McHale's Navy and prison

Ok gang...I swore that I would not write about this, but it is part of the journey, so here goes.....

Two weeks ago, Buddy struggled with his pitch location while playing baseball in Ohio. He was upset and unable to self-correct, so I got the great idea to look a coach up on the Internet. It was really an effort to reclaim his confidence and swagger. After a little digging, I found three coaches affiliated with different baseball academies. The only answered call was to Coach R, the "Yankees scout" and self proclaimed good friend to Chris Collinsworth, a football player.

I was so happy that he could take Buddy within the hour and did not consider the reason why he could do this. If a coach is good, he is in great demand, right? So, why didn't I consider the reason why the coach could see him right away? Why didn't I use my noodle and consider or pose the question to myself? Why? I'll give you the answer...'cause my boy was struggling and I wanted to help him in the only way that I could...by paying for a tune up.

Coach R gave him some good advice, but really nothing new. He built up the kid's confidence and we left in a better state than when we had gotten there. He also offered Buddy a job for the following week. This was all good. They made plans to meet in two days for another lesson. The morning of the second lesson, I needed a crow bar to pry the kid out of bed and back to the field. I even had to call on the battalion leader, dad, to move him to pick up his glove and drive to his lesson. It was a tough one, but I was happy that I was successful in getting him out the door.

Then the phone call came....it was from dad. "Did you look Coach R up on the Internet?" Stupid question...of course I did...what was he thinking? Yes, I looked him up. Yes, he is a Yankee scout. Yes, he knows a great deal about baseball. He is also helping my son with his confidence. In fact, the other day, Coach R was on the phone to the GM of the Yankees and told him about Buddy. Cashman said that he was going to be following him this year. How is that for checking him out on the Internet?

"No, BPM, you needed to dig deeper on the Internet. For example, did you know that Coach R was a thief and has been arrested a number of times?" Huh? Naw...no way...I checked the guy out...he played in a number of leagues, runs a baseball academy and baseball camps....he hangs out with kids...he has taken my son under his wing....For Pete's sake, he is a scout for the Yankees!

After I revived myself, I "googled" the coach and was amazed at what I discovered. He had been arrested a number of times for petty thievery. The last incident was early July when he stole a McHale's Navy DVD boxed set worth about $100.00 from a Barnes and Noble and was chased into the woods on foot by the security guard. The police found him hiding behind trees. He was then arrested and as far as I know has not had his trial or court date yet. He also left a gas station without paying for the gas, and a number of other thefts. Sigh...I left my son at one of the lowest points in his life with a thief....and not a very good one. He was constantly caught by the police.

So, what does this say about me? I have beaten myself up over it and have some to a realization. Coach R is a liar. He's not a Yankee scout. He did not call the GM of the Yankees about Buddy. Further, I don't think that he even knows the guy. In a way, it is a comical situation....the gullible athlete, the naive mom, and the professional liar. The job never materialized, but Buddy was happier. I was not going to share this information with my son, because I did not want him to fall back into the hole that he was in....but he let me know the other night that he already knew about Coach R, so I was the last one to figure it out.

Ahhh, here is my final perspective...do not be in a hurry to fix a problem. If you rush it, you will find yourself being duped by guys like Coach R. A person needs to spend time considering and contemplating any problem or issue. If you rush, you will be at the hands of people whom you would normally avoid. I am sure that Coach R is basically a nice guy, yet not someone I want to entrust my son with....although I always loved McHale's Navy....