First things First, check out the hops that Madison Coleman is displaying in the cap and gown photo 📸 !
It might be that she is just that excited to escape the question I had for her, EVERY time I saw 👀 her ????????
Does Madison Coleman know that she has a really cool 😎 mother ?
Gabby Coleman is a dream of a softball parent, and her daughter is an extension of her Mom 👩. Right Field was a big spot to fill once Macie Adkins graduated 🎓 and moved on to Southwest Virginia Community College. Madison handled the question of who would fill the vacancy three years ago ?
Now, someone will have to step up and try to be the next Madison Coleman ! Oh, and let’s hope she has an equally Cool 😎 mother !
Billy Joel put it so elegant in just one song 🎵 and the link will save you reading 2,735 words on why Kevin Burress is the absolute definition of everything I stand for !
Brother, I consider myself a better person because of our friendship / partnership !
Sunday afternoon in Hickory, North Carolina, and the first pitch is set for 2:00 pm
Sharon DeHaven and I had a very nice exchange yesterday afternoon. Here is how that ties to our tagline of encouraging the world, one person at a time. The first time I heard that Mrs DeHaven enjoyed reading my work, I wasn’t sure how she was related to our athletic director. Mom, Sister or Wife, but I knew that it made me smile to hear that.
To show her my appreciation for the kind words, I created a baseball story for the team that her grandson just finished playing for. Every story that I write ✍️ is for roughly 3 to 5 people, and the one about Peyton Spencer being clutch was written for Sharon DeHaven, Mr. Spencer, his family, and secretly for Head Coach Casey Burcham.
Once I pen 🖊 a story, more often than not, I need assistance in getting it to the desired people. If it’s related to Carroll County High School 🏫 Baseball ⚾️, I send it to Deana Burcham and ask her to please 🙏 help me get it to the correct people. I don’t need 5,000 clicks or reads, but I absolutely love for the story to find its intended destination. Hence, trying to encourage the world, one person at a time !
$10.00 gets you a seat 💺 right behind home 🏡 plate. $5.00 gets you a parking spot at LP Frans Stadium 🏟.
There are two things that I believe that a baseball fan should hold onto with all of their might.
First, your favorite baseball team ! My Father 👨 was in the Navy for just shy of 30 years, and I was born south of Oakland, California, on a base in Lemoore. My oldest brother, Wayne, likes to reference the fact that Bob in the Top Gun sequel ( the vanilla but rock solid officer without a call name ) is also from Lemoore.
Charles Finley introduced me to both the sport and the wackiness of sports marketing. If you are old enough to remember the Swinging A’s of the early 1970’s. If not, look him up, and it will explain a few things about me. Finley taught me that you will draw certain fans on the merit of the game, but others need a bonus reason to attend a game.
The Swinging A’s had cool 😎 nicknames, handlebar mustaches, and really loud jerseys to start the list. Jim ” Catfish ” Hunter, Vida ” True ” Blue and Reggie ( Jackson ) had his own candy bar 🍫. Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi, and Kenny Holtzman were some more characters. Gene Tennace, Dick Green, and Sal Bando were some more.
Finley was my first hero, and other than the fact that he tried to bribe Vida to legally change his first name to True ( bit of a reach there ), he was a genius !
If not for Pete Rose and the Big Red Machine interrupting their dynasty run, the group that still managed three straight World Series titles.
50 years later, the A’s are now the first homeless MLB team in history. Yes, in the standings, they are just the A’s, and they are playing in an AAA park in Sacramento while their new digs in Las Vegas is being built.
A few years later, the Seattle Mariners were born, and the Pacific Northwest was the dream location / destination for me, so it’s been A’s, Mariners, and Greg Maddux ever since.
Earlier today, I played a round of golf ⛳️ with the friend that I have known the longest (35 years ), Dennis Cerrie. We first met up in Charlotte a lifetime ago and somehow found a way to meet in the middle of the cities in which we live and play 18 holes of golf ⛳️.
There is nothing special about the course, it’s just about the fellowship. The most noteworthy thing about the round was the baby calf 🐄🐮 that came up to our tee box on #7 and started mooing loudly. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to moo back, even louder. In a blink of an eye 👁, Momma showed up to protect her baby.
Insert Kristy Jones or Denise Webb doing the exact same thing if you moo at their little ones.
Circle back, original baseball teams, and old friends should be treated as priceless possessions. Plus, if you Moo at a youngster, don’t be surprised when Momma comes running !
Oh yeah, if you are given an opportunity to bring a smile to Sharon DeHaven, that is the definition of a No-Brainer !
” Gone Fishing 🎣” is the mental sign I envision hanging on the imaginary door 🚪 to Vickey’s office.
I will have to find a filler for the time, but whatever it is I come up with, it won’t be as fulfilling.
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Nick Cushman and Deana Burcham just finished coaching up our Middle School 🏫 Softball team, and in a word, their efforts were electric. In a time where finding energized young coaches is a challenge, having two of them working together in one season and one team is amazing.
Middle School Softball coaches tend to have a short shelf life because, more often than not, it is a parent(s) of one of the players who will step up and take the responsibility while their daughter is on the team. That was the case once again this season, and our program was blessed to have an injection 💉of youth in the dugout.
The top three spots in the Lady Cavalier program belong to Rick Nester, Travis Leath, and Terry Warf. Each of these men has been around the sport for quite some time now and has an abundance of knowledge and coaching skills. The Dynamic Duo has ” It,” something that they don’t carry on the shelves at Wal-Mart. The sport of softball is most certainly about a ❤️ for the game, and it can use all of the high-energy newcomers that are willing to make the sacrifice.
Thank you, coaches and Mrs Cushman, for the effort this season !
