Todd C's Blog: Sports Dad

I love attention and affirmation. Probably part of why I've spent much of my adult life in ministry and education. Pastors and teachers get a lot of love and attention. They also get their share of criticism, but the positive usually makes it worth it.

As a kid I was much the same way. I wanted to be popular; I wanted people to like me. I wanted to be really good at something. I played Little League Baseball as a kid, and loved the game, but I wasn't very good. I played catcher, and was OK on defense, but I couldn't hit. I struck out a lot, hit a lot of weak grounders, and occasionally had a decent hit.

I was never a leader on the team, and was never a star. Some of my classmates were in that group. They were among the guys that pitched and hit home runs and got their names in the paper. I wanted to be like them, to get the recognition they did.

I did get my name in the paper once. I had two hits in a game--a single and a triple--and was thrilled to see my name in print. I think I still have that clipping somewhere. But that was a rare event.

Overall, I was not that good. I never made All-Stars. So when I finished Little League at age 12 I hung up my cleats and started umpiring. Over the years I became very good at it. I ran a marathon and competed in a 100-mile bike race. I played softball for many years and had a blast.

But in recent years I've discovered something even better than being a great athlete, or a leader on a team, or an All-Star. For the last 15 years I've been the father of great athletes.

It began with Ashley in soccer. She started young, and I watched her grow from a little girl who played soccer into a fantastic athlete. She played with boldness and passion and energy--she became a leader and was always one of the best players on the field. She was a soccer bad-ass. She played within the rules, but she played a tough, physical game.

Ashley played soccer for years, up through high school, and I loved watching her play.

Ashley's brothers have continued her legacy. Brady and Cash play baseball and soccer and basketball. They are both much better baseball players than I was. I like to take some credit, as I taught them to throw and catch before they could even walk. Baseball was a big part of their lives from early on. I coached them in T-ball, then coach-pitch, then into regular baseball. I've coached one or the other or both for the last eight seasons.

And I've found more joy in their successes than I ever would have in my own. I love coaching them and cheering for them. I love watching them work hard and succeed. I love watching them win and I love watching them persevere when they don't win.

Brady (13) finished his Little League career last year. I coached him through three All-Star teams and we won two district championships. Coaching your son in an All-Star District championship game feels like winning the World Series (I imagine). The joy and excitement is amazing.

Cash (11) is playing on his third All-Star team right now. We just won our second straight District Tournament. In four games we scored 48 runs and gave up one. Our pitchers threw two combined no-hitters, and Cash pitched in both of them.

This Friday we head to Eastern Washington for the state tournament. I love these days. I love being out on the field. I love watching the kids work and play and yell and battle and celebrate.

We are a small-town team. I hope we can make a run at state, but it will be tough to compete with the teams from Seattle and other big cities--they just have a much larger pool of players from which to draw. But our kids work hard and give it everything. However far we go, I'm grateful for the experience and the wonderful times spent with Cash and his teammates, and the good friends I coach with.

I loved playing and umpiring baseball and running track and running and biking. But none of it compares to the joy of coaching and cheering my kids.

Here are some pics from the tournament; thanks to Anna Weynands and Drew Fleshman!