On April 23, 2001, Major League Baseball freelance writer Joe Connor debuted www.modernerabaseball.com in memory of his late father, Joe Sr., who was his guiding light to baseball. The dedication came on the two-year anniversary of his father's passing from cancer. Instead of reliving the anniversary in sorrow, Joe decided the site should serve as a celebration of his father's life while also as a vehicle to help others by assisting fans with their ballpark trips.

ABOUT JOE SR.

Born in Connecticut, Joe Connor Sr. served his country in the U.S. Air Force and later became a successful sales executive with WFSB-TV in Hartford, Connecticut. From sun up to sun down, Joe Sr. lived each and every day to the fullest. Whether it was watching his sons' athletics or just cruising over to Block Island on the boat he worked very hard to buy - Joe Sr. was one guy who didn't stand still very often!

Joe Sr. was also an avid sports fan, so much so he had season tickets to the Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes) of the National Hockey League. Of course, that took a lot of dedication. You see, the Whalers - um, Failures - lost A LOT more games than they won! Joe Sr’s love of sports extended beyond watching the "Fail Whale." He also coached his sons in the local youth hockey program in suburban West Hartford.

During his "hey day," Joe Sr. was also one of the most feared slow-pitch softball pitchers in the fruited plain! His stuff was so nasty that he helped the Peter Pan Cafe to multiple championship men’s softball victories over the rival Beacon Cafe in the sweaty Hartford summers! Joe, then "Little Joe," was the Bat Boy on those teams and it was then that his father became his "guiding light to baseball."

When the Peter Pan Cafe wasn't playing, Joe and his Dad were either watching baseball on television together, practicing hitting or pitching in the backyard or heading up to Fenway Park to catch the Red Sox. It's these memories, shared with his father, that helped shape Joe's fascination with baseball. The incredible opportunities Joe has had - to travel throughout the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia - are because of his Dad, his forever guiding light to baseball.