My dad was always a child at heart. Baseball defined him. When the dream of being a major league baseball player faded, he turned to playing for Plymouth's "City" team and coached Chuck and Jack in organized baseball for kids. I don't remember having a choice about playing baseball. It consumed our free time. Baseball was as important as breathing.
The baseball group of kids that were my age were special. We had a lot of talented athletes and won everything in sight. We won pee-wee league championships, we won American legion championships, and we won high school championships.
There was one magical time when my classmates were all 14 years old and just about to enter high school. We had just finished the summer baseball season. At the same time, my dad was coaching the Plymouth American Legion team and Jack was a catcher for that team. Bucky approached my classmates and talked them into playing a Sheboygan tournament sponsored by the American Legion. All players had to be age 14 or under. I know how Bucky's mind worked and he figured that we could load up his team with talent and surprise everyone. He was anxious to showcase younger Jack with the older kids. The Sheboygan Legion entry also had a great team with a pitcher named Ayers that made front page news with several no-hitters. It would be power against power.
Here is the "dad" part of the story. Bucky as coach could play his two sons in a very special game and he could put them any place in the starting line-up that he wanted. Bucky had been grooming Jack to be a catcher and he dreamt that Jack could play with guys 3 years older. Hey a coach can do anything. So my dad (assisted by Art Mueller, Bill's dad) entered our talented team in the tournament.
Bucky had Chuckie leading off, followed by Hoffschild and anchored by brother Jack in the third position. Jack did not deserve to be in the number 3 slot but a father can dream. What the hell, Bucky was coach and for this one game, he could play it out anyway he wanted. Jack would hit in the power position.
I remember getting a fluke single off of Ayers in the first inning and it was the only team hit until about the fifth inning. Both teams were scoreless. I came to bat again against Ayers and hit a triple. I was on third base with nobody out. Our coaching brain trust decided to "squeeze" in a run with a bunt. On the squeeze play, the batter missed the ball and I ran into the catcher for an easy out. Still no score.
It was about the sixth inning that the Sheboygan team started the on-slaught. I think the final score was Sheboygan 12, Plymouth 1. We got blasted.
So much for the dream tournament. Chuckie had 2 hits out of 5 total team hits. Jack went 0-4 and I think he struck out 3 times.
You'd think that Bucky would have been devastated but you have to put the game in perspective. My dad got to coach a special tournament game, manage his two sons exactly as he wanted and dream about what might have been. How special was that! You could observe that Bucky was trying to live life through his kids. Don't we all? It is part of the fun of being a dad.
If you get a chance to live out your dreams through your kids, do it. More important is that your kids live out their dreams. Make it fun for them.
Love,
Dad