Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. I say dads, because there is a distinct difference in being a father and being a dad. I am not saying this because it's my opinion. I know for a fact.
My "father" never was a part of my life. He decided to not be a part of my life right after I was born. I remember talking to him one time in my entire life. I also have no idea of what he looks like. I never went fishing with him, played catch, learned a life lesson from him - other than be responsible for your children.
My "dad", on the other hand, came into my life when I was about 3. He and my mom were married when I was almost 8. He's everything my dad wasn't and I am so thankful that God gave me him. He did play catch in the backyard with me. He did teach me life lessons. To this day, one of my favorite things to do with my dad is surf fish.
So men, be a dad this Father's Day. If you haven't up to this point, please get involved in your child's life. I can give you quotes and studies about how dads are important, but let's be honest, you know. This Father's Day, give your kids a gift. The gift of time spent. The gift of saying "I love you" or "I'm proud of you". Your kids will not forget it.
By the way, Happy Father's Day, Dad. I love you!
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Early Summer Hodgepodge
Hmm, usually I have a specific subject to post on but today I just have a hodgepodge of ideas. So much going on right now. We just ended soccer season. Broadway girls softball is playing for the state championship today. Gardening is going full swing. School's out.... It's summer.
If your life is like mine, you are trying to figure out where the first 6 months of the year went. I mean seriously, life is flying by. My kids are already planning the complete summer schedule.Just thinking about it makes me tired. I've been so busy, I haven't even had time to fish! I know... It's awful! The thing is, keeping with my goals for the year, I am going to take some time to go fishing, to spend with the kids at the pool, to have cookouts with friends.
Another big thing going on here is the Broadway High School Girls Varsity Softball team. They are in the state championship game today. Funny, they have actually gone further than the boys football team, but you wouldn't know it. No banners, no parades... Well, I say Go Lady Gobblers! You've already made us proud, now bring back a state championship! If you want to see some great pics of the team, check out https://www.facebook.com/pages/SweetAmys-Photography/195648303786588
Oh, just an aside from the softball championship. Broadway's graduation is also today. The principal at Broadway, Dr Lehman, said he would make sure diplomas were at the field for the graduates on the team and any graduates going to the game to support the team. Dr Lehman is a class act and this is his last year at Broadway. He is being transferred to Spotswood High School by the county. Many are upset about this. I just want to say, I have never heard anyone say an unkind word about Dr Lehman. I have been told he is a good man of solid character. Broadway's loss is truly Spotswood's gain. God bless you, Dr Lehman! May you have much success, but know you will be missed.
If your life is like mine, you are trying to figure out where the first 6 months of the year went. I mean seriously, life is flying by. My kids are already planning the complete summer schedule.Just thinking about it makes me tired. I've been so busy, I haven't even had time to fish! I know... It's awful! The thing is, keeping with my goals for the year, I am going to take some time to go fishing, to spend with the kids at the pool, to have cookouts with friends.
Another big thing going on here is the Broadway High School Girls Varsity Softball team. They are in the state championship game today. Funny, they have actually gone further than the boys football team, but you wouldn't know it. No banners, no parades... Well, I say Go Lady Gobblers! You've already made us proud, now bring back a state championship! If you want to see some great pics of the team, check out https://www.facebook.com/pages/SweetAmys-Photography/195648303786588
Oh, just an aside from the softball championship. Broadway's graduation is also today. The principal at Broadway, Dr Lehman, said he would make sure diplomas were at the field for the graduates on the team and any graduates going to the game to support the team. Dr Lehman is a class act and this is his last year at Broadway. He is being transferred to Spotswood High School by the county. Many are upset about this. I just want to say, I have never heard anyone say an unkind word about Dr Lehman. I have been told he is a good man of solid character. Broadway's loss is truly Spotswood's gain. God bless you, Dr Lehman! May you have much success, but know you will be missed.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Valley League Baseball
Greetings, one and all! I am very honored to be making a guest
appearance here today at Staci's invitation. She has asked me to concoct
a post on a subject that is very near and dear to my heart: the Valley
Baseball League (or VBL, for short.)
