On Al

“Nice snag catch”. Three words put together in a seemingly meaningless and jumbled phrase. Three words that have been gently imprinted into my memory for the last 43 years. At 6 years old I was playing catcher on the tiny baseball diamond on the south east corner of Marshall Elementary School. But for the small square backstop which stood just beyond a stretch of tall trees lining Peoria, the grass covered field would be unrecognizable as a baseball field. Dressed in our standard team uniform of jeans and a t-shirt which read “Marshall Bobcats”, catching was not my usual position at that time but then again at 6 years old you might be playing any one of 9 positions at anytime…actually, make that 6 positions because as everyone knew the 3 outfield positions were reserved for those players that were still “developing” into the game. This day would be my first to ever catch, a chubby kid with a left handed fielders mitt (left handed catchers mitts were unheard of by the glove manufacturers). It’s funny, I played baseball throughout my childhood and teenage years yet I have very few memories of any of it. If not for a fleeting few seconds this particular day would have traveled where all the other memories go when you can’t remember them anymore. This day was different. A pitch was thrown wide to my right in the dirt and I dove for it and caught it. That’s when I heard those 3 words, “nice snag catch”. Those words came from the opposing coach standing just a few feet to my right. Those were the first words that Al Padek ever spoke to me. 43 years later I sit here wondering why my young heart dove and snagged those words and held them tight for so long. I’ve often pulled those words out to look at them. It’s not like I had never been complimented before. What made these words so special? I think it is a testament to the fact that Al’s words were just different, more special than others and his words made you feel special. Al was like comfort food, you hear his name and you are instantly “back home”, a place where life was simple and baseball was simply life. Maybe that’s why I smile every time I think of him. Since hearing those first 3 words I had the fortune of listening to Al for many more years to come. There are very few people in my lifetime that I have respected more than that man. I’m not alone. There are countless others who Al left his mark on in his own special unassuming way. Al is a constant reminder that each one of us, in our own special way, can make a difference in someone’s life. I’m sure Al never realized the impact that he had on so many lives. Don’t forget how special you can be to some chubby kid out there. If I could see Al just one more time I’d tell him, “nice snag Al”, he’d know just what I meant……