Somewhere, somehow Bob Connot is smiling
The Cubs win the World Series and Winner, Gregory and Colome are going to the DOME...Somewhere, somehow, Bob Connot is smiling.
By Rich Winter
I have several very good friends that went nuts earlier this week when the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. Mission's Mike Hammer was so giddy he forgot to own up to the Mtn. Dew he owes me after the Raiders beat Tampa Bad and Montana's, Abe Kurien was posting childhood photos of himself wearing Cubs gear as a youngster to legitimize his love for the Cubs.
Bon Connot loved the Cubs!
Was thinking about writing something about Connot and the Cubs but didn't quite know how to dabble there until this morning.
Now, I don't know the exact parameters of Bob Connot's involvement with the Winner little league baseball program, but my good pal, Carl Bizardie (Kracken), who was heavily involved in the Mission Little League, talked a lot about Bob Connot. With kids coming up through the program, I'm pretty sure that Connot was part of the youth baseball program(s) before his passing.
I'm guessing as Colome, Gregory and Winner all advanced to their respective state championship games that Connot probably knew every kid that played for all three teams.
This may take a second to explain, but bear with me, I have a point.
Over the past few week's I've gotten wind of a fledgeling group of fathers, here in Mission that are getting a four-team flag football league going.
Dave Espinoza diagrams a play for youngsters involved in the Mission Flag football league.
One of my buddies, who has a couple kids involved in the program, was a little nervous about knowing what to do, knowing how to coach and knowing how to run through drills. I reminded him that he knew the game, played it at an extremely high level and that it would all come back to him when he stepped on the field.
"And besides, all those kids really want/need is for you JUST to show up."
Bob Connot always showed up!
Takes a lot of time and effort and throwing the ball out in the backyard and mowing fields and holding organizational meetings and getting up early to make little-kids athletic programs work.
As these three teams from the coffin corner head to the Dome there are a lot of people that had a hand in getting them there. To everyone that ever got out of bed early, went the extra mile, offered words of encouragement, criticism when necessary, enjoy this trip, you all had a hand in the success of some driven young people.
