The Writer's Pen

My wife Cheri and I, and our two children, had been living in a comfortable newer ranch-style home in Aberdeen, S.D., when through many different influences, we decided to take the plunge into horse ownership. We bought an old farmhouse on an acreage that included pastureland for my newly-acquired steed, which included former out lots of the abandoned town of James. All that remained was the elevator, two farmhouses and an old shack that was cluttered with wagons, railroad ties and a lot of junk. There were also some mangled remains left over from a tornado that demolished most of the town.

When we moved in there still was an older gentleman living there, but eventually he moved out and left a horrible eyesore. We figured at the time the little town of James had a total population of 8, but it offered a sense of solitude and quiet that I had never known.

Just adjacent to my property was a well kept baseball field adorned with a sign that read “James Jimmies.” I thought that was quite unusual, but I had a bigger surprise coming. One of our new neighbors came over to welcome us and in our conversation, I found out that the last resident of our house was also the baseball coach. The local families were all hoping that I could also take over that job next spring.

I had always loved baseball and played my share of Little League and Pony League, but had never thought of being a coach. I loved kids and had been working with our high school youth group in Aberdeen; however, my experience with younger kids was lacking. As much as I loved and knew the sport of baseball, I didn’t know if I could coach. I told my neighbor I would think about it, and after he left, I decided to pray about it.

Well, He answered my prayers in a much more profound way than I would ever have imagined. I now was the baseball coach of the James Jimmies! For three summers I took this band of about 22 boys and girls from ages 6 to 13 and tried to make a baseball team out of them. Our competition was from all the small farm communities around us. We also had a concession stand that was staffed by parents. I had never encountered parents of ballplayers before, and it certainly was an experience. Eventually I worked out a deal with my most vocal parents that when I had had enough, I would send them to work at the concession stand.

We had the unenviable record of not winning a single game during that time, but we became competitive and never lacked the desire needed to be a team. My oldest daughter, who was 6 at the time, had her first taste of baseball, though her biggest contribution was making daisy chains in right field.

A rule of the league was that every coach also had to umpire a certain number of games to help with both our understanding of the game and our sense of sportsmanship. The lessons learned those summers made a lasting imprint in my future coaching endeavors.

This experience was the beginning of a coaching career that lasted more than 30 years and included stints in South Dakota, Montana and Iowa. I coached Little League baseball and softball, and eventually high school softball, in Everly as the assistant and then the head coach of the Clay Central/Everly Mavericks. If God had not put me in that place at that time, my career as a coach would never have happened. Instead, I had the opportunity to influence young boys and girls in a positive way.

I was changed as a person forever through this experience and it eventually helped lead me into the profession of counseling. For more than 35 years I have continued working with children and families, giving them the tools they needed to make changes in their lives.

David Hoye lives in Everly with his wife, Cheri. He is a published writer with several different titles for sale on Amazon and WestBow Press.