My son started playing select ball at age 10. He is a fantastic player, not only by my estimation, but by most that watch him play.
When he was 11, he played for a guy that thought he was coaching College players. He yelled, he screamed, he made the kids run laps, and worst of all, he took the fun out of the game.
My son is shy, he was born that way, and he will die that way. But, this coach made it worse. Not only did he take the fun out of the game, he turned my son against it.
The next year my ex wife stopped by a sporting goods store and talked to the owner, who was a friend of mine. She was looking for a team to put Nicholas on, a good select team with a good kind coach.
James recommended that she call Bobby and arange a tryout, and that is what she did. At the time, I had just filed for custody of my son, and he was battling that along with everything else in life.
He made the team and when he came the next weekend he told me about the coach, the other players, the cool colors their uniforms would be and their practice field. He was so happy to be playing baseball again.
Bobby made the game fun, not just for my son, but for all the kids. He was a great teacher and a role model. He never raised his voice, but he could be firm with the boys.
The team lost more games than it won that first year, the first time that ever had happened to my son. Did he care? Not in the least.
Bobby was also there during the custody battle. He would always remind my son that it wasn't his fault his parents were divorced, that adults could be jerks sometimes. That all he could and should do is love both of his parents.
That fall, Bobby made some roster moves and the team continued to get better. The next spring and summer the kids played very well, finishing above .500. But, that's not what mattered to the boys or the coach, what mattered was that each boy was better at the end of the year, than when they started it.
The next year, Bobby gave up coaching to watch his older boys play HS and College ball. His son played part of that next season with my son and another player from his old team. It was fun having Bobby on the other side of the fence. He showed a whole new side.
He also would work with my son whenever I asked. If he was struggling, Bobby would show up early or stay late to throw some BP. If his curve ball wasn't breaking, Bobby would always have a word of encouragement for Nicholas. Cheering him from the other side of the fence, just like a proud Dad.
I continued to keep in touch with Bobby when our ways parted a couple of years ago. I kept track of his kids and he would call to check on Nicholas. Always telling me that one day he would pick up the paper and see where Nicholas had signed with a D1 college to play ball and how proud he would be that day.
A couple of weeks ago when we had a conversation on this board about who you would have at your NLI signing day, i asked my son. He said that he would invite Bobby Short, his current 3 coaches and his high school coaches (and me).
Tonight, we found out that Bobby has terminal cancer and isn't expected to make it. He is in his early 40's with two teenage sons and one in his early 20's. He has been married to his high school sweetheart for over 20 years.
My son is devestated. We are going to the Hospital to go see Bobby tomorrow night. To tell him how much he meant to both Nicholas, and to me.
Baseball is more than just a game about balls and strikes. It's about the good people you meet along the way. It's about the memories that you will share with your grandchildren.
If it wasn't for Baseball, my son would never have known Bobby Short, and that would have been very sad.
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