Timing is not best, but oh well.

Published 5:00 am Monday, October 26, 2026

My wife has a birthday on Feb. 28.
She was just a few hours from being a leap-year baby.
She has complained about her birthday because she went to school at Valley Springs and every Feb. 28, the Tigers were playing basketball in the postseason.
But she grew up that way. That means as a sports writer she was already used to the oddity of celebrating her birth on a day that was not her actual birthday.
Fast forward a few years and my sports-minded daughter Hannah pulls a stunt not once, but twice.
That second time just happened.
Hannah had her first son, Harley Michael, on April 30. That is a perfect time to have a baby. There aren’t really any sports events that have to be covered.
Lake, my oldest daughter, had her first child, Abram Henry, on January 20. That is a good time, not the best, but manageable. We have seen this boy on every birthday, but I am afraid that weather will interfere at some point.
Lake’s second child was December 11. Not the best, but it is okay. We haven’t missed any of Atticus Hatcher’s big days.
Now, we look at Hannah’s second child, Rush William, February 28. February 28 is in the middle of postseason basketball. It is hard to be there and at a birthday party at the same time. Plus celebrate my wife’s big day as well.
Once again, Becky’s birthday will take a backseat to another event.
Fast forward to October. October 15 to be exact. I completed the starting lineup on the hardwood floor.
Rocky Clifford Herrera was born on personal property tax day.
He is perfect. I am not saying that because he is mine, I am saying that because he is.
He has the perfect skin tone. He has 10 fingers and 10 toes. He was 21 inches long..which may be my favorite characteristic. He has feet that are half the size of my size 12. He only weighed 8 pounds.
Perhaps my favorite characteristic is that he is demanding. To make it anywhere in my family, you have to speak up for yourself and demand attention.
Rocky does that.
He does that well.
I know that he will get on a schedule at some point, but right now he wants to eat every hour or 90 minutes.
Not that he needs to eat. He does eat or the neighbors know that he is hungry.
The older two brothers are okay with their new little brother, but the two first cousins are in love with Rocky.
My heart was so warmed when Atticus Hatcher was playing peek-a-boo with the new baby. My video is so sweet of the two boys.
When the hospital room was noisy with boys, I took them to Menard’s. Hatcher didn’t go. He wanted to stay and take care of the baby.
As the brother cousins got to pick their candy, Hatcher didn’t, but he got some anyway.
Becky and I made a switch to a seven-passenger SUV so that we didn’t have to leave any grandson at home on trips. Now, our car is full again.
I can’t wait to take all five of the boys to the Lego store in Kansas City to pick out one of the Christmas presents.
Now, everything has to be restarted. We now have to take all of the grandsons to a Razorback football game, to a Kansas City Royals baseball game, to the fall festival at Silver Dollar City, etc.
One good thing about Rocky is that in his first week of life, he was 3-0 in football games. Harrison, Arkansas and Kansas City all won.
Shoot, Rocky is one of the few people alive that has never seen the Razorback football team lose. He won’t see them lose this week either.
I love this baby. He is fantastic. I am dreading the day that I call the first four grandson’s names before finally getting to his.

Jeff Brasel is the sports and managing editor and general manager of the Harrison Daily Times. E-mail him at jeffb@harrisondaily.com or follow him at X.com/jeffbrasel.