Paying attention to the past

Part of the reason I love my job is the people I've been able to meet and grow closer to through work. One of those people is Houston Astros scout James Farrar, known simply as Coach to most people.

I was speaking with Coach Farrar this afternoon to add a little background to the Louisiana Tech story in Friday's times or here. During the course of our little talk, Coach said something that struck me.

He had been invited to throw out the first pitch at Louisiana Tech's midweek game against Grambling State on April 10. Coach never got into if he threw a strike, but he did pass along the gesture the Bulldogs' players offered him.

As he walked off the mound, Tech coach Wade Simoneaux grabbed him by the arm and told him his players would like to shake Farrar's hand. I'm not sure how many of them knew how many players Farrar had signed while with the Astros or understood how he landed two aces for the Houston franchise (J.R. Richard and Roy Oswalt).

What I am sure of is that it's nice to see younger players have respect for someone who came before them and was so influential to so many who were in the shoes the Tech athletes currently are in.