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When I first met my husband Sam, I learned quickly that baseball in his family runs deep - 93 years to be exact.  My husband had just finished up his stint in the Seattle Mariners organization when we met in Waco. Sam was a left-handed pitcher and a first pick for the Mariners the year he was drafted.  Prior to some serious arm injuries, Sam had alot of promise as a pitcher, and for good reason. Sam had learned from the best.

The best was his own grandpa, Sid Hudson.  Sid started his baseball career at only 20 years old, playing in state ball in Sanford, Florida.  After a short and successful two seasons there, he made a leap from Class "D" ball to the bigs.  It was something no other player had ever done before. 

From there, Sid's career spanned another 15 years.   He went on to play for the Washington Senators and Boston Rod Sox.  It was great being part of Sid's family because he had the most amazing stories you'd ever heard.  He pitched on Babe Ruth Day,  was close friends with the best in the game, like Ted Williams, and pitched against players like Mickey Mantle.  He talked of a time where baseball players were like the modern day movie stars, and even U-S Presidents knew them by name.   In the later part of his life, Sid made a few moves from his original home in Waco...but everywhere he went, so did his "baseball room."  That included many black and white pictures of the former pitcher, baseball cards, baseball caps that were decades old, and even baseballs signed by people like President Harry Truman.  Sid would never want to be far from him baseball memorabilia.  Up until the day he died, he enjoyed sharing his stories with those who would stop by to visit.  It is amazing how much fan mail Sid still received to this very day. 

When Sid passed away this morning, my new family lost a true treasure - but so did the entire community of Waco and all lovers of the game of baseball.   Sid Hudson will be missed.