Great stories, I loved reading them all and congrats sounds like fun.
I'll share a couple stories.
First pro start was at Orem. He hadn't pitched other than rookie ball for over a year coming off Tommy John surgery. The moving vans were pulling into my second new home in the last year and my wife and I debated going. She finally convinced me that I should go and that she could take care of getting all my precious junk moved into the house. So I jumped on a plane to Salt Lake. I had lunch with him and we talked. I was nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. He was cool as a cucumber. I get to the stadium early and wind up having a half hour conversation with the Angels GM. Then I find a place to watch the game all alone. He pitched like a seasoned pro. 7 great innings and a win. I still have the score card I kept that night and I usually don't do that at games. I remember sitting in the stands crying, I was so proud that he had made it back.
The next start was the next season in the Midwest league. First game of the year was in Beloit Wisconsin about 90 minutes from my home. I was bouncing around the house getting ready to pick up my younger son from school and my wife to go to the game. The phone rings and it is Nick. He tells me he forgot his spikes in Cedar Rapids and could I bring him a pair. The kid wore size 15 shoes so it wasn't like you could go to Walmart and pick up a pair. So I grabbed the only pair of spikes that I could find, an ugly red pair and go to the game. It was freezing, snowed most of the game but I just kept looking at those red spikes and laughing. He may have moved on but they still need us, whether its moving a car or bringing a pair of spikes.