Last Dance-Last Chance

I've got another one I can loan you. I'll pick him back up when he is 18. Thanks UK

 

Well I never had a son (don't have one) play his last hs game. But this year I watched my brother play his las hs game. He was devastated (he goes to Mooresville and lost to ER). After I walked around (being a hs player myself) and shook all the varsity players hands and gave hugs to the ones I grew up with because of my brother or their younger brother. Told those I grew up with I love them and hope they are succesful in life. But something was different about my brother that night. He shows no emotion on the field what so ever. But when he walked up to me and gave me a hug, then proceeded to tell me he loved me, brought a tear to my eyes. I rode the bus home with fellow jv and varsity teamates, and I couldn't help but cry on the way home. It has taught him more then just game lessons, but life lessons. How to and how not to act. Baseball to me is one of those sports where you learn more then just to be a player, but a man.

 

Now that is what it is truly all about.

That is the best post I have ever read on this site.

 

He's a cool kid, isn't he

 

It has been a while since I have posted but I am always reading. I have really enjoyed reading this thread especially. I am certainly not trying to shift the topic here but I wanted to share my start with those of you who are going through some “finishes”.

A while back(several months), I posted about my son, who is two, being all about monster trucks and tractors and not to concerned with “ball”. Well I have an update.

We had “BP” for the first time last night. He has been coming to the park a lot more lately and I guess it finally hit him……..

So we are playing with some trucks upstairs, and he looks up at me and says…”let’s hit the ball”. So immediately I scramble across the room to his bat, balls and tee. I stick it in is hand(left handed), show him how to grip it and “stand”…….’ready, set, GO!’ He whacks it across the room. I get pumped, he gets pumped and then he yells…”run the bases”. So we take off running around in circles. We keep it up for quite a while.

Anyways…..I thought at the time that it couldn’t get any better. I was wrong. After some swings form the boy he wants daddy to hit. So here I go, I take my “hack”. (sidenote here- he was out in front of me and to the left. Surely Dad could bump one past him). Not so much. I square him right in the face. He looks at me, and the tears start coming. So I bend down feeling not-so-good about myself, and hug him. In the middle of his crying I wasn’t sure what to say to him. So, like most coaches, I went with my gut. “You ok? Do want to keep hitting the ball?” And now the best part…..through the tears he says “yeah” and then gives me a smile. I was really pumped.

All complete truth here. Just thought I’d share.

 

What a great story. I can read things like this all day; thanks for sharing jt

 

Thanks DR

DR, I appreciate you sharing this with us. This is TRULY
what it's all about. I believe you will go far in life by just being able to comprehend what you witnessed that night. Those of us that have played their last game
know exactly what you are talking about! For us old guys, it's just been buried for so long. It takes someone
like you to dig it back up! Great post!

 

Awww..that story about made me cry!

 

Oh and..you're not alone. I hear that story told (with varying twists) by a lot of dads.

 

I also, do not have a son but I have a younger brother. This year was a unique situation because I did not think I would get to watch his senior year, but things changed and I was able to see just about every game he played this year. I am very thankful that I got to experience him this year as he had one of the best seasons at East Forsyth High School. I watched him take the mound and I saw something that I have never seen in him. I saw the look that he was not going to lose and he was going to do whatever it took to make sure he did not lose. He went on to an 11-1 record and they lost in the 2nd round of the playoffs to a very good Watauga team. He started the first round and was unable to pitch in the 2nd round and tried to do too much at the plate and struggled against Watauga. After the game I was upset to see that his road had ended. I walked down to the field and it was obvious that he was in pain and I just went to give him a hand shake and tell him he had a great year. He saw me and just gave me a huge hug as tears were rolling down his face and I couldn't help but have some tears myself.

This year he was selected MVP for the team by his teammates and was also Metro 4-A all conference and player of the year in the conference. He has been selected as All Forsyth County and he doesn't know this yet but is All County player of the year. He will be heading to UNC-Asheville in the fall to continue his career.