Baseball has always been a great love of mine. Ever since I was a little boy growing up in Toronto, I have been a Detroit Tigers fan. The Toronto Blue Jays were not even in existence at the time. It was one of those ironies of life that our family ended up moving in the early 1970s to Windsor, a hotbed for Detroit Tigers baseball, and a great place for youth baseball.

A Lifelong Passion

From 12 years old on, I played youth baseball with Riverside Minor Baseball Association.  At 15 years old, I managed to make the Riverside Bantam Travel Baseball team. My brother Rob also managed to play for the Travel Teams at Riverside. I wasn’t the best player in the world and my teams were mediocre in their results, but I enjoyed playing very much. My brother Rob, two years younger than me, played on much better teams, and they even managed to win an Ontario Provincial Championship.

As an adult, I have coached for many years in the Walker Homesites Baseball Association, as well as at Riverside Minor Baseball Association. I have coached house league teams and travel teams over those years. I have coached several good teams but have never won a Provincial Championship. Yet again, it has been a very enjoyable experience.

A Passion Passed To The Next Generation

Of my three sons, my oldest, Joshua, has shared my passion for baseball. I have coached all three boys, as well as one of my daughters, over the years. My wife and I remember when Josh was able to sit up at 6 months old, that he even then, he loved to throw a small ball. Now almost 22 years old, Josh is still throwing the ball with the Windsor Stars in the CanAm League. Over the years, he has been a pitcher on the Walker Homesites Travel teams, as well as on the Windsor Selects. He has been a much better player than his dad, and his teams have achieved greater results.

It has been a thrill, both for Josh and me, to see his teams win 1 Double A and 2 Triple A Provincial Championships over the years. Baseball has had a major positive impact in making Josh the fine young man he is today. It has helped him to learn to deal with defeat and disappointment in life, as well as learn to take in stride the exhilaration of victory.

Both Josh and I are very grateful for the wonderful times we have experienced in the many tournaments over the years. My youngest son Andrew has also enjoyed greatly the road trips with dad and Josh. We have some lifelong memories that we will always cherish. We echo the words of the long-ago Saturday Night Live character, Chico Escuela: “Baseball has been very good to me“. What is just as true is that the Lord’s goodness has been experienced by us through baseball.

Thank you Lord. Thank you for the coaches who have invested into Josh’s life, like Rick Prior, Al Bernacci  and Andy Papp, just to mention a few.  As James says in his letter, every good gift comes down from our heavenly Father in heaven (James 1:17a).

QOTD: What are some specific ways you have experienced God’s goodness?