Darwin

My childhood softball coach died today. He was 70. Ellen and I began playing Brandt softball the summer of 1988, the year after we moved from the Gerth farm in the Estelline school district to the Monnier farm in the Clear Lake/Deuel school district. I had just completed the 4th grade and was eager for opportunities to remain connected to my new friends. The next 9 summers of my life would be filled with softball…weekly night games and weekend tournaments. In childlike naivety, I recall wondering how much someone without an arm could possible know about softball. I had so much to learn.

While Darwin was misunderstood by many, including his players, he had a clear passion in life for women’s slow-pitch softball. This passion was contagious, unknowingly infecting us with a competitive spirit and love for the game. He recruited the most talented players from nearby communities, assembling teams that consistently dominated not only the league, but also regional tournaments. We proudly represented our small town of 100 and had our own elderly following, who religiously appeared at our home games in their lawn chairs and pom-pon baseball caps. We managed to place in or win many of the tournaments we entered…always from the loser’s bracket.

Perhaps Darwin was my first lesson in looking beyond first impressions…in appreciating human difference and struggle. I may not have known at the time, but my childhood was better for having known Darwin.