Coach's Corner: Memories of days gone by

Got that end of February deep-into-winter-melancholy feeling, so I thought I would go back and see if I could think of some of the most memorable moments in my 40-plus years working sports programs in Glenview.

Most of these are not momentous or significant, instead just things that stick out. Funny, sad, bizarre or even inspirational, they all collectively are part of 40 years of great experiences.

• When local high school Glenbrook South stepped in after Northwestern University dropped their hosting of the area Special Olympics competition back in the 1990s. GBS teacher/coach John Davis came through and offered our stadium and volunteers to run the meet.

Watching the wonderful Special Olympic athletes compete with such bravery and dedication, and watching all the student volunteers from our Glenbrook schools helping them, was something I won't easily forget.

Side note? The stadium is now named John Davis Stadium.

• My first baseball draft as a coach with Glenview Youth Ball. It was a draft for 9-year-old kids, and many of the other coaches brought reams of research paper and ratings on the kids, complete with computerized programs, coaches rankings, player evaluations, statistics from last year, etc. Wow, was I unprepared.

The next year, I came to the draft wearing a tie and a fedora and even had a cigar dangling from my mouth, just to throw a little levity on the proceedings. The coaches that didn't know me thought I was crazy, and the ones that did thought the same.

• Umpiring a college league softball championship game at Flick Park in Glenview with my buddy Steve Crane. We were young umps at the time and a little nervous.

Everything went swimmingly, and we thought we had aced the test and were in the clear - until the final play, a wild concoction of weirdness with close plays at just about every base.

I think we blew almost each call, all happening within seconds of each other, and then all heck broke loose. We were nearly attacked by both teams' angry players, all whom might have had more than just water in their red coolers.

• Working at the park district and running the men's softball leagues, which were hugely popular. It was actually hard to get a team in the league back then, and often we had to use a lottery system. One captain tried to "persuade" me by leaving an envelope with a thank-you note - and $500 - on my desk. Still another threatened to sue me when they didn't get in. Good times.

• My son David, frustrating one and all, from third through sixth grade as a pitcher with the finest, super slow, lob-type change-up pitch in Glenview Youth Baseball history. I still recall moms in the stands yelling, "Hey, he can't do that!" as batters flailed away unsuccessfully at the wounded duck pitch coming to the plate, which to the kids' credit, he threw for strikes.

• The youth floor hockey leagues back in the '80s were legendary. Many who played are now parents in Glenview and they know what I'm talking about. Floor hockey, back then was hugely popular, with teams from all different schools competing against each other in sometimes hotly contested games. Shins took a beating, and the occasional high stick would be overlooked by the high school referees. The games were at Lyon School, with the parents from both teams packed up on the small stage. Things could get a little heated on stage as well.

• Sunday night pickup basketball games at the old Rugen Community Center. Ten years of hoops bliss. Great guys, great games, minimal arguments and just the perfect size gym.

• Running and developing the co-rec softball leagues, which became - and still are - very popular. Not just the fun of the games, but also the many marriages that came from players that met from being placed on the same teams, or from celebrating postgame at local establishments such as The Glenview House or Grandpa's Place.

As director of the league, I took great pride in seeing so much wedded bliss coming from this recreational pursuit. I was often like a proud papa. On the other hand, I take no responsibility whatsoever for the occasional divorces that followed.

• Coaching the 8-year-old Glenview Patriots team in their very first travel game. The Park Ridge team bats first and scores 10 runs, with balls flying off their bats. The balls were bouncing over our fielders' heads like Simone Biles bounces off the mat in her floor exercise routine. We were thinking, "Man, these 8-year-olds can really hit!" Until, that is, we checked the ball between innings and realized they were using a rubber ball instead of a regular baseball!

• Teaching Physical Education at St. Catherine's School in the early '80s. They had no gym at the time, so we used the lunchroom, and I remember we took two folding mats, stood them on end so that the opening was up top and we played "Matsketball," with slam dunks not only allowed, but encouraged.

• Glenbrook South vs. Glenbrook North Thanksgiving weekend hockey games. Legendary. Packed crowds, great hockey and enough inappropriate behavior to make Miss Manners cover her head in shame. But from a spectator entertainment value? Awfully good.

I could go on, and maybe sometime later I will, but for now hopefully we have many more memories to come.