Going to begin this one by sharing the thoughts of Brooke’s Step-Mom…

Being just the bonus of Brooke Webb but watching these girls play…. I think that a possible great story would be one on Natalie Burris and the value of a catcher. 

Pitchers always seem to get lots of credit but a good catcher can make or break them. 

Personally I use to sing professionally and I would always get the credit while the accompanist never receives anything…all while knowing who ever was accompanying me could make or break a performance.  Just like a catcher could really make a pitchers look bad.Just a random thought from an impartial game watcher 💙

  Thank you, Ma’am

Now, on to Denise Webb. She reminds me  a great deal of my own mother 👩, who passed away way too early at 69 years of age. Bea Carter was not going to apologize for the depth of her love for any of her five children. That should be the case for all parents but Denise is proud to be the President of the Brooke Webb fan club. I am proud to be a card-carrying member of said club.

Four years of watching 👀 Brooke play volleyball and softball made it very apparent that the educational force was strong with this one. I thought she was ” sneaky smart,” but towards the end, sneaky was removed from the name.

How smart is she asks the crowd ? She has received a ride to Virginia Tech University, not for softball or volleyball but for her brain. I knew it was big but now I know it’s BIG 🧠🧠🧠🧠!!!

The B. B. stands for before Burress as back before Mr Burress signed up for better or worse, there was a fun-loving teacher that we tagged D.J. Debbie.

BB and I have shared some ups and downs over the years, for sure. That brings us to her daughter, Miss Bayleigh Allen. Having met what feels like half a million people over the years, I have never met a parent and a daughter that appear to be an extension of the parent more than Debbie and min-me.

That quickly translated to calling her ” Little Debbie.” It doesn’t work if Mom isn’t named Debbie, and that’s a fact.

When I asked Mom 👩 to send in her favorite photo 📸 of Kiddo, she chose the one we call 📞, The Look. It took place on her personalized Senior Night 🌙. It was the first time it was said aloud.

Little Debbie has graduated 🎓 and while we wish her well going forward, know this Kiddo, calling you the younger version of Debbie Odum is as high of a compliment I can pay you !

We call Kevin Lineberry ” Little Kevin ” and Kevin Burress ” Big Kevin ” for two reasons. One is their physical size, but the bigger measurement is in regard to personality. Both of these young men sit next to me in the press box 📦 at Cavalier  Park during the softball season, and both men are outstanding people to share a space with.

  Little Kevin is now prepared to graduate 🎓 up to ” Medium Kevin ” not because he is putting on weight, but he is starting to embrace the moment in a more comfortable way ! His kiddo, pictured above with her parents, is also a great sport, and like Big Kevin’s girl, Natalie Burress, she calls a solid game from behind the plate.

I’m flattered by the fact that Mr. Lineberry swaps out, watching his daughter play next to his Bride 👰‍♂ and sits next to me instead.

I am a better individual for the time spent around Kevin and his family, and we greatly appreciate his sacrifice for the program ! Way to be, Medium Kevin !!!

I have 15 of these I can write ✍️ blindfolded but will happily extend the list for anyone who would enjoy one.

When I finish this one, I will messenger it to roughly 20 Softball families. If you want one you can let me know by just sending me your favorite photo 📸 of you and yours!

We had expanded our coverage to all three teams of Lady Cavaliers Softball program this year and doing so expanded the pool of stories from the program.

Holly Miller is a great example of a ballplayer who knew what to expect from her season each and every day. Our Senior was going to play centerfield every game, and her only question was what spot she would have in the batting order ?

The other end of the spectrum was freshman Ava Beamer. This young lady was dealing with what I call the Yo-Yo effect as she bounced back and forth between the varsity and junior varsity teams. Both squads ended the season with winning records, and the flexibility of Miss Beamer played a large role in that.

Whether she was in the circle 🔵 from start to finish for Coach Terry Warf or filling in on the top squad for Coach Rick Nester, Beamer had a smile on her face.

That balancing act is a very tough one but Kiddo is grown up beyond her age ! I can only say this next part because if you line up my adult children and ask for a show of hands ✋️ from those who were burdened by me being their father 👨 it would be unanimous, Ava accomplished this with Jake Beamer as her Dad.

In this day and age, it’s easy for people to knit-pick about others, I can say that while Dad and I might not ever end up on the same bowling team, I do appreciate the way be watches out for his little girl.

The line in the song 🎵 ” Centerfield ” goes just put me in coach, I’m ready to play ” and that was the mindset of our Ava Beamer, from start to finish.

Thank you to the Beamer family for the season ! Mom for raising such a well-rounded young lady, Ava, for going with the flow and Dad for being Dad !