Kitty's back in the house!

This season is going to be the most unusual one for me in 23 years. As many of you know from the articles written, and announcements over the YES network and on this website, my beloved wife, MaryAnn, passed away in July after a spirited battle with bladder cancer. My life has obviously changed. When I met her in 1986, it changed tremendously for the better, and it is changed forever now with her no longer a part of my daily life.

I have been encouraged by many friends and fans to 'get back in the game' in some way, and many of you wrote me the most touching e-mails upon my retirement after the 2006 season. They still bring tears to my eyes when I read them. I never dreamed that I would be so well accepted and appreciated by the fans of YES and the Yankees.

As a result of your support and encouragement, I'm writing to say I am going to be involved in baseball again, both in the booth and through the YES website. Recently, I announced six games on MLB international covering the World Baseball Classic in San Juan, Puerto Rico. And I just signed with the new MLB Network, the 24-hour 'all baseball' channel to cover several games and make studio appearances.

I will have a special thrill at the home opener at the new Yankee stadium. I have been invited by the Yankees to be part of the pre-game ceremonies and then announce the game on TV with Bob Costas and Harold Reynolds. On the YES Network, we are planning a live chat where I hope to be 'chatting' with many of you soon during one of the Yankee games.

The game I came to love, starting in 1945, has changed dramatically over the years -- some for the better, some for the worse. I endeavor to bring a perspective to the game that will be respectful of how wonderful a game it is and be honest and objective about things that aren't right. I have never been shy about voicing my opinion. I believe it has been my job as an analyst to do that.

One of the main reasons I am motivated to go back into baseball is to honor and keep the memory of MaryAnn alive. A few years ago my hometown, Zeeland, Michigan, erected a little league ballpark and named it after me. It was quite a humbling honor and MaryAnn knew this was more important to me than being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Jim Kaat Ballpark has three state-of-the-art fields kept in immaculate playing condition. Because she shared my feelings, I made a promise to her the day before she died to establish a fund to raise money to erect lights on those fields.  As MaryAnn lit up my life for 22 years, I want to light the fields so the youth of Zeeland can play more games when the sun goes down.

Giving back to the game that has been very good to me over the past 50 years is the main reason I'm considering getting back into baseball. I live a very comfortable life down here in South Florida and it would be easy to sit back and do nothing. But, with the help of my best friend, Elizabeth Schumacher, who has also become my business manager and agent, I have been energized to do something worthwhile with my life. She has motivated me and assisted me in things I didn't think in my wildest imagination I would want to do.

By talking baseball and sharing my thoughts and experiences from the past 50-plus years, I hope to reconnect with many of you and enhance your enjoyment of this great game that has given me such a wonderful life. At the same time, I want to assist MLB in promoting the game to young people world wide. Together we can encourage and build opportunities for more kids to play and enjoy baseball.

I hope you'll let me back in to your 'baseball world' and we can start up again where we left off after 2006. Check out my new website, www.Jimkaat.com, where you can sign up to receive my blogs, see photos, view my calendar of events and more.

Thanks for your support and I hope your team does well this season!

For those of you wishing to donate to erect lights on the baseball fields of the Jim Kaat Ballpark, please visit the website, MaryAnn Kaat Memorial Fund. All donations over $10 will receive an autographed photo of Jim Kaat. Thank you, in advance,  for your kind contribution.