Now, if you aren’t a fan of Good Will Hunting, that reference won’t make a whole lot of sense. But the more I learn about the ties 👔 between our Principal and Softball Coach, the more I grow to appreciate the level of bond the pair have.

This part of the book 📖 is about relationships, including the ones between players and teammates, parents and friends, the team and the community as examples. A great deal of my attention is focused on the fact that a Principal and Athletic Director decided that the answer to their Softball program was to offer the Head Coaching job to a man that had a tough as nails 💅 reputation.

  When Principal Thompson first offered the opportunity to Nester it happened during halftime of a Carroll County football game. When Nester talks about the moment, even now, he has his southern gentleman grin across his face because he just knew he was being punked by his Boss.

The second time around, Nester realized that Mr Thompson was being serious and while I envision Marty McFly being called Chicken 🐔 by Biff in Back to the Future, I believe that the line was, ” The Rick Nester that I know wouldn’t back down from a challenge”.

I have a ton of respect for both of these two men and its fun to learn more about how of all of this came about. When it comes to the trees 🌳 that surround Cavalier Park. I have to admit they are one of my favorite parts of our facility, Nester made sure to sneak in a fun dig at his lifelong friend.

  ” The trees in all of their beauty, the credit goes to Mr Thompson,” said Nester. ” Who would have thought that a New York Yankees fan would go out of his way to give us a Carroll County version of the Green Monster.”

The link above will show the replay and I will set the table for the story about what took place one special day on the Campus of James Madison University.

Living by the words Duke, UVA and where I stay in regards to who I pull for, I have followed four Baseball ⚾️ teams in my 62 years. Being born on a Navy base south of Oakland, California I learned the game of Baseball from Charlie Finley and his swinging A’s.

There will be more about Joe Rudi, Vida Blue, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson and the rest of the cast of characters that ruled the early 1970’s later.

My Father, Charles T Carter spent right at 30 years in the Navy and we moved ALOT. One place we stayed was down in Albany, Georgia so it became the A’s and the Atlanta Braves. Back then the Braves crushed Home Run after Home Run but other than spitballing Phil Neikro, had zero pitching. They were bad for a long stretch but loyalty rules.

My Father had a deep relationship with God and this allowed him to deal with four strange kiddos and one fairly normal one without losing his temper.

Fast Forward to 1992 and when I tell this story, I lead with the question – who scored the most famous run in the history of the Atlanta Braves ? If I get an answer other than Sid Bream, there’s no point in telling the story because you’re not talking to a Braves fan.

The third team is whatever team that Greg Maddux ( fourth and final one being the Seattle Mariners) so I was doubly invested in Game 7 of the National League Championship. Atlanta was trying to rally past Barry Bonds and the Pirates when THE PLAY happened.

When Bream scored the run I lost my mind and sadly for me I was watching the game at my parents house. Connect the dots to get the response from my Father after being awaken by my outburst.

Now we will jump forward another decade and I’m blogging about a college game between Liberty University and JMU. I was there with Mr John Leonard, someone who I respect to the moon and back. Leonard is a separate story that will be included as well as he takes knowledge of Americas Pastime to a entire different planet.

  We are a few innings into the game when I look up in the stands and notice a familiar face. All of the sudden I have a ridiculous grin on my face, to the point John asked me what I saw ?

There was a man that was watching 👀 the game with great attention so I waited to the half inning before turning my attention towards him. With a great deal of gusto, I pointed to him and shouted, ” My Father only yelled at me one time in my life and it was your fault.”

Without hesitation, he shouted back, I’ve got one question for you Buddy, were you screaming for me or against me?”

I quickly replied back, ” For you for sure!”.

Realizing what just happened, John suggested that I go get his autograph but I replied that I got to tell my Sid Bream story to Sid Bream so that was better than any autograph.

Bream was there watching his Son play for the Flames and by doing so, he made my day, week, month !

Editing Note 📝 – if this was a book about Basketball 🏀, I would add my telling Jay Bilas story to Jay Bilas.

  The goal every time I make time to sit down with someone interested in participating with me on this book, the hope is to steal three or four Nuggets from them. The goal isn’t to chase people down and plead with them to share their thoughts and feelings. It is to tell a story about an event that was created by 15 Lady Cavaliers and 15 Lady Panthers that changed their programs and their communities.

  What started out as an Easter 🐣 egg 🥚 hunt turned into a dump truck of information. So much, that I feel Alvin Davidson will fill a chapter. For the readers in Page County, who don’t know Mr Davidson, his personality is very similar to that of Dennis Zimmerman.

When I mentioned to Alvin about hearing from some of the former players and offered him some examples of the topics I offered up, he was willing to answer one himself.

When was the first time that you believed that the 2015 team could capture the State  championship ?

Alvin answered back : Speaking in regards to his daughter Gracie and her time line, in the 6th or 7th grade, if we could all get along.

Alvin understands that the most talented team doesn’t necessarily win, its about opportunities and chemistry as well.

