Actor Jeff Goldblum on celebrating his first Father’s Day as a dad
Veteran infielder, wife juggle parenting with life on the road
PARADE MAGAZINE >> INSIDE
Jeff Bianchi never quite knows when he’ll be on the field at Isotopes Park. Today will be a happy exception. The Albuquerque Isotopes utility infielder is planning to join a proud group of dads in the outfield for a Father’s Day pregame catch. It will be a first for Bianchi and his 21-monthold daughter, Novella.
“We’ll see if she’s interested in a throwing a ball around or not,” Bianchi said with a smile. “Either way, it’ll be nice.” Bianchi, who drove in the Isotopes’ only run Saturday night in a 4-1 loss to the Reno Aces, is likely to be the only Isotopes player involved in the Father’s Day catch. The 29-year-old is one of very few fathers on this unusually young Albuquerque team.
“When we were in Nashville, there were always lots of kids running around in the family room,” Bianchi’s wife, Nicole, said. “Here, Novella’s usually the only one.”
If Novella misses the company of children at the ballpark, you’d never know it. The youngest member of the Bianchi family was all smiles
and enthusiasm at Friday night’s series opener between Albuquerque and Reno. She and Nicole were back at Isotopes Park for Saturday’s late game, as well.
The family has attended nearly all of the Isotopes home games this season and even some on the road. Nicole and Novella accompanied Jeff on last week’s trip to El Paso.
According to her parents, baseball’s in Novella’s blood.
“She was born in Milwaukee when Jeff was playing with the Brewers,” Nicole said. “She’s a baseball baby, for sure. She loves being at the ballpark.”
In his 12th season of professional baseball, Jeff Bianchi loves having his family at the ballpark, too. While the ridiculous schedule of minor league players makes parenthood difficult for many baseball families, the Bianchis are making the most of it.
“It’s been better than I expected,” Jeff said. “The (Pacific Coast League) is a tough travel league, but Novella’s been fairly easy to travel with and Nicole’s used to it. It’s been a really good season for us, so far.”
Nicole agreed, adding that Jeff works to avoid the absentfather stereotype that dogs some baseball players.
“Obviously, (Novella) is with me a lot during the season,” Nicole said, “but Jeff is an excellent husband and father, very hands-on, and he tries to make all our time together quality time. We love the baseball life. We’ve traveled all over the country. It’s been great.”
Jeff Bianchi has made the most of an unpredictable role with the Isotopes. He went into Saturday’s game hitting .294 and had appeared in 33 of Albuquerque’s 68 games.
Bianchi hopes to extend a streak of four straight seasons with time on a major league roster. He played for the Brewers in 2012-14 and played three games for the Boston Red Sox last season.
It remains to be seen whether Bianchi will get a call-up from the Colorado Rockies, but he’s hoping to spend more Father’s Days on the field — perhaps with more catch partners.
“We’d like to have more kids,” he said, “as many as the Lord blesses us with.”
Bianchi’s positive outlook is good news to Isotopes teammate Dustin Garneau, who is gearing up for Father’s Day 2017. Garneau’s wife, Jacqlyn, is expecting twin boys in September.
The Garneaus lived in Albuquerque (and occasionally in Denver during Dustin’s callups) together last season, but Jacqlyn is staying at the family’s off-season home in California in 2016. That will change when the babies arrive.
“It’s going to be life-changing,” Garneau said. “It’ll be my first time changing diapers and everything, but I’ll get used to it. And Father’s Day will be a blast.”
FORCE IT: The Isotopes maximized the promotional value of “Star Wars Night” on Saturday.
Players took the field in Jerseys featuring original series characters Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. The jerseys were to be auctioned off, with proceeds going to local charities.
In addition, an altered photo of the Death Star hovering over the Sandia Mountains was displayed over the stadium video board. Darth Vader and Yoda likenesses were included on the evening’s score sheet. Vader’s villainous image was superimposed over Reno’s roster.