This boy made that man a Father just over 9 years ago. I know he was thrilled to have a son and could not wait to do the things he enjoyed with his Dad when he was a boy. Playing catch is probably highest on that list. Park has been playing baseball since he was six and started in T-Ball. He has diligently kept at it each fall and spring moving up in age groups through "Farm" (machine pitch) and now he has been in the "Minors" for two seasons.
With little girls to chase (and me being pregnant back when we started Little League) JP has not really had much chance to help out any of the teams over the last 3 years. Now that we have made it to Minors where the boys are pitching, JP offered to help out at practices this season focusing on pitching. This was a tremendous bonus giving the other Coaches time to work on other fundamentals with the rest of the team. He was given a team hat for his efforts. Coach John quickly realized he had a gem of a helper and by the time the boys showed up for pictures, they had an extra jersey (Youth Large for the record) for him to throw on and get in the picture which included a father/ son photo that is a perk of being a Coach.
JP became a valuable addition to the team helping to get the pitchers warmed up, providing insight to Coach John about the level of skill and capabilities of each boy, and maintaining order in the dugout during games. It was a great season for both of these boys. A light seemed to have switched on for Park mid-season and he started trying harder at each game and asking to play catch and hit more at home to put in the extra time that Josh keeps telling him is needed to be really good. I think a lot of that had to do with JP being so involved in the games and process.
On this Father's Day I cannot help but be so proud of him and what he is doing to help raise an All-Star.
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