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I don't like long posts, but hear me out ...
There comes a time when a run must end. I've spent the last 8 years coaching travel baseball w/ @ESPSelect . I did so to spend time with my boys and pay forward teaching the game the right way and attempting to help others that wanted to play in high school and beyond meet those goals. While I have helped or advise one (1) 2024, seven (7) 2025s, three (3) 2026s, and a TBD number of 2027s I will never take credit for those players' successes. They took the advice, the coaching, the help. That is their success.
My success is the memories I have from 8 years and 12 teams worth of coaching. Today ended my time in the dugout. Admittedly, I don't love what the industry has become in recent years, but I love the memories and relationships my family and I have created. I've already addressed my 2025s so here's to a few more and I hang up the backpack:
To Griffin (@GPLefty36): when we changed teams at 13U, you didn't understand why. When we changed teams after last summer, you understood but it brought uncertainty in a critical year. You took it in stride, allowed me to step back into a smaller role, built trust w/ your teammates, and gained their respect for how you carried yourself on the field. You built camaraderie w/ a new set of teammates and did so quicker each time. You allowed me to help you thru some tough times both emotionally and mentally. You take every ounce of knowledge you can obtain and you use it to help you become a better version of you both on the field and off of it. You have put yourself in an incredible head space over the past 10 months. I am going to miss being in that dugout w/ you, the questions you ask me, talking pitching nearly all summer, and seeing you have fun w/ your teammates. As Coach Walsh has said, your confidence has grown every week. You're in a great spot. Now is time for you to determine your path forward. Your future hasn't been written yet; you still have the ability to write and determine that. Chart a course, make a plan, and stick to it. Leave no regrets. Thank you for being my son. Thank you for allowing me to coach and share the dugout w/ you. Thank you for being inquisitive. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for wanting to get better. Thank you!
To my OG 26/27s (@pjpasqualini26 @DaytonRam_6 @Justin_Zurek_27 @tj_harazin22 @CBregar_31 @Nate_Rubioo @gavin_geegan @CrewStaud13, Chase, & Ben): this is a little late, but I wanted to address each of you b/c you were w/ me for multiple years. You accepted us and became friends. It wasn't always smooth sailing. Some of you were down when we joined up but you refused to be out. Some of you didn't know what you were getting in me but you were open minded. In either case you were all in. You (or maybe your parents!) decided this past was in your best interest. There's no doubt that we had our ups and downs. I just hope you look back on our time together and realize the ups far outnumbered the downs. Thank you!
To my Walsh @ESPReds2027's (@OwenMidd2027 @GreysonAlesia @chase_lafin @WagnerViebrock @DKoertgen19161 @Thomaskoertgen @Evan_wills11 @BrodyDryden @ZacharyLeMaiste @ConnorSreckov6 @MilletteReed): it was only 1 year for all of you but I can't tell you how much fun Griffin and I had this summer. That's a testament to the culture you all maintained in your time at ESP. Sure, winning helps, but every one of you was a pleasure to be around. It made the final run for me an absolute blast. The "locker room" talk. The crazy dugout celebrations. The sheer goofy behavior yet focused effort when it was needed. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I think you all know that Griffin did as well. If we cross paths this spring on the IHSA diamond, I hope you won't be a stranger and we'll get some pics. I'm here for anything you need as you decide what's next for each of you. As all my former players know, once your coach, always your coach. Many still text me to this day w/ questions. You have my number. Don't be afraid to use it if you need any advice or an unabashed opinion. I'm here. Thank you!
To the Walsh 2027 Parents: For those that didn't get to know me well enough, I can be an emotional guy. I team up when I watch videos of soldiers surprising loved ones. I get choked up when see someone overcome something and succeed. And then there's what happens when I end coaching duties w/ a group I thoroughly had a great time w/ … I'm a blubbering goof. That was the last 24 hours for me. It's why I couldn't say much last night at dinner or even today after the game. It's why I had to step away today to gather myself during the post-picture time. Yes, knowing I won't be in the dugout w/ Griffin again had a role in that. However, Kathy finished what I wanted to say today: thank you for accepting us into your team and even more for the support shown for Griffin each time he went out there to pitch. We heard it from everyone. I wish I could've been there when G got to hit and singled cleanly to RF. For a kid who hadn't swung a bat since mid-HS timeframe to get a hit and have players and parents so excited for him is an amazing feeling. That level of support meant the world to Kathy and I. It was truly amazing to see and hear. Thank you!
To the ESP coaches I regularly shared a dugout w/ (@FreddyZ73 @coachdudzienski @coachglover73 @2hopperbaseball Mark P & Darnell R): Every one of you helped me more than you know. Whether I was running b/n two teams and someone covered for me; or you were there for us to bounce plans and ideas off each other; or you took control of that thing called GameChanger; or you made me laugh or calmed me down; or we shared a drink or a tear … the friendships I have built w/ each of you are irreplaceable. I will look back on those years and will remember them forever. I look back on those years as the time that each of you helped Connor and Griffin grow into the person and player that they are today and will be in the future. I hope we'll stay in touch b/c there's just something about camaraderie a dugout brings - whether when I played or coached! Thank you.
