Rare Love for the 209

"If it wasn't for my family, my friends, my dog and David's Pizza... I might never go back." -Me

Those are actual words that have left my mouth when discussing my hometown, Stockton, California. I mean this in the kindest of ways but... my hometown sucks. It seems as though every time Forbes Magazine comes out with a new negative top ten list (foreclosures rates, violent crime, most miserable, etc.), Stockton's on it. Tough times have lead to my old stomping grounds being a pretty rough place to live.

It's hard for me to be all negative; I loved my childhood and my upbringing. I've also traveled enough to know that every city has it's own downfalls. I totally understand and hold no resentment towards my friends and family that still choose to call Stockton home.

However, as you may have guessed, true Stockton pride can be tough to come by. Fortunately, there is still some genuine hometown pride from one up and coming local hero. Attached is a really cool story I found last night on MLB.com. It's about a pitcher for the Oakland A's, Stockton native, Dallas Braden. The dedication and hard work from people like Dallas is something that this city could really use.

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090625&content_id=5526578&vkey=news_oak&fext=.jsp&c_id=oak