Happy Father's Day

Do you know this person?

First toy you bought for your son: A baseball, bat and glove (could have been plastic)

Soft tossed in the backyard with a wiffle ball and you noticed your son had a great swing

Took your son to his first organized baseball game (T-Ball) and found you were excited that he wasn’t sent to the OF to pick daisies: That he actually could throw the baseball across the diamond was an indication that he might become a player.

Attended every Coach Pitch-Machine pitch and LL game and skipped out from a meeting or two just so you could be there.

Watched the transition from LL to regulation fields and wasn’t sure that your son could hit it far, throw it hard or run as fast.

The next stage of baseball development was interrupted, corrupted or tempted by the devil…and you had to boldly go where you have not been before. Their first Temptation…..GIRLS!!!! Potentially, they could wipe out with one kiss the years of cheering, teaching and advising your son since T-Ball.

If you successfully passed that stage you can move to next:

Travel Baseball:

Vacation? What vacation? You have officially joined the baseball family roadshow fraternity. You may not know what town you were in, but you recognize the same faces every weekend. It could be in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Atlanta or East Bugtussel, but it was comforting to know that you were not alone. The families that you’ve met would soon become your best friends. I can assure you that when your son moves on after HS days are over; you will never enjoy a vacation that will match all those “vacations” you had in travel ball. This brings me to one other point. How could anyone criticize a family for spending their money on travel ball. Not only are they cheap vacations, but the time spent with your family is priceless….and it’s always being shared with your same friends.

High School Baseball:

There is nothing else like it. To watch your son compete against a rival school in a tense game is never matched in excitement anywhere else. Certainly there were moments of enjoyment and perhaps, exhilaration, during his travel ball ball season, but it never could stand before the intensity of the rival games that brought out a sense of community.

The Last Stage:

Your son will never understand the physical, emotional and financial investment you have made into his life and why until………….he has a child of his own. Do you remember those days when you thought your son was completely ignoring everything you said? Something you told your son was ignored, but when a coach said the same thing, he thought it came from the Holy Grail? Well, here is great news!!!!!!!

All of those times you traveled with your son (alone) to East Bugtussel before and after the game: All of those private lunch or dinner stops when you had time to discuss ‘life’. All of those years hoping that one lesson you taught him may have sunk in: Well, here comes the return on your investment. When your son has his first child, you get to sit back and watch…because history will start repeating itself. As it turns out, he was listening to you all of the time…year after year after year.

I want to thank all of you fathers out there that I have had the privilege to get to know your son. I have not met one son that did not impress me with their character---not one! That means every single father I have met and to many others that I have not, you deserve a special day in your honor. I think I’ll name it Father’s Day.

Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!!

 

Thank you Family and Coaches

I know braves started this thread for fathers day but having recently played my last game and spent hours thinking and reflecting upon me career I want to take some time to thank some people who have played a huge role in making me the player and the person that I am.

Coaches

Coach White. Taught me that baseball was just a game, and while it was something that we all obviously love, there are other things in life that mean more than this game. He is one of the most respectful people I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet and he has an absolute gift for communicating with players.

Coach Rummage. My favorite ‘players’ coach of all time. I can’t say enough about how much of a pleasure it was to play for Coach Rummage. No doubt one of the smartest baseball guys I’ve ever met. I asked him hundreds of questions and each and ever time, he’d give me the best answer or advice.

Coach Bagwell. My dad and Coach Bagwell were colleagues and friends for what feels like forever to me. I can remember being 10 years old and watching his practices from the track and being amazed by how intense they were. My dad always told me I could go shag fly balls for him during batting practice, but I always declined (I didn’t think I was good enough). Seeing his players practice made me want to become good enough to one day have the chance to play from him. Once I finally made it to High School, I learned more about the game then I had every dreamed of learning. The things that sticks with me the most, is the preparation and the attention to detail that Coach Bagwell always displayed.

