Baker's heartbeat

       That's Kirstin Baker (yellow top), age 8, at the Junior Bix in 1998      It was the summer of 1998, and our active 8-year-old daughter, Kirstin, enjoyed running around our Scott County neighborhood.     It made sense for husband Steve and I, both employed at the Quad-City Times, to register Kirstin for the first "Junior  Bix"  event planned for the Friday night before the famous 7-mile race.     Kirstin had taken part in a children's race before and it seemed a no-brainer. We got everyone loaded into the car on Friday, July 24, and headed for the Times.       We had no idea what to expect.     That first event has been termed "organized chaos" in the 25 years since it was held.      Those who planned the Quad-City Times Bix 7 thought a special race for children was a great idea. They expected some 1,500 entries, but an additional 5,000 children, parents, grandparents, friends and others actually descended on the site.     It was a sea of people that n

  Grandchildren include: Collin, Nathan, Mick, Brady, Bryant, with Hailey and Myla in front row     Welcome to Baker Land, where the grass is green, the flowers are blooming and the grandchildren are above average.     Earlier this month, many years of watching grandkids in local high school sports came to an end. Brady Hansen, a recent graduate of Davenport West High School, was a pitcher and starting catcher on the Falcons team.     To begin at the beginning: The eldest grandson, Bryant Campbell, was the first one to follow. He and his cousin, Mick Baker, were on a 2013 Davenport Assumption baseball team that made the state tournament but lost in a heart-breaking fashion.      Mick was on the 2014 Assumption team that did win the state tournament. That included a substate game against Central DeWitt, versus T.J. Sikkema, who now is a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals organization. Mick held his own against Sikkema in that game, in most exciting fashion.     Nathan Campbell, the next