If what follows sounds like a cross between a sales pitch and baseball evangelism, it's only because I am thoroughly convinced the VBL is the greatest thing on the planet. And if you're a baseball fan who hasn't discovered this yet, I consider it my sacred duty to make you see the light.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the league, it is made up of 12 teams which are located throughout the Shenandoah Valley. You'll find them in Haymarket, Front Royal, Luray, Strasburg, Winchester, Woodstock, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, Rockbridge, Covington and my hometown of New Market. Each team is comprised of elite college players who come here from all over the country.
I can't think of any good reasons NOT to patronize your local VBL ballpark this summer... but I can think of plenty why you should. I've made a list of ten of them. If you still aren't convinced, well, then I give up.
Top 10 Reasons You Should Support Valley League Baseball:
1. Closeness. Everyone loves a big-league ball game. The roar of the crowd, the verdure of that pristinely manicured grass, the superstar players. I enjoy these things as much as anyone. They are fun! They are exciting! And yet, attending a major league baseball game is kind of like visiting a well-to-do person's house, or staying at a fancy hotel. It's charming, sure, but after a while you've had your fill of it and are ready to go home. The Valley League is the baseball equivalent of "home". It may not have the grand appeal of "The Show", but it's comfortable, and it's intimate. It's quaint, in the best sort of way. There's a closeness here that you won't find many other places.
2. Affordability. Tickets to any given VBL contest will only set you back $5. You can't see a movie, or eat out, or do pretty much anything for less than that these days. Plus, the entertainment is significantly greater.
3. Future-Star Gazing. We may not be the Cape Cod League, but the VBL has produced its fair share of Major League talent. And let me tell you, there aren't a whole lot of things more thrilling than seeing a guy you cheered on as a college sophomore making it to the big time.
4. Antics. College ballplayers are infamous for their shenanigans. At VBL games, you can see things you wouldn't be privy to anywhere else. In 2006, my New Market Rebels bullpen would put on choreographed routines from their post beyond the left field wall whenever our best home run hitter came to the plate. Last season, a visiting squad built a fire in their bullpen and were roasting marshmallows. It didn't go on long as someone was expeditiously dispatched to discourage this pyromaniacal behavior, but it was amusing while it lasted. These creative antics can often be entertaining as the games themselves.
5. Wooden bats. The main advantage Valley League Baseball has over ordinary college match-ups is the bats. If you are any kind of baseball purist, then the ping of aluminum bats is about as pleasant a sound as fingernails on a chalkboard. There is nothing, nothing lovelier than the sound of a wood bat meeting a baseball. On summer nights in the Shenandoah Valley those sweet sounds echo from Haymarket to Covington and everywhere in between.
6. Warm fuzzies, sportsmanship, etc., In a world of crazed Little League parents, professional athletes behaving like brats and punks, etc., it's nice to see groups of young men who still shake hands when the game is over. That element of sportsmanship is alive and well in the Valley. It does my heart good, and it always will.
7. Rivalries. I don't want to boast or anything, but when it comes to good old fashioned baseball rivalries, I know my stuff. I support a certain Major League franchise based on the North Side of Chicago. There's more than a little history there. I can tell you with the utmost conviction that the rivalries you'll see in the VBL are as fierce as any that the bigs have to offer. Yankees-Red Sox, Cubs-Cardinals? They've got nothing on the New Market Rebels and Luray Wranglers. So if you're into intense, hard-fought baseball, you can find it (and then some) here in the Shenandoah Valley.
8. Togetherness. What better way to spend a lovely summer evening than at a ballgame with your family or friends?
9. Good baseball. Don't think for a second that you won't see great games played in the VBL. Sure, there might be some infield throws that sail into the dugout and the occasional Little League quality umpire, but for the most part, the level of play here is excellent. Patronize the VBL and you will witness intense pitching duels, nail-biting 9th innings, and web gems galore. Most of the most thrilling and wonderful games I have ever experienced were right in my own backyard.
10. Involvement. If you are inclined to take your fandom to the next level (and, take my word for it, if you hang around long enough, you almost certainly will be), there are any number of ways to involve yourself and volunteer for your favorite team. You could take tickets or man the souvenir stand. You could house a player for the summer. You could moonlight in the internet radio broadcast booth. My family is responsible for making sure our Rebels are well-fed after every home game. The work isn't always easy, but it is rewarding 101% of the time and it's a fantastic way to contribute to your team and your community.
