This fourth of July I moved into a new house with my wife, Nicole. Nicole and I met through a series of _ that would be unlikely without some unbelievable force causing them to happen. The day Nicole and I met, we talked about the Yankees. In the restaurant where we sat, the first game between the Yanks and Tampa Bay was being shown on television. Nicole was happy I was a baseball fan, and she told me that was an important reason when she considered dating   me. "My dad wouldn't like me dating anyone who isn't," she said. Nicole's dad, Ira, used to be a coach for the Yankees. Many years ago, a colleague   of his was leaving and packing up his office. The only thing left unpacked was a photo on the wall. It was a picture of Sparky Lyle, a famous baseball player. Sparky had signed the photo on the bottom. "You're not taking that?" Ira asked. "You want it?" his colleague offered. "Sure!" Ira said. He jumped at the chance to have a signed photo from a great player who had helped the team win two World Series. Ira told me the story after the movers had gone. He then said to me, "Adam, when I first learned who was dating my daughter, that photo came into my mind," he said. "But by now, I know for sure you're meant to have it." He then presented me with a box. I tore it open. Inside was the signed photo of Sparky Lyle which I had lost years ago. "To Adam, Best Wishes, Sparky Lyle". It was picked up by Nicole's dad years before I'd even met her. The perfect gift -- a sign only making me believe what I already knew ... I was meant for Nicole and her family all along. A big reason why Nicole agreed to be Adam's girlfriend was that   _  .
he was able he was a baseball fan he got a new house they had much in common