Keep the Flame Burning

Check the time of this post.  I couldn't sleep and I normally sleep like a torpedo.  This post was rattling around in my brain and it had to get out.

I did not golf in the Gibby open this year.  I had already booked the day for the select team I coach to have their tryouts.  But I did get to the dinner at Gibby's.

And who did I see at Gibby's?  Guys that I played ball with many years ago. 

Lately I have been hearing a lot of them ask me why I still do it.  Why am I spending so much of my free time coaching youth baseball.  So many have questioned the time, the effort that I began to question the pursuit.

My answer; I have to.  My follow up; you should too.

We are all in our 50's.  Our days are past.  We can't do it anymore.  We can throw, we can hit, we can talk about it; but we can't do it anymore. 

There are tons of boys out there that want to play baseball.  For the most part they are getting coaching, but most of it is lousy.

We were all coached by one of the best.  Frank Papasedero.  He was damn good.  He had his faults; but he was damn good.  And we all learned a few years ago from Eddie O'Brien that he did it for free.  He gave it away.

He is dead and gone.  And in this world of six degrees of separation we are the ones who own his message, who own his passion.  And we own the passion and dedication of all who coached us.  And we own the passion  of all we played with and fought with and every ball we hit, every ball we caught and all this game has brought us.

As I currently coach I run into good men who coach.  But they are over-shadowed by bad parents who coach, twentysomething year old assholes who coach and others who have no business coaching.  Whores that are making money coaching.  Impostors, bad eggs and jackasses who coach.

My message to you all is to get out there.  

Dana is doing it.  Bish is out there.  Tonk is coaching.  Spaz is out there.  Why not you?  You have the knowledge, you have the passion, you have the tools.  You can make a difference.

Pass on the passion for this game.

Pass on your knowledge.