There comes a time when a run must end. I've spent the last 8 years coaching travel baseball w/ @ESPSelect . I did so to spend time with my boys and pay forward teaching the game the right way and attempting to help others that wanted to play in high school and beyond meet those goals. While I have helped or advise one (1) 2024, seven (7) 2025s, three (3) 2026s, and a TBD number of 2027s I will never take credit for those players' successes. They took the advice, the coaching, the help. That is their success.
My success is the memories I have from 8 years and 12 teams worth of coaching. Today ended my time in the dugout. Admittedly, I don't love what the industry has become in recent years, but I love the memories and relationships my family and I have created. I've already addressed my 2025s so here's to a few more and I hang up the backpack:
To Griffin (@GPLefty36): when we changed teams at 13U, you didn't understand why. When we changed teams after last summer, you understood but it brought uncertainty in a critical year. You took it in stride, allowed me to step back into a smaller role, built trust w/ your teammates, and gained their respect for how you carried yourself on the field. You built camaraderie w/ a new set of teammates and did so quicker each time. You allowed me to help you thru some tough times both emotionally and mentally. You take every ounce of knowledge you can obtain and you use it to help you become a better version of you both on the field and off of it. You have put yourself in an incredible head space over the past 10 months. I am going to miss being in that dugout w/ you, the questions you ask me, talking pitching nearly all summer, and seeing you have fun w/ your teammates. As Coach Walsh has said, your confidence has grown every week. You're in a great spot. Now is time for you to determine your path forward. Your future hasn't been written yet; you still have the ability to write and determine that. Chart a course, make a plan, and stick to it. Leave no regrets. Thank you for being my son. Thank you for allowing me to coach and share the dugout w/ you. Thank you for being inquisitive. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for wanting to get better. Thank you!
To my OG 26/27s (@pjpasqualini26 @DaytonRam_6 @Justin_Zurek_27 @tj_harazin22 @CBregar_31 @Nate_Rubioo @gavin_geegan @CrewStaud13, Chase, & Ben): this is a little late, but I wanted to address each of you b/c you were w/ me for multiple years. You accepted us and became friends. It wasn't always smooth sailing. Some of you were down when we joined up but you refused to be out. Some of you didn't know what you were getting in me but you were open minded. In either case you were all in. You (or maybe your parents!) decided this past was in your best interest. There's no doubt that we had our ups and downs. I just hope you look back on our time together and realize the ups far outnumbered the downs. Thank you!
To my Walsh @ESPReds2027's (@OwenMidd2027 @GreysonAlesia @chase_lafin @WagnerViebrock @DKoertgen19161 @Thomaskoertgen @Evan_wills11 @BrodyDryden @ZacharyLeMaiste @ConnorSreckov6 @MilletteReed): it was only 1 year for all of you but I can't tell you how much fun Griffin and I had this summer. That's a testament to the culture you all maintained in your time at ESP. Sure, winning helps, but every one of you was a pleasure to be around. It made the final run for me an absolute blast. The "locker room" talk. The crazy dugout celebrations. The sheer goofy behavior yet focused effort when it was needed. I enjoyed every minute of it, and I think you all know that Griffin did as well. If we cross paths this spring on the IHSA diamond, I hope you won't be a stranger and we'll get some pics. I'm here for anything you need as you decide what's next for each of you. As all my former players know, once your coach, always your coach. Many still text me to this day w/ questions. You have my number. Don't be afraid to use it if you need any advice or an unabashed opinion. I'm here. Thank you!
To the Walsh 2027 Parents: For those that didn't get to know me well enough, I can be an emotional guy. I team up when I watch videos of soldiers surprising loved ones. I get choked up when see someone overcome something and succeed. And then there's what happens when I end coaching duties w/ a group I thoroughly had a great time w/ … I'm a blubbering goof. That was the last 24 hours for me. It's why I couldn't say much last night at dinner or even today after the game. It's why I had to step away today to gather myself during the post-picture time. Yes, knowing I won't be in the dugout w/ Griffin again had a role in that. However, Kathy finished what I wanted to say today: thank you for accepting us into your team and even more for the support shown for Griffin each time he went out there to pitch. We heard it from everyone. I wish I could've been there when G got to hit and singled cleanly to RF. For a kid who hadn't swung a bat since mid-HS timeframe to get a hit and have players and parents so excited for him is an amazing feeling. That level of support meant the world to Kathy and I. It was truly amazing to see and hear. Thank you!
To the ESP coaches I regularly shared a dugout w/ (@FreddyZ73 @coachdudzienski @coachglover73 @2hopperbaseball Mark P & Darnell R): Every one of you helped me more than you know. Whether I was running b/n two teams and someone covered for me; or you were there for us to bounce plans and ideas off each other; or you took control of that thing called GameChanger; or you made me laugh or calmed me down; or we shared a drink or a tear … the friendships I have built w/ each of you are irreplaceable. I will look back on those years and will remember them forever. I look back on those years as the time that each of you helped Connor and Griffin grow into the person and player that they are today and will be in the future. I hope we'll stay in touch b/c there's just something about camaraderie a dugout brings - whether when I played or coached! Thank you.