Support
It is time for me to “pay some bills”. I owe a lot… to a lot of folks. I don’t have a lot of money, but I am a wealthy man. Because I have been fortunate to accumulate many friends and loved ones. I have some people to talk to you about. These are not all of the people I should acknowledge, but they are all important people… so don’t put too much stock in the order of the list… just a little…. because these are all special people…… here’s a short list:
Our “Knothole Gang” booster club. These people are incredible. They do so many nice things for the team… most noteworthy are the “feeds” that they have put on after various games. They cook and prepare food for the players from BOTH teams several times each year. The idea is to do it one time for each visiting team….. and of course, the home team gets in on the action also… so we get fed several times a year. Now, the Cats clubhouse manager, Corey Troxell, puts a meal out in the clubhouse for our players after every game, but the booster club “feeds” are more than just a meal…. it is a full course “feed” and in includes some warm and friendly smiles, conversation and just plain good feelings. The tradition has been carried on each year since we’ve come back to LaGrave. There are too many people to name, but you know who you are. It is one of the reasons that players say Fort Worth is where they want to play. So if you think the fans don’t have something to do with the fact that we are in the playoffs for the sixth time in our eight seasons… you’re wrong. It is much appreciated by the ownership, staff, and players. We love our booster club…. the “Knothole Gang”
Our team and staff. I know that a lot of fans are wondering why we “overhauled” the team this year. Just this morning, I was asked about why “T-Dog” was not around and who were we supposed to root for since we were so used to T-Dog, Mirizzi, Adolfo, etc. Let me tell you…. minor league baseball is a game of change. If you were a fan of the Frisco RoughRiders, you would NEVER get to see anyone more than 2 years. If those guys in affiliated ball are there 2 years, they are OUT! Even with our changes this season, we have several players who have been here for one or more of our previous championship seasons…. think about Joel Kirsten (what a pitcher!), John Allen (what a hitter!), Charles Carter, Ken Lup, Bryan Fryer, Dan Grybash, and Lee Gwaltney. Meanwhile, who can argue that Jake Gautreau, Ed Montague, Nelson Teilon, Pedro Flores and Jon Hunton haven’t been FANTASTIC for us this season !
But here is the reason that I like this team as well as any we have had before…. These are genuinely GOOD YOUNG MEN. This morning… after a very exciting game last night…. the ENTIRE TEAM got up early and went to Veterans Administration Hospital to visit with sick, recovering and disabled veterans. I mean the ENTIRE TEAM…. from 83 year-old Wayne Terwilliger (a WWII hero himself) to the youngest and newest members of our team. Trust me when I tell you that this is a good group. Good guys who want to do good things. They deserve our support.
Chad Tredaway assembles the team. He has proven that he is a great young manager. He is a four time manager of the year, and for my money, he should be the manager of the year again this season in the American Association.
Our front office staff is just as impressive. They work hard every day. They do it under great stress and often in less than ideal conditions. They seek no recognition and just want to be a part of a successful organization.
The hours are long and the rewards are few for those who work on our staff. Some of them will move on to other careers and some will stay in baseball, either with the Cats or with other organizations. Either way, in the long run, they will look back on their experience with the Cats as a special time in their lives and even though they may not realize it right now, they will have learned a great deal.
We (Lois and John) have many alumni who have gone on to a variety of successful careers. Do we accept credit for their success? YES. Maybe it was because we taught them what NOT to do…. maybe it was because they learned something good… either way, they learned something and they move forward and it is a good thing.
Wayne Terwilliger. This is, indeed, a special man. It is hard to find words to describe Wayne Terwilliger. Not only is he a solid, knowledgeable and passionate baseball man, he is an even better human being. He sets an example for living that inspires everyone who comes in contact with him. It is not surprising that we won our first of these consecutive championships with Twig as our manager. He is the kind of man who brings out the best in everyone who works for him or with him. I was not surprised that we won the pennant with Twig at the helm in 2005. There was not a player on our team who wanted to let him down. If you have not had a chance to know Wayne Terwilliger, that is too bad. I consider the opportunity to work with him to be one of the greatest thrills and privileges of my baseball career.
Carl and Linda Bell. I don’t think anyone really realizes how much these people have done for those of us who have benefitted from return of the Fort Worth Cats. There is no way that the new LaGrave Field was going to be built by any government entity in Fort Worth. Local leaders and baseball enthusiasts in our town had tried to generate interest in this project for several years. It was clear that the ballpark was going to have to be built with private funds. No local resident was willing to step forward and take the risk. Carl and Linda Bell did it. As the President of the Cats, not only do I owe them my moral support and loyalty, I owe them everything I can give… as do all Cats’ fans. Carl and Linda are truly the finest people in every sense of the word. They have no “ulterior motives” and they are all about doing good. &nbs p;Carl has often been described as a man who is “generous to a fault” and truthfully, he is that. He has never taken ONE DOLLAR out of the Cats. He has only PUT IN money. Only a handful of the most wealthy and powerful residents of Fort Worth can honestly be said to have done more for the town than Carl and Linda Bell.
Bobby Bragan. This marvelous man has done much for baseball, for Fort Worth, and for me personally. His is a life most well lived. It is an incredible fact that Bobby, who will soon celebrate his 91st birthday takes virtually NO medication. I know why he has lived so long and maintained such good health. It is because he goes to sleep every night knowing that he has done his very best to be a good man and that he has been totally and completely honest in his dealings with everyone he has encountered each day. Even if that honesty is blunt, and unpopular, he will not compromise his standards and beliefs. He is able to admit that he has made mistakes and he fears no man. There is a motto which is mounted on the wall of one of our favorite places in Fort Worth… Del Frisco’s Steak House. It says “DO RIGHT AND FEAR NO MAN” Bobby Bragan epitomizes this motto.
When I consider what incredible luck I encountered when he took me “under wing” almost 36 years ago, at the age of 23 I am moved to tears!
Lois Dittrich. Most of our fans and even our staff would not have any idea how much Lois contributes to our organization. She is a rock of stability and common sense. She has provided me with over 40 years of love and support (we started “going steady” on December 4, 1966) and she has been the “baseball mom” for numerous MAJOR LEAGUE players, broadcasters and executives. I get e-mails almost daily from people across the complete spectrum of the baseball world…. Tim Flannery, one of our former players and now a coach with the San Francisco Giants….. Rick Rizzs, the radio voice of the Seattle Mariners…. Bob Licht, the TV voice of the New Orleans Hornets(NBA)… Ken Schnacke, the GM of the Columbus Clippers…. Vince Nauss, the Executive Director of Baseball Chapel…. Mark Shapiro, the General Manager of th e Cleveland Indians…. Steve Stewart, broadcaster with the Kansas City Royals…. I have heard from all of these “Dittrich alumni” recently and their e-mails always begin with “Please give my regards to Lois” or something even more intimate than that!
These guys have seen my act on a day-in and day-out basis, and they realize that I would be NOTHING without Lois… and SOME OF THEM would not have made it without her either….. she made them meals, washed their laundry, served up motherly advice and inspired them to be successful simply by setting an example for them in many, many ways…. What they know above all is that she has always been there to help and support me. They have seen it first hand… not talk or lip service… but real, true actions.
In the middle of all this, she raised three fine people who have made us proud in so many ways.
She continues to do these things every day….. without her all of these baseball dreams I have lived would have never come true.
To sum it up….. it is important to all of us to have a great support network if we are going to enjoy any measure of success. It is not possible to be successful alone in this world. I pray that each of you will be as fortunate as I have been. That you will encounter just as many people to help you along the way……. and that you will be as “wealthy” as me.
JPD
