two people at the stadium didn’t seem to mind.