Written by To Coach Hartwell and Coach Dodge:
This morning I woke wishing we still had games left to coach, or even tournament games left to organize. Excuses for me to be at Allard Park are easy to come by. Mostly though, I wanted to thank you both for welcoming me into your dugout. You two were selfless in regard to our pecking order and were very open minded regarding discussion, thought process, and decision making. I appreciate it very much. I enjoyed battling alongside you two over the past week as well as preparing in the weeks before, and yes, I miss it already. It was both a joy and a pleasure to be announced with you and the Goffstown team at Allard Park this week. The anthem still gives me goose bumps. I closed my eyes yesterday as we stood on the 3rd base line while the anthem played and I thought of how fortunate I was to be a part of the team and to represent my town. I sang the words silently to myself as the sun shone down, pondering the thousands of past baseball heroes who had been so lucky as me. Thank you guys. It was wonderful to pace the dirt floors of the Allard Park dugouts again, and to look up and down the bench at kids playing for their home town community spelled across their chests. Thank you.
Thanks for your thoughts Steve. Bruce and I have coached together for several years now and we mesh well as we share similar philosophies and focus on fundamental, team baseball with the goal of continuous improvement. It was clear from the start that we all share a similar mindset and respect our athletes. I think I can speak for Bruce in saying that we immediately recognized and respect your knowledge of baseball and coaching. I was more than willing to take a step back and learn from you. There really are no egos in our dugout, just a love of the game and for coaching young athletes. I believe there were many more lessons learned by our kids this week than playing baseball. We set a strong example through our hard work and commitment to the organization and exhibited a sense of team and volunteerism in making the tournament function so well. I am glad that Ben and Ari have the opportunity to see just how to pay it forward and that someday they will do the same for their kids.
Thank you again Chris. I’m humbled, as it should be. Well said.
Thank you both, Chris and Steve,
It’s been a while I know but I wanted to take a step back and think about the game that I love so much and ponder why it has changed and yet still has stayed the same. What is it that intrigues us all in this game that they call America’s pastime even still in these days when technology changes almost everything with a blink of an eye. Is it that it brings us back to our childhood days when playing pick up games in the backyard where just as important as the league games that we played against our neighboring towns? Or is it the coaching and sharing the love of the game with those that still have a passion for the sport itself and passing on the knowledge and love of the game to our younger generations. In retrospect for me it’s both. Thank you for reminding me that teaching the game with passion and dedication is still ok. That there are so many life lessons to be learned within this game that we pass on everyday whether we know it or not. Thank you both for the commitment to this team and showing us all the importance of hard work, dedication and passion. I look forward to sharing the oasis of Allard Park with you both again soon.