The two display cases holding the Proof of Trek.

  Decades ago when I first thought about how much commitment it would take to make it to the end, it felt like most people who completed this particular Loop were either filthy rich or had sponsors.

Naturally, I wanted to see 👀 how little money 💰 it would take to hit all 30. The book 📖 would be titled, 30 Baseball Parks for under $10,000.00. In order to pull this off, it would require a great deal of creativity.

I was about 3/4 done when I realized that that I’m not that much of a baseball fan after all. Getting to the finish line required me leaning on my favorite piece of Life advice – Finish What You Start.

There won’t be a play by play of the entire journey but it will be fun to recap some of the brighter moments that took place along the way.

Cody Reece is back on The Hill, just months after Graduation 🎓 as this former Cavalier is dialed in on what he wants to do with his future. Reece will be splitting time between the Basketball staff of Anthony Barnes as a Coach and the Baseball diamond 💎 at New River Community College as a Player.

Reece developed his skills over his four years on The Hill under the guidance of Coaches like Kevin DeHaven, Casey Burcham, Jason Stockner, Kris Richardson and Anthony Barnes. Its quite possible that the leaders listed here rubbed off on Reece because he wants to join the ranks once he has completed College !

  Not all 50 of the Baseball stories are just about Baseball and that is certainly the case with the young Man whose friends call Rooster 🐓.

The moment that lands Reece on the 50 list took place last Spring up in Penn Laird, Virginia. Carroll County High School Boys Basketball team was playing in the State Quarterfinals against the Spotswood High School Trailblazers.

Spotswood would go on to capture the State Championship later that month and they had a great scouting report on how to slow 🐌 down Bryce Smoot and Isaiah Easter but they might have been guilty of overlooking the Rooster.

The moment was classic in that both Alan Knight and Allen Worrell were sitting on the floor next to me, a few feet from Ground Zero. Reece set up on the baseline and managed to drain not one, not two but a trio of 3-pointers. Cody Reece 9, Spotswood 6 was the score at that point !!!

You don’t win State Championships without making adjustments and the Trailblazers switched to having the State Player of the Year defend Reece. In the book 📖 we will leave out the part in regards to how the fourth attempt landed in the neighboring town of Elkton after it was blocked 🚫.

Reece has a cannon for an arm when playing Third Base and for a moment, he was single handily leading the best Basketball team in the State!

  What does Jay Neal and Baseball ⚾️ have to do with Lane Stadium 🏟 and Hokie football ??

  Before going to William and Mary to earn his Law degree, Jay Neal played football in Blacksburg for Virginia Tech.

  Just last month, Jay and the Strasburg Express added yet another Championship trophy 🏆to the case by claiming the 2025 Valley Baseball League crown 👑.

In a lifetime of meeting people, I have never met someone who has the skill set that Jay Neal has. Each of the past four years, our organization has presented the Jay Neal Lifetime Achievement Award to a worthy recipient. The last two years that honor has gone to residents of Carroll County, in Rick Nester and Tammy Quesenberry.

  Jay is retired from practicing Law and this gives him more time to focus on the things that he loves 💘. His wife, children and Grandchildren along with his Baltimore Orioles, the town of Strasburg and the VBL team he operates, the Express.

  If anyone has enjoyed or benefited from my efforts within OneofUs.Care or before we created the umbrella 🌂 to cover our efforts, then you are a Fan of Jay Neal. Because if there is no Jay Neal in our lives, our lives look incredibly different.

Back in 1974, it says a Hokie named Jay Neal caught four passes for 84 yards. That is one story that I haven’t heard yet but the one about his recruiting trip down to Duke University will be part of the read.

Even now, Jay still manages to try and help out his biggest fan as we try to explain where $65,000.00 went to in the past year.

The one distinction that differs greatly in regards to Jay and myself is the fact that he is incredibly Modest. Anytime I sing his praise, he will reply, ” Jay Neal is overrated “.

  I feel beyond Blessed to have crossed paths with Jay 20 years ago !

Brian and his Kiddo, Rachel Breeden at the beginning of the story about their connection with the Tradition that is Page County High School Softball 🏫.

Brian is more known up in Shenandoah my his beloved moniker, Big Daddy, then by his actual given name. I can attest to that fact because it was probably five years into our relationship before I heard someone address him as Brian.

  Big Daddy began his stay within Lady Panthers Softball program back in 2004 when his only daughter played on the Junior Varsity team. The following four years were spent as Proud Parent and from there it became a little bit of whatever the program needed. The past two seasons have been spent as the lead Assistant Coach.

Whether the need was coaching the younger players, scouting opponents or even building a Pavillion, Big Daddy was often the first to arrive and the last to go home.

Roy Cardin is the Man that we are dedicating this portion of our Book to and Big Daddy will take lead on sharing a truly remarkable story about how Roy gave so much of his life to the youth in and around Shenandoah.

Big Daddy and Rachel were also out in Oklahoma City for Kate Gordon’s big Day versus Oklahoma. There will be stories coming on many. many fronts and the experience will be better because of Big Daddys participation !

In a perfect World 🌎 I would have ended up working in the Golf ⛳ Pro Shop at Massanutten Resort a little later in life. Because if I had been further down life’s path, I would possibly still be there. Minimal amount of money involved but unlimited golf and the biggest perk of all was running the shop alongside Daryl Irvine.

Irvine climbed his way up the Baseball ⚾️ ladder from Grottoes, Virginia to Spotswood High School and finally to being a part of arguably the greatest bullpen in Major League Baseball history.

Lee Smith and Jeff Reardon combined for what seemed like a Million saves back then and Irvine was a set-up arm for the late innings. As impressive as the Baseball side of Irvine was, the Husband and Father side of him was over the top.

Another fun write ✍ will be about things like the feeling one gets when hitting Albert Belle in the rib cage with a heater and the fear connected to it.

There’s simply no way to tell my 50 favorite Baseball stories without including Daryl Irvine !