If what follows sounds like a cross between a sales pitch and baseball evangelism, it's only because I am thoroughly convinced the VBL is the greatest thing on the planet. And if you're a baseball fan who hasn't discovered this yet, I consider it my sacred duty to make you see the light.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the league, it is made up of 12 teams which are located throughout the Shenandoah Valley. You'll find them in Haymarket, Front Royal, Luray, Strasburg, Winchester, Woodstock, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, Rockbridge, Covington and my hometown of New Market. Each team is comprised of elite college players who come here from all over the country.
I can't think of any good reasons NOT to patronize your local VBL ballpark this summer... but I can think of plenty why you should. I've made a list of ten of them. If you still aren't convinced, well, then I give up.
Top 10 Reasons You Should Support Valley League Baseball:
1. Closeness. Everyone loves a big-league ball game. The roar of the crowd, the verdure of that pristinely manicured grass, the superstar players. I enjoy these things as much as anyone. They are fun! They are exciting! And yet, attending a major league baseball game is kind of like visiting a well-to-do person's house, or staying at a fancy hotel. It's charming, sure, but after a while you've had your fill of it and are ready to go home. The Valley League is the baseball equivalent of "home". It may not have the grand appeal of "The Show", but it's comfortable, and it's intimate. It's quaint, in the best sort of way. There's a closeness here that you won't find many other places.
2. Affordability. Tickets to any given VBL contest will only set you back $5. You can't see a movie, or eat out, or do pretty much anything for less than that these days. Plus, the entertainment is significantly greater.
3. Future-Star Gazing. We may not be the Cape Cod League, but the VBL has produced its fair share of Major League talent. And let me tell you, there aren't a whole lot of things more thrilling than seeing a guy you cheered on as a college sophomore making it to the big time.
4. Antics. College ballplayers are infamous for their shenanigans. At VBL games, you can see things you wouldn't be privy to anywhere else. In 2006, my New Market Rebels bullpen would put on choreographed routines from their post beyond the left field wall whenever our best home run hitter came to the plate. Last season, a visiting squad built a fire in their bullpen and were roasting marshmallows. It didn't go on long as someone was expeditiously dispatched to discourage this pyromaniacal behavior, but it was amusing while it lasted. These creative antics can often be entertaining as the games themselves.
5. Wooden bats. The main advantage Valley League Baseball has over ordinary college match-ups is the bats. If you are any kind of baseball purist, then the ping of aluminum bats is about as pleasant a sound as fingernails on a chalkboard. There is nothing, nothing lovelier than the sound of a wood bat meeting a baseball. On summer nights in the Shenandoah Valley those sweet sounds echo from Haymarket to Covington and everywhere in between.
6. Warm fuzzies, sportsmanship, etc., In a world of crazed Little League parents, professional athletes behaving like brats and punks, etc., it's nice to see groups of young men who still shake hands when the game is over. That element of sportsmanship is alive and well in the Valley. It does my heart good, and it always will.
7. Rivalries. I don't want to boast or anything, but when it comes to good old fashioned baseball rivalries, I know my stuff. I support a certain Major League franchise based on the North Side of Chicago. There's more than a little history there. I can tell you with the utmost conviction that the rivalries you'll see in the VBL are as fierce as any that the bigs have to offer. Yankees-Red Sox, Cubs-Cardinals? They've got nothing on the New Market Rebels and Luray Wranglers. So if you're into intense, hard-fought baseball, you can find it (and then some) here in the Shenandoah Valley.
8. Togetherness. What better way to spend a lovely summer evening than at a ballgame with your family or friends?
9. Good baseball. Don't think for a second that you won't see great games played in the VBL. Sure, there might be some infield throws that sail into the dugout and the occasional Little League quality umpire, but for the most part, the level of play here is excellent. Patronize the VBL and you will witness intense pitching duels, nail-biting 9th innings, and web gems galore. Most of the most thrilling and wonderful games I have ever experienced were right in my own backyard.
10. Involvement. If you are inclined to take your fandom to the next level (and, take my word for it, if you hang around long enough, you almost certainly will be), there are any number of ways to involve yourself and volunteer for your favorite team. You could take tickets or man the souvenir stand. You could house a player for the summer. You could moonlight in the internet radio broadcast booth. My family is responsible for making sure our Rebels are well-fed after every home game. The work isn't always easy, but it is rewarding 101% of the time and it's a fantastic way to contribute to your team and your community.
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