I met him five years ago as our sons were about to enroll at Coastal Carolina. Both our sons were deep in the State high school playoffs at the time, his in Illinois, mine from Ohio. We started talking on the phone and I could tell immediately he was different than most other parents I knew. He is the type of guy where the glass could be a few drops from empty and he could see it a few drops from full...
We finally met face-to-face as we checked our sons in school and we immediately began plotting how we would meet in Omaha someday for the College World Series. The following spring, both our sons were redshirted and we both for the first time could truly empathise with parents whose kids were not getting to play....
The following fall, I saw his son pitch in the annual fall world series and he dominated his performances - mainly as a matchup lefty out of the bullpen. That spring he seemed to have carved a role out for himself but suffered an ankle injury a week before the season started. It just wasn't in the cards for him and another season slipped away....
At the end of the season, when I spoke to Smokey, he told me his son was transferring to a top D3 school known for Dentistry (a profession in their family) and oh btw, the school is annually ranked in the top 20. Not ONCE did I hear an ounce of bitterness in his voice. No one has been more supportive of my son in his career and for that (Jim) I thank you...
There was an adjustment for the young man to say the least last year. Things were not quite as organized or as intense as they were previously.
This year, all the pieces have come into place for this young man. One of the most dominant left-handed starters in the country imho with a 1.18 ERA and named conference pitcher of the week. Talk about waiting your turn.. talk about never giving up... talk about maintaining a POSITIVE attitude at all times... I couldn't be happier for the young man or his family
Here is a link to the story:http://www.iwusports.com/news/...0.aspx?path=baseball
