Every Hip Daddy loves some great MLB Baseball.  And how about those Red Sox.  Classic.  We were fortunate to sit down with former Red Sox infielder and current big time radio personality Lou Merloni.  Lou played in the MLB for 9 seasons and quickly moved on to the world of sports radio which has a been a successful and natural fit for this former slugger.  Baseball and fatherhood.  Lets get started…

Tell us about your kids.

I have two kids, a step daughter named Kayla (24) and a son named Mason (5). Believe me, they both keep me very busy for different reasons.  They both live at home with my wife Steffanie and me.  Kayla is an Arizona State graduate who I must say, her mom and dad did an amazing job raising her.  She’s a beautiful girl who could walk into a room without knowing anyone and soon make friends with all of them.  I couldn’t be more proud of the person that she has become.  My son Mason is like any other 5 year old, off the wall.  The energy that he has amazes me at times and makes it tough to keep up.  He’s always on the go and of course very much into sports.  He follows all the local teams and insists on playing whatever sport is on the TV in the house.

Talk to us about your parenting style.

At this stage, I would say that I am a pushover…most of the time.  My wife is definitely the disciplinarian.  So when I get really upset at my son, he usually knows that he is in trouble.  I want to give my son everything, but at the same point, there has to be a level of appreciation when that happens.  Even at this age, I want him to understand that hard work and good deeds should be rewarded.  When it comes to Kayla, I’ll give her my opinion, but only if she is looking for advice.  There is a fine line to walk between being a step parent and a “parent” and like most “step dads”, I always want to be respectful of her father, so with that in mind, I’d also like to think that I am a friend that she can talk to when things are bothering her, maybe give an insight or different perspective to situations that perhaps, if her physical parents gave, she may not be so open to hearing…and of course help her in any way I can.

What’s the one thing you cannot live without as a Dad?

My family.  That’s the most important thing in the world to me.  I can honestly say that’s the only thing that I cannot live without.  If everything else was taken from me today, I will find a way to make it work as long as I have them.

Tell us about ‘Room to Grow.’  It’s a great cause that every Hip Daddy can get behind.

Room to Grow is very near and dear to my wife and my’s heart.  The birth of a child is one of the most emotional times in ones life.  There is excitement.  There is some anxiety and a feeling of “Oh my God can I do this”.  But more than anything, the joy you feel is overwhelming.  Now imagine if during one of the greatest moments of your life, fear is the only emotion you can feel.  It’s choking you out and the only thing that is going through your mind is that you cannot give this child the life that he or she deserves? Nobody should ever feel that way.  Room to Grow helps families feel that there is a chance.  That someone can help.  That it’s going to be OK.  Again, it goes back to appreciation.  I appreciate what I have been given and my wife and I want to help out as much as we can.  We are both proud to be associated with such an organization as Room to Grow.

Okay, big recent signing for the Red Sox, how are they looking for next season?

They need pitching and hopefully by the time this article is printed they will have found it. Scoring runs helps you win games in the regular season and they have addressed that early in free agency with the signings of Hanley and Pablo.  Some nights you can just overwhelm the opposition through the course of 162 games by just swinging the bats, but when it comes down to the post season, I believe pitching wins.  That can come in different ways as we just saw in this years World Series.  It can be dominant starting pitching or it can be a lights out bullpen.  Either way they need at least 2 pitchers on top of this rotation that can give them 200 quality innings.

How does baseball play a role in your family with your son? Are we expecting another Merloni MLB’er?

Baseball will always play a roll in this household.  I’d love to say that it’s my son’s favorite sport, but I have to be honest, hockey rules in our house.  He does love playing baseball in the backyard with me but if there is a choice between watching the Bruins and the Red Sox on TV, we’re watching the Bruins.  I honestly don’t care what sport he decides to play or how good he is at any of them.  I just want him to be happy and work to be the best he can. As long as he doesn’t decide to play lacrosse…

For more on Lou, follow him on Twitter here.