If any of you dads have a talented kid in Little League baseball, keep one thing in mind …encouragement! Don’t even let him think of giving up his dreams.

I’ll bet Giancarlo Stanton’s dad didn’t!

Giancarlo who?

That’s what I thought on Tuesday morning when I choked on my coffee while watching “Fox and Friends” while continuing to check the first of a thousand “Fox News Alerts” for the day.

This Giancarlo guy, who plays baseball for the Miami Marlins, instantly  became my all-time hero when it was reported that he had signed the ultimate contract in the history of any sport. Are you ready?

He will be paid a “guaranteed” $325,000,000 for a 13 year contract! Count those zeros, by the way.

It comes out to $25 million a year and, get this, $154,321 a game.

Stanton is an outfielder by trade, but for that kind of green he should play all nine positions at once.

I’m sorry, but nobody is worth that amount of money. It makes you wish that he falls into the all-time slump in history beginning with his next game. Remember, his windfall is guaranteed.

This kind of foolishness won’t end as long as franchise owners can easily obtain small fortunes in exchange for  two hours in an uncomfortable, wooden seat.

I find it mind-boggling that folks pay $50 to spend a few hours eating $5 hot dogs and drinking $10 beers while occasionally watching someone scratch themselves before attempting to swing a bat at a little ball moving at the speed of sound.

When I was a teen-ager, my buddies and I could get a bleacher seat in Wrigley Field for about a buck. Of course, with the Cubs playing, it wasn’t really Major League baseball, but we developed a talent for fooling ourselves that it was.

I wonder what kind of cash my old baseball hero, Ernie Banks, was taking home back then. I can’t recall fans ever having to take a collection for him, but after a 40-homer season he wouldn’t even dream about Giancarlo’s take-home pay.

Somehow, life seemed a lot more realistic back then. Players like Ernie Banks considered a kid’s smiling face after getting an autograph from him a big part of his salary!

 
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This wouldn’t be an official column without mentioning the horrible weather.

Usually, we consider snow on Thanksgiving a sign of a long winter in front of us. This year, we almost got it on Halloween. Now, that’s scary.

I still remember many years ago when we ran some photos of students collecting snowflakes on themselves as they marched in the Homecoming parade.

So, I guess when it comes to early snow we can only start hoping that it translates into an early spring, although it really doesn’t seem to always work that way.

Soon, the snowmobilers will replace the bikers and snowmen on front lawns will replace tissue hanging from trees.

Regardless of what’s outside, have a Happy Thanksgiving and keep in mind that Santa and his elves are known to start packing gifts into his sleigh as soon as the turkey and dressing settle in his belly.

It won’t be long for that to happen.