My focus here is on relationships that were created pre 2015 and after 2015. How June 13, 2015 changed people’s lives. I understand that to some folks, it was just a game 10 years ago. Not looking to visit with anyone who doesn’t want to share his or her thoughts but everyone who does.

Two great examples are the Non-Worrell Brothers, Allen and Craig. Nothing but 💘 and respect for the pair and both have willingly opened up their coverage and it will be included. Both have been offered the opportunity to share their personal thoughts as well, while I hope they will, I will respect the fact they might now have anything that they want to add.

Two relationships that I will be focusing in on are the Mr Chuck Thompson and Rick Nester friendship that eventually led to Coach bringing home THE Trophy 🏆. The second one will be about two old people, one with a 🎤 and the other with a Junior Varsity scorebook teamed up to make some magic.

Travis Osborne and his daughter, Kevin Burress and Angel 😇 have been recorded so the invitation stands for any parent who wants to share what the Softball bond means to their Family 👪. In the same breath, there isn’t time or a need to chase people down for input.

I would love to hear from Travis and Emma Leath, Brad and Sydney Nester so they could line up with the pages that Tracy Moore penned about Tiff.

If you bump into Mr Davidson, ask him about Frank Comer and his not allowing the ‘ River ” contributed to the Carroll County 1-0 victory ??? Great insight with that one. Side Note 📝 – Thank him for his service on the School Board !

The story about Principal Chuck Thompson and Coach Rick Nester goes all the way back to when Tommy Thompson’s Son was a student at the School Rick Nester taught at. Insert jokes about students tying up their dinosaur 🦕 before coming inside.

If you are out there and have a thought or memory about the relationship with the game of Softball or what it meant to see 👀 history made, just reach out to me and let me know.

We are creating a memory here and if you have a positive thought that’s one less story that will be my words. The more the merrier is one way to say it and the other is INCLUSION is King 🤴

Yesterday afternoon Adam Nester was kind enough to share his thoughts about what June 13, 2015 meant to him and his Family 👪. It’s not everyday that you have a Daily Double of capturing the first State Championship in your Schools history and then slipping a ring on the finger of the love of your life.

Kayla Goins became Kayla Nester that day and ten years later she is as focused as a Woman can get. Three beautiful children and a career that includes so many things that it resembles Brandi Cochran Mitchell.

  Thankfully, the Carroll County Power couple 💑 were meant for each other and watching 👀 them grow into their roles as residents of Laurel Fork brings community pride to my Heart ❤.

But in the writers room, what would the wedding day have looked like if the oldest daughter of Scotty and Patti Goins had been, say a Doctor or Hollywood star 🌟? That would be a fun re-write….

Adam and Kayla Nester were meant to be together and both Carroll County and Laurel Fork are better for it !

  Sydney Nester was a Freshman on the State Championship team of 2015 and it was almost eight years later that had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time up at Marshall University..

https://aroundthevalleyin60days.blog/2025/07/01/diamonds-%F0%9F%92%8E-are-a-girls-best-friend-now-pitching-for-your-carroll-county-lady-%F0%9F%91%A9-cavaliers-is-sydney-nester/

Here’s the link to the story from that day and it appeared in The Carroll News as well. I have to smile about the fact I used the same title back in 2023 – Diamonds 💎 are a Girls Best Friend.

  I remember the conversation with this highly motivated young Lady like it was yesterday and I shared with her that I hoped to write ✍ about how a young Lady took learning how to throw a Softball incredibly well and turned it into a six year College education.

For the time being, we worked together to create a catching up with Sydney Nester story and talked about getting back to the bigger story later. The Thundering Herd had a game later that day and I had to get back down I-64 to Charleston for a West Virginia Tech baseball game. It was a great visit and I looked forward to the next one.

Fast Forward to the 2023 Lady Cavaliers visit to Floyd County to face the Buffaloes. Sydney Nester was doing her best to get the Herd deep in the post season and they were playing at the same time. Not wanting to disturb anyone, I went out beyond the right field fence so I could watch Syd pitch while covering the current team.

It turned out that Israel Easter was also out there and this led to probably the most pleasant conversation the two of us had together. Then there was this young Lady playing right field and every time she finished warming up she would turn to us and share a thought.

Israel was eating a bag 🎒 of Combos during the game and by the third inning, Macie Adkins started working on Israel to share his food. He pulled back his arm and fired one in her direction, it was a nice throw by the way. The Combo landed in her glove but bounced out and fell to the ground.

Without hesitation, Miss Adkins reached down, picked up the Combo, ate it with her smile and said ” Five second rule “. Then in a heartbeat it was back to business as usual. That was the day that I first saw the potential in this young Lady

The title of the Carroll County High School portion of the Book 📖 is Cause and Effect. This story is a small version of how one thing leads to another.

If I don’t know Allen Worrell, I don’t reach out to Chuck McGill and drive to Marshall for an opportunity to meet Syd. If I don’t meet Syd, I am not watching her game on my cellphone in rightfield with Israel Easter and I don’t discover that Macie Adkins is someone that has a gift that can bring joy to others !