My junior college baseball coach, Bert Holt, passed away last Thursday. Many people can say that because Coach taught the game over the course of 30 plus years. My knowledge of Coach began when he and his family moved across the street from mine in about 1960. His two sons, my brother and I started a relationship that continues to today. Eventually we played baseball together at the College of Sequoias, for Coach.
Coach taught more than baseball. Like John Wooden, he taught his players how to tie your shoes and how to dress. Coach taught us how to address the world in many ways. In today's supposedly sophisticated culture that may seem backwards, but Coach gave us the reasons for doing things the way he did. And if we were patient and had our eyes and ears open, we would eventually find out he was right.
Probably the most unexpected, but it shouldn't have if I'd been paying attention, aspect of my knowing Coach happened years after I was done playing and had begun coaching. Coach welcomed me into the coaching fraternity. Not openly with ceremony, but by talking baseball each time we ran into each other. Asking me things about players and inviting me to help with camps he conducted while scouting. It was a blessing to see him.
Thank you, Coach.
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2 comments:
I knew Coach Wooden, so if Coach Holt was like Wooden he was truly an inspiration to those who wanted to learn. I'm sorry for his passing.
Yesterday at the service I was amazed as I looked at the gathered people. Many former players, but also fellow coaches, former adversaries on the field, college coaches, former major league players. There was a gathering of baseball people that could be called a Hall of Fame of San Joaquin Valley baseball. The only thing close was the service for FSU coach Pete Beiden.
Coach was a good man that impacted many others.
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