Coach Hignight. I never played for Coach Hignight, and there was nothing I enjoyed more than beating his teams, but this is not a jab at Higgy at all. That’s just how our teams were at the time. Every time I saw or spoke to Coach, whether it be a state games, shaking hands after a game, at a camp, or summer practice, he’d always say great to see you. He’d then proceed to tell me how good he thought I was (I was by no means a great player, that’s just how he treated everyone). I would sort of chuckle to myself ever time he’d say something nice to me because I knew he never lost any sleep game planning around me. After that I was determined to make him at least think about me when we played him. Not sure if I ever accomplished that goal, but he was a great motivator for me whether he knew it or not. It’s the respect I have for him as a coach that made me want to stick it to him one time.

Coach Fortier. He was the basketball coach at my high school. No I didn’t play basketball, but I did take weight training with him and he saw some ability in me and pushed me harder than some of his own players. Every day we started off class by running a mile. The guards on the basketball team had to run it under 6 minutes, the forwards, under 7. The deal for the entire class (approximately 30-40 kids) was that if they beat me 1 time, they got an A for the year no questions asked. While this didn’t make me the most popular kid in the class, it did push me, and not once that year did someone beat me. I can’t thank him enough for pushing me and not letting me just be another kid in the crowd.


Coach Allen. My collegiate coach who gave me the chance to play from day one. I can’t thank him enough for sticking with me through all the injuries that hobbled me for my career. The best memory I have with coach was this year against ECU when I was in the midst of a slump where my batting average had dropped a good 30-40 points. We were down 2 in the 7th and I tweaked my groin (which happened every other week) and I was due up to bat in the 8th. When I saw him come up to me I thought he was going to tell me that he was going to pitch hit for me. Instead he said “how bad is it, there is no way you’re coming out of this game, I just to know how much I can push you once you get on base.” Sure enough I broke out of my slump that at bat and hit a game tying triple (pure adrenaline running around the bases) and eventually scored the go ahead run. He always had more confidence and faith in me then I did myself.


Coach Hutchins. I would not have had the opportunity to share field with some of the amazing talents that I have if it wasn’t for Coach Hutchins. One of my favorite things about Coach is that even though we were playing ‘showcase’ baseball, he always preached playing the game the right way. We played team baseball and won a lot of games because of it. Those were summers that I will never forget and I am thankful that he thought enough of me as a player and a person to be a part of his organization.


Players

It’s tough to express how much some of my teammates have meant to me and have impacted me over the years. Guys like David Rubinstein, Matt Andress, and TJ Worrell, who took me under their wing and showed my the ropes when I got to High School. It’s easy for the upper classmen to overlook the young guys in practice, but these guys shared everything they learned and pushed me to be a better player. Doug Jones, who had one of the best arms I ever played with, would drag me out to long toss with him every day. At the time, I didn’t realize how much I was benefiting from it. I thought I was just helping out a friend. 5 years later after setting team and national records, I don’t think those sessions were so one sided after all. Guys like Preston Shuey, EJ Simpson, and Matt Lambe, who were some of the fiercest competitors and best teammates you could ever ask for.


Family

I can’t start to explain or thank them for the sacrifices they have made for me. While baseball has always been the biggest thing in my life it wasn’t for everyone. My younger brother who is not much of a sports fan at all game up so much of his childhood coming to watch me play all over the place. I don’t know how he put up with me and my baseball as much as he did. I know if I were in his shoes I would have a hard time doing the same thing but he was there every single weekend.

