Like Old Times

We went hitting at Stella’s yesterday.  Actually, Clare hits while I pay for the tokens.  Anyway, we were each doing our part when a community college team walked in.  Their head coach wasn’t far behind.

That would be Coach Asay, or just “Asay” as Clare always called him in high school when he assisted Euks.  Coach handled fielding drills, called pitches and bubbled with enthusiasm the four years Clare played for him.  You never would’ve known Coach’s first love was football, which he played in college and coached both at the high school and community college levels.  The only time Asay gave himself away was when he’d say, “She [Clare] could start at linebacker for me.”  In truth, my daughter does have a bit of Butkus in her. 

Junior year, the Morton Mustangs were fighting for the conference title.  To rally the troops, Asay took some of the girls to the school trophy case to point out a picture of the last Morton team to win.  “You win on Tuesday, and the picture goes in next to theirs.  You come back in ten years, and it’ll still be there.  You can take your kids and see it, and then your grandkids.”  I know this because Clare repeated the speech verbatim at dinner.  

Coach also had this way of complimenting his players.  “Nicely done,” he would say after a particular hit or catch.  Asay told us on the way out we can expect to see him at Elmhurst games come April.  That, too, would be nicely done.