Boo...

In the movie Bull Durham (which is one of my absolute favorites by the way), Annie Savoy says that she "believes in the church of baseball". Although Rickey and I don't worship it as our "church" its a huge part of our life, one of the biggest I would even go so far to say. Some people find it so strange and odd that we live and breathe this "game" as we do. We follow stats religiously. We travel long distances to sit in the freezing cold or risk heatstroke just to sit for 9 innings and watch (or Coach) our boys play with every bit of their heart, cause baseball players don't just play, they play with every bit of heart they have. This life we lead means so much to Rickey and myself and our families and everything that has come from it we have enjoyed. Now, I have blogged before about Rickey's accolades with the game and his passion for it. I wont do that again, he almost killed me when he read it because he is NEVER EVER one to boast. Actually, Rickey is his worst critic when it comes to baseball, and thats ok, cause thats Rick. Today's blog is based upon the "Pope" of Baseball, the sports hero of the South and someone that Rickey is fortunate enough to meet and greet and learn under on a daily basis. Ole' Boo.

Rickey always calls me at lunch just after he gets out of class and before he goes to work on the field. Today he was just so HAPPY - you could hear him smiling just through his words. I said, "Rickey Noland are you happy to talk to me or something today? What has gotten into you?". Rickey answers with, "Oh yes Lace I'm happy to talk to you but I just got a call from Coach and I'm going to eat lunch with him and the other guys. Coach Ferris is taking us all out". And then I knew. Coach Ferris just might be Rickey's baseball "coaching" idol. You can look him up on Wikipedia and read about his stats and baseball legacy. You can go to the MS Sports Hall of Fame and check him out. Ask around Cleveland and Drew, MS and people will tell you stories of him. Call Rick Cleveland and get a copy of his book that he wrote about Coach Ferriss. You could call the Boston Red Sox and they would tell you about his playing stent there for 5 years and his coaching time there as the Pitching coach. You could even call up John Grisham and ask him of his stories of trying to play for Boo Ferris and trying out for the baseball team at Delta State. Grisham would tell you that his inability to hit a curveball for Coach Ferris inspired his focus to continue writing. This man, who is a LEGEND in the baseball world and has been active in it for over 46 years, sits and eats lunch with my Rickey most weeks and tells him stories of "Hank Aaron" and "watching this game or that game".. Rickey says he just sits in AWE and learns so much from him. These are such special moments and Coach "Boo" Ferriss will never know the impact that he makes upon these families, these players, and these coaches. Rickey's senior year of school, he was nomiated for the Boo Ferriss Award, a top award for baseball players in MS. He didn't win it, but he will tell you that it doesnt matter, because not many people get to learn under a coach like Boo and eat lunch with him on a daily basis. He says he wins everyday that he gets to spend time with coach, AS a coach. This man, who is now retired and resides in Cleveland, MS, still comes and visits the players and coaches and sees the field he created almost on a daily basis. His wife still comes to Delta State games with him and they cheer on the statesmen that he coached for decades. I can only hope that Rick and me will have a life like Boo and his wife, because THEY are amazing to us.... This transition from playing to coaching has been, well, Different for Rick and myself and our families. It's something New. And I will say, I was worried about how Rickey would feel, not playing anymore but I see his joy in coaching and his motivation to be just like Coach Ferriss, and it makes us ALL happy and smile. We are blessed, yes we are....

Check him out.. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Ferriss