You never know who ...

[Cannonball]

I don't know where to put this so I'll put this here.

My wife went to the doctor today to get her physical and some blood screenings. In doing so, she talked to this doctor who we have not been to. The doctor, in an attempt to get to know my wife mentioned my DD's name when he asked about kids. My wife was shocked when started talking about our DD. When my DD was playing TB, they played the Chicago Bandits in Marion, Illinois. That is a couple of hours from where we live. This doctor was at that game with his daughter and he remembered my DD hitting a home run against the Bandits. Not only that, he said he was moved by what my dd did after the homerun and he quoted her. She ran to the screen and told me, "Thanks, Dad." He said that that was the kind of relationship he wanted to have with his dd as she grew up playing this great game. Although they didn't live close to us and did not know us, he said that he and his dd followed my dd as she played in college. Apparently, his dd did well and played in college.

It is humbling to hear this. It also shows that many of our dds don't have access to what professional softball players do so they often pick HS players or TB players to look up to. I know that my dd had two HS players that she looked up to. When she was in 6rh, 7th, and 8th grade, she went to shag balls in varsity practices just to be around them. Both did outstanding in college.

As you and your dd's go through this journey, keep in mind that you never know who is looking and what impact you or your dd will make on others.

 

[Dabears17]

Last week I was at a local coffee shop with my wife, the buddy who talked me into helping him coach, and his wife. A young woman started talking to my wife. Took me several seconds to recognize her, but it was a player I coached on a C All-Star team summer of 2006. She asked how my DD was doing gave us an update on some of the players from that team, and told her boyfriend my DD was the All-Star team mascot for three summers. I see her mom occasionally, but I haven't seen the player since she graduated high school in 2012. The players my DD watched play the first three years of her life shaped her as a player and a person.

I saw another player who graduated high school in 2018 and is an AC on a 14u team last weekend. I joked with the other AC I knew the coach, but she probably didn't remember me. Coach called her, and she smiled at me, and we chatted for a few minutes. Because of COVID, she is still playing at a local NAIA school and getting most of grad school paid for. I never coached her, but was on the rec league board most of her playing career. My DD's softball nickname is a variation of her nickname as a tribute to her.

 

[quincy]

Nice stories.