Larger than Life…

To say that Greg Maddux is important to me in the world 🌎 of baseball ⚾️ would be quite the understatement. The jersey in the photos came from a kind soul that I met about a decade ago in Peoria, Illinois, while attending a minor league baseball game.

Maddux spent time with the club  in 1985, back when he was just the too small little brother of Mike Maddux. I was deep in a conversation with someone who worked with the club, and I told him about my collection of Maddux jerseys, included every place that he pitched.

Fast forward, roughly 30 minutes later, our paths crossed again, and this time, he was bearing a gift 🎁. He took the time to match the jersey from that time period and made me a Greg Maddux Peoria Chiefs jersey. Talk about bringing joy to someone’s life….

Rafael is an amazing human being that I met one night down in Lakeland, Florida, and we share a common goal – being gatekeepers of the historic game of baseball. We exchange stories about the game when we can, and I know that he will appreciate this one.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18qP6wsixQ/

The link there is a stunning one that neither of us had ever seen before.

Last night at the volleyball match, I had my first opportunity to both meet and share a thought with our current Ace, Peyton Spencer. The young man passed the very important first test by acknowledging his love and respect for his family !

It was a fun moment, and I did my best to offer words of encouragement to him. That moment will remain his, but know that it immediately made me think about both Rafael and that day in Peoria !

If you have two minutes, the link is to one of 5,000 Maddux stories…

Travis Osborne is a brave man 👨 and the crowd asks, how brave is he ? So brave that he interacts with me 365 days a year…..

The pics 📸 above are from the Junior Varsity match, and they came from the Osborne family. Thank you, Brother.

The cake 🎂 and card above was part of an incredibly special moment last night, that included a well performed 🎭 song by our Junior Varsity team. My birthday 🎂 is Thursday, and when asked last week what my big plans are, I responded  with announcing some volleyball games.

Random acts 🎬 of kindness are always AWESOME

Our Lady Cavaliers in waiting played a highly competitive match last night against Pulaski County Junior Varsity. While they fell 2-0, they were in both sets and led the second one 13-5 before a strong run by the Lady Cougars.

After the match, I took a minute to share with the group the first of many thoughts about POSITIVE cheer options for the Varsity team.

On a play that ends with Ali Wright recording a kill, I would say, ALI folks would loudly add Ooop !

If Heidi Painter 🎨 finished a kill, that kill was painted by Heidi…

Faith Nicholson – you sing the line, you gotta have Faith….. just getting started…

Any big play, by any player :

Look what she did, Look what she did !!

Our athletic director, Kevin DeHaven, needs money 💰 and you know what is the best kind of cash 💸? Other people’s 💸.

The goal for us every night should be to make our guests feel as welcome as humanly possible. We want folks to drive to The Hill, plop down money at the ticket 🎟 table, and the concession stand. Then, after the match, maybe hit one of our drive thrus or gas ⛽️ station on the way out of town.

The crowd last night on the Dublin side are the same as us. They work for a living, then jump in their car and drive to watch their kiddos play a sport. We want them to feel safe in doing so in hopes they will return and possibly bring their neighbors next time.

We should cheer LOUDER than them, always, but remember that the goal is to cheer for our players, not against theirs.

There was energy in the building last night, from start to finish, and none of it was at the expense of Pulaski County.

Mr DeHaven works 💪 very hard for us and could use all the help we can provide. Some folks can write ✍️ a check, and that’s great, but most can move the needle 🪡 just by being aware of how important the visitors are to the bottom line.

Thank you, Travis, for the pics 📸.

Thank you for the Cake 🎂 , song and card.

Thank you for caring about Carroll County High School volleyball 🏐!!!

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

Have yourself a Blessed Day 🙌!

Sixty years ago, there were four musicians from England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 who were trying hard to launch their music 🎶 careers. John, Paul, George, and Ringo were just getting started when they recorded the song 🎵, ” Eight Days a Week.”

They went on and had a pretty solid run as the Beatles, but this song is a perfect Segway for this post 📫 with just one tweak.

Eight Times a Year is not enough to show I care……

Last night was the first of eight platforms that I feel blessed 🙌 to have each year to express my entire thought process inside the walls 🧱 of Carroll County High School 🏫.

Just as it is with the coaches on The Hill, most are teachers at the school, but others are just part of the community. This is relevant because, at the end of the day, I have no official ties to CCHS. But thanks to Mr Chuck Thompson, Mr Kevin DeHaven, and Head Coach Cindy Edwards, eight times a year exist.

The number of events announced over our six years here is a big number, thanks to the opportunities to work with folks like Rick Nester, Adrienne Harris McGuire, Forrest Johnson, and the ones that call Bill Worrell Field home. But Cavalier Park, Tommy Thompson Field and Bill Worrell Field are all outdoors.

There is something about the connection that comes with being inside the building.

  The tagline I have used for a few years now when writing ✍️ about CCHS is The Hill, and the thought process is that our students should have a safe place to grow up. Yes, it is a fictional place that I’ve created in my mind, one where everyone can enjoy life and support each other.

A place where everyone is treated equally as last night we had 30 student athletes competing, and I believe 29 last names. Each Lady Cavalier and her family receive an equal amount of appreciation and feeling of belonging to the team.

The goals include giving the younger players confidence and a sense of belonging to something special. The mindset is this belongs to me. This is my house 🏠, my Hill.

Using the time ⏲️ to show all things Cavalier matter, hence talking about the Alumni baseball game that Casey Burcham has going on later this month over in Independence ➕️ offering Howard Mayo an opportunity to talk about his program.

Eight times a year…