Lately, Tink Larson and I have been exchanging emails between 1 and 2 a.m.
He sends in results from Braves baseball around then, which is when I am often just finishing my work. That makes it easy for me to send a spontaneous reply.
That I am receiving sports results came about because my dad has a hard time with technology and so, sometimes, he can’t find the emails from Tink. So Tink asked me if I could respond to his emails; that way he has confirmation of which emails he’s sent or maybe an indication he may have forgotten about one.
I’m very grateful Tink stays on top of these things. Some folks in the younger generations (and older) don’t understand how important it is to take care of the extra little things. In this case, for sports.
Publicity helps promote the program, which in turn, hopefully helps it grow. Doing team gatherings, practicing together–all of it builds camaraderie for a team. I cannot stress enough that going the extra mile with extra tasks is what keeps local sports groups, programs and small communities as a whole not only surviving, but thriving. When folks start letting things like that slip away, they stop happening; after that, the program, or worst case, the community, dies a little.
For example, NRHEG baseball saw a slip when Jeff Reese retired. The program is still recovering today. Now, former students he once coached are heavily involved in the program and he himself has returned. NRHEG hasn’t had a Legion program for a number of years; now it’s finally looking like the upcoming groups will bring it back in the coming season.
I think of the Carlie Wagner years of basketball. Carlie inspired powerful excitement in the youth program which she continues to give back to. That enthusiasm strengthened the basketball program for years to come. Benefits are still felt today.
Anyway, back to Tink. It appears we are both night owls; the conversations we have are quite nice. I was not able to attend Braves games this year due to other obligations, an unfortunate circumstance I warned Tink about before the season. I’m grateful for these back and forth communications and again glad he puts in the effort to communicate. I really enjoy speaking with him.
This week we talked about the latest game with Waterville, which ended with the Waterville coach making a second trip to the mound. It seems the Waterville team was unaware of the rule in baseball which states that, if a coach makes a second trip to the mound to speak to a pitcher, the team must make a pitching change.
The other team wanted the Braves to let it slide, but that’s not how rules work. Tink presented the point that, if the Braves had sent up an illegal batter, he would have been called out.
I’ve known the rule about two trips to the mound since I was 12 years old. Tink and I both agreed, kids today don’t watch baseball. It seems as if, in general, people watch less baseball today. To try and adapt, major league baseball has implemented new rules, including a pitch clock, to speed up games. It really has helped speed up the pace. I, for one, enjoy high school and college sports more than professionals. The amateurs seem more genuine, less calculating. To quote my favorite move, it’s, “for the love of the game,” not a job.
Tink and I were having another email exchange the other night. Though I had planned to, I was unable to attend Wednesday’s home playoff game because of the funeral of my Grandpa Ray Rosacker.
During that exchange, I mentioned to Tink that it truly is a small world, since Uriah Possin, a fellow player, also served as a pallbearer at the funeral. I had run into Uriah the week prior when I stopped to visit Grandpa on a Saturday.
Here is the response I got from Tink: “It’s a small world many times. That’s why I say to never cheat on your spouse unless you are willing to be caught and willing to suffer the consequences. If you do, at some point you will run into someone you wish you wouldn’t have seen at that time and you will have a hard time convincing them that the lady you are with is a long lost cousin.”
Thank you, Tink, for the life lessons.