A lot of you on this board know my dad (mincmi). He wasn’t always the baseball guy that he is today. He was never much of a baseball player growing up, he went 0-july once, and if you give him the chance he’ll tell you how he’s hit one out on major leaguer (apparently foul balls count!). I don’t know why I became so attached to baseball at a young age but I’m glad I did as it gave us both the chance to really learn the game together. There was times early on where he didn’t know how to answer the questions I would ask him about the proper way to throw or swing the bat but rather then just sending me for lessons, we’d figure it out and learn it together. He would be out at my practices and camps learning from the coaches and instructors just as much as I would. One thing he always knew though is how much work it would take for me to become the ball player I wanted to be. He would take me to cage every single day and throw bp for hours on in. When I broke my leg in Jr. High he pushed me to not just take the summer off. Once I got my cast from my knee down we would go to the cage after he got off work every single day and hit for hours. I probably took more swings that year with a cast on than any other year in my life before that. In high school it didn’t matter if I had a 3 hour practice that day, he’d still take me back to the field at night and let me hit for another hour or two. Every single night we’d go crank up the lights and work until I was exhausted. I can’t remember one time where he told me no or that he couldn’t. Then in college he’d drive 6 or more hours to come see me play just about every weekend. It didn’t matter if it was 40 degrees out he would be there. I can’t thank him enough for what he’s done for me and it was always special to have a good game when he was there. There isn’t much I enjoyed more than sharing a good game with him. Now that my playing days are over we get to go fishing which is almost as good as those long nights in the cage at south. Thanks for everything. Happy fathers day Dad.

 

So impressive...everything about this young man is expressed in this post. Another player with Character--good job, Mincmi...and an attaboy to Brent. I am proud of you in many ways, but this post added another to the list.

 

Wow, that brought tears to my eyes. Love this thread!!

 

There is no place I'd rather be on Father's Day than on a legion beach trip (Wilmington / Morehead City) with my family. Yes these do qualify as summer, short vacations, for our baseball family. God Bless my wife and sweet daughter who willingly sacrifice their summers for travel ball. We always think of them when planning off time. Happy Fathers Day to all dads out there, especially my dad who introduced me the game as soon as I could swing a bat, who coached me on my first 2 teams, who made me love the greatest game on the planet. My dad was, and still is a lifelong Cardinals fan who sold cases of rootbeer at Sportsman Park in the late 40's while his hero Stan "the Man" Musial peppered him with the long balls during batting practice. He just gave my son a book about Stan Musial, which he has really embraced and can't keep talking about. So pass it on about the game we love and thank God for the Dads who got us our first glove or bat. Happy Fathers Day Dad.

 

My son just finished his baseball career a couple of weeks ago and what a privilege I have had as I got a front row seat watching my husband and son share a passion that has been so perfectly described in this thread.
My daughter and I traveled everywhere and enjoyed every moment too. She married and now has a 3 year old son who has been at the baseball field since he was 10 days old watching his uncle play and loving every minute of it too.
It really is a family bonding experience where love is shared, memories created, and life lessons learned. A year from now, it all will begin again when the grandson takes the field.
There are so many memories I have, but one of the last was the sweetest. Four years ago when we took our son to college, the last thing we did before we left him, was go to the baseball field and father and son went out on the field and threw. Two weeks ago, when his playing days were over and we went and loaded up his things, the last thing we did before leaving campus, was father and son went to the field and threw again for the last time.
Wouldn't trade the front row seat for anything!

Happy Fathers Day!

 

Thanks

http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=48923

Although the medals on suggest you are tough and brave. I know you are a softy with a brutally honest inner mean streak. A tough as titanium inner core toughness that's indescribable. A sharp witted prankster and someone who takes poking fun to a new level. Never too impressed with anyone who boasts or brags or self-promotes. Honest as a mirror.

Thanks for all those hours in the yard practicing. Working on my motion for hours upon hours, chipping away the rough edges, smoothing out my delivery, insisting that I throw with my legs and whole body, giving each pitch total effort and complete focus on thorough through the mitt. Chapping my ass when I made you move it. Teaching how to attack hitters and bust them inside when they claimed the plate and yank their chain with they cheated my FB, and how to manage an intimidating smile when the game was on the line. And the steak dinner before the no hitter because you knew I pitched better with a full stomach. Thanks for letting me throw my own game without chiming in. And greating me with an "attaboy" when I came off the field.

A metaphor for what you wanted for me in life. Thanks Pops. You are the best.