‘We even play in the winter in our driveway.’

For the love of baseball.

Often called the national pastime, it is the season the Lake family from Lewiston looks forward to each year. Dan has coached his sons for the past six years, but works with them year round. “We even play in the winter in our driveway. We use a Wiffle ball and bat, and it’s often a pain trying to find the white balls in the snow, but it gets us outdoors and playing ball.

“It’s in our blood,” Dan said as he pitched to his oldest son Sean, 9, at a deserted Elliot Avenue Little League field in Lewiston on Monday afternoon. His other son, Joey, 7, is waiting in the outfield to shag balls until the bucket runs out and he gets a turn to bat.

Each ball has the number 29 written on it, Dan’s number when he played ball in high school. Sean has a favorite in the bucket, it’s the one with the smudged 29, a result of Sean’s bat when he connected on a pitch. Fishing it out of the bucket, Dan let Sean know it was coming.

“Do your check! Grip, feet, bat. OK. Here comes the heat.”

“Its a family affair,” said Elaine Lake, the lone female and Red Sox fan in the family as she dodges a line drive hit by Sean. “We love to be outdoors, fresh air, family and friends getting together and a healthy dose of friendly competition.”

There is no shortage of “friendly competition” as Dan is from New York and a rabid Mets fan, both boys jumping on board. However, for Elaine, she stays loyal to Red Sox Nation, and when they get together with her family, it’s trash-talking at its finest.

Knowledge is king when it comes to talk, and Dan is a virtual encyclopedia when it comes to baseball trivia and statistics. Joey and Sean have followed suit as they watch anything and everything baseball. Of course, they have the MLB (Major League Baseball) Network so they can watch baseball anytime of day or night, even when there are no games being played.

“It’s such a good family activity. Not only do they bond on the field, but I love to watch Dan sit with the boys watching a game or talk show about baseball. They talk about statistics, standings and anything and everything baseball. We love everything about it, oh, except the mosquitoes. They can be brutal at times.”