GLORY

My Father had three loves in his life. 

My Mother, Hard Work, 

But his very first Love would have had to be baseball.

When I look back at old photos of my Father, there are a disproportionate amount of pictures of him in a baseball uniform.

Opening Day, After Games, and Posing for Photos in his uniform with his Brother.  In every single photo, he has a smile ripping across his face from ear to ear.  

Mind you, this is in the late 50s and 60s - Well before the Era of taking as many photos as your phone can carry. 

This Era was back in the day when you had 24 -32 shots on a standard roll of film. When a camera weighed as much as a brick, talent was involved in taking a photo. Then you had to develop the images.

It was a process......

Photograpy implied attention and, more so, worth.  Most of the photography my grandfather took of my Father pertained to baseball. Hence, Worth. 

I often tell people, "Be careful with what you fall in love with because, inevitability, your children will fall in love with it too."

That is because, while you are doing the thing you love, that is the best you there is. 

This Love infected my Brother and me - but I was a jerk,  and I broke my Father’s heart. I decided to stop playing baseball. 

He told me if I didn't play baseball, I would have to go to work with him every day that summer. I chose work. \

In hindsight, it's a regret that now haunts me. 

My Brother, on the other hand, chose baseball. 

He actually went to work with me one day, almost chopped off his thumb, and that was it. 

Dad never took him to work with him again. 

Baseball was too important. 

My Brother loved baseball as much as my Father.

Kirk was talented and driven; he inherently understood the sport.

He could hit, he could pitch, he was fast, and he could inherently exploit his opponent's weaknesses. 

My Father loved every single moment of it. He never missed a game; he and my Brother would play catch for hours. My Brother always was thirsty for more, and my Father was an endless well of information and technique. 

This photo of my Father was taken at Cerritos College, a tiny Junior College about 2 miles from where he and I grew up. 

There was a coach there named Wally Kincaid. 

You may have never heard of Wally Kincaid, but after Jesus, and John Wooden, Wally Kincaid was right up there on my Father's personal Mount Rushmore.

Kincaid led the Cerritos baseball team to a 678–163 win-loss record during his time. 

The GREAT John Wooden had a win-loss record of 620 wins and 147 losses

Kincaid had 58 more wins than Wooden and only 16 more losses.

Cerritos renamed their baseball field after Kincaid upon his retirement in 1980. Baseball America, a baseball magazine, named Kincaid the National Community College Baseball Coach of the Century.

My Father was a disciple of Kincaid, 

This photo is of my Father pitching for Cerritos College under Kincaid. 

Kincaid led Cerritos to 15 conference championships and six state titles.

He retired as the winningest coach in junior college history.

He trained successful coaches, including George Horton, Dave Serrano, Don Sneddon, Dave Snow,

My Brother was indoctrinated by the Kincaid philosophy, 

My Father Preached it,

My Brother played for coach Lee Williams when he was 13 and won the amateur baseball world series, and was voted MVP of the tournament in McCook, Nebraska when they defeated Brazil. 

Lee Williams was my Father's Catcher at Cerritos College

Under Kincaid. 

When my Brother went to play baseball in College, he was recuted and played for Cal State Fullerton - The Head Coach, George Horton, 

His Pitching Coach was Dave Serrano.

Both played at Cerritos College

Under Kincaid...

Kirk Thrived.

Kirk Saarloos was a strikeout pitcher if there ever was one racking up 358 K's in his four-year career. Saarloos also ranks tied for No. 7 all-time in saves (22), a testament to his ability to strike guys out. Saarloos ranks No. 2 all-time in wins (33) and No. 1 in appearances (127). If Saarloos was on the mound, more than likely, you would see someone strike out that inning. Averaging 9.4 K's per nine innings, someone was whiffing on his stuff at least once an inning.

In his junior campaign, Saarloos led the team in ERA (2.32). His senior year was even more impressive, leading the 2001 Omaha-bound club in ERA (2.18), wins (15), and strikeouts (135). Opponents must have hated seeing Kirk on the mound because they collectively batted .219 against him. In 2000, opponents batted .199 vs. Saarloos and dipped even lower his senior season to .183. Add four shutouts to his senior season.

My Brother went on to play in the Major Leagues, 

If you own a copy of "Money Ball," turn to page 19.

Kirk is the prototype for Billy Beane's manual for this new Era of baseball.

My Brother was named the head coach of TCU Baseball in June of 2021. My Father had passed the year before. 

In the 2 years since taking the position as Head Coach of TCU, he has won the Big 12 Championship Twice.

He was named Coach of the Year in his first year. 

And led his team to the College World Series, taking them deeper into the series than any other in TCU history...

All that in 2 Years.

As I said, Be careful of what you fall in Love with...

My Father's First Love Was Baseball...

70 Years Later, a Few Photos and a Wally Kincaid

AND 

Your Brother is on the precipice of becoming one of the most remarkable students of the game this world has ever seen....

Look at my Dad -

Throwing his heart out...

I should never have quit baseball and broken my Father'sFather's heart. 

I am 47 Years old 

and I just put all these puzzle pieces together for the first time.

The Providence of it all. 

Here I am telling my Father's Story about his first Love. 

On a bottle filled with his last....

All The Glory Comes At The End.

Be Careful with What You Fall In Love With.