Glenbrook North coach: 'Northbrook is an absolutely outstanding baseball community'
• Editor's note: We asked a few people to share why baseball matters - and why it's magical for so many of us - especially at a time when we thought there might not be a season at all this year. Here is one of those essays.
Monday, July 13, was a magical day for the Glenbrook North Baseball Program.
It was four months to the day since I had last seen so many of our baseball players on campus at Glenbrook North High School. This day represented a new beginning for our players, and a fresh start for our coaching staff. I have never been more proud of a group of young men than I was for two hours that morning. The energy, enthusiasm, and excitement they put on display was inspiring to all of us.
Baseball is a sport that allows youngsters to dream. It is a sport that leads to heated arguments between North Siders and South Siders. It is a sport that can make players smile with joy, but can also make their parents cry. It is a sport that can cause players to feel nervous and confident at the same time.
All of those things happen because of our passion and love for America's Pastime.
Those who have come before us have shown us anything is possible. Rader, Sanderson, and Misch each have their own unique place in Northbrook Baseball history.
Today, Northbrook Baseball players grow up wanting to be the next Jason Kipnis. When you walk into the Northbrook Baseball Kipnis Center and see his framed Major League Baseball jerseys on the wall, how could you not want to play in Game 7 of the World Series against your hometown team? Turning dreams into reality is what being young is all about. Baseball simply provides the platform to make it happen.
Northbrook is an absolutely outstanding baseball community. The support for amateur baseball in our community is tremendous. The players, parents, facilities, and opportunities are second to none. In the past ten years, we have had some unbelievably talented baseball players come through our program.
What I will always remember the most, however, is their passion for the game of baseball and the love they showed for their teammates. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to be a small part of such a fantastic baseball community.
I am not a Cubs fan. I am not a Sox fan. I am a baseball fan. The COVID-19 pandemic reminded all of us that baseball is the greatest sport in the world, but only when it can be enjoyed with our teammates. The COVID-19 pandemic took something from each one of us, but it also provided us with a better understanding of what is truly most important in life.
Dominic Savino
Head Varsity Baseball Coach
Glenbrook North High School