Zane?

As I have said before, my mom and I love the Braves. Growing up, we would watch as many of the games as possible. We knew all the players by name. We knew their career stats and where they had played before. Needless to say, we lived and died by the Braves.

Anyway, there was one pitcher in particular we liked to poke fun of. I am going to shoot straight: it was Zane Smith. Its not that Mr. Smith was a bad ball player, he was actually a pretty good pitcher for us. No, his main problem was his teeth. The man had a large set of teeth, a huge overbite, and kind of a weak chin.

Let’s fast forward ten years. My mother started her own business, teaching kids how to cook. The business was an absolute gold mine. This allowed her crack the market on the pro athlete families, including several of the Atlanta Braves children.

Guess who walks in the door one day? That’s right… Zane Smith. Just looking as goofy as ever. Thank goodness I was there that day, because my mom didn’t recognize him at first. I gently nudge my mom, “That’s Zane Smith, who pitched for the Braves.”

Mom: “Oh my gosh, I remember when you pitched for the Braves.”
Zane: (With a big old toothy grin. Complete with a diamond in one of his teeth. Nothing says ‘class’ like a diamond.) “Kinda of scary ain’t it.”
Mom: “What are you doing these days?”
Zane: “Ain’t too much. I got me a big old truck and go hunting with some old Braves.”
Mom: “Wow Zane, you sure came a long way.”

My point: The diamond sealed the deal for me. (Wordplay!)