Home |
News |
Opinion |
Sports |
Features |
Columns & Blogs |
Photography |
Milestones |
Classifieds |
Special Sections |
Obituaries |
Archive |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
October 11, 2005
Family behind Sabres' new baseball diamondIt will be named 'Legacy Field'ByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - Rick Steckley looked out over the diamond - green grass just beginning to grow, deep red dirt along what will someday be foul lines and base paths, dugout walls waiting for roofs overhead, steel posts that will one day hold a scoreboard that reads "Legacy Field" - and he smiled. "This field is truly about love and family," Steckley said. "Baseball is certainly part of it, but it's bigger than that." The 60-year-old Steckley, an assistant coach for the Traverse City Christian baseball team, spear-headed the construction of the school's new baseball diamond along with other members of his family. On a sunny Monday evening that would have been perfect for baseball, the field was dedicated to Steckley's father, Richard, and mother, Audrey, who have been married for 62 years. Members of TC Christian's baseball team, who will play on the field next spring, presented Richard Steckley with a Sabres cap and made him an honorary team member. TC Christian athletic director Lisa White followed suit by naming Steckley "baseball facilities manager." "I have one thing to say," the 86-year-old Steckley said. "My son is doing it. I'm just a bystander." Rick Steckley said his father has a lot more to do with the field than that. He was the inspiration behind the diamond, which is "Phase I" of a sports complex at TC Christian that will soon include tennis courts and a softball diamond. Rick spoke of his dad's love of country, how he grew up as a baseball star on the sandlots of Detroit in the 1930s and gave up the chance to sign a major league contract with the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals because he felt moved to enlist in the Army and fight for freedom in World War II. He spoke of his father's trust in God, "whose faith in his Lord lives every day." And he spoke of his dad's love of baseball - how his first real memories of the game were of his father taking him to Briggs Stadium as a young boy and how his dad played catch with him in the front yard and later followed Rick's exploits on the diamond. And the Steckley family's connection with the game reaches even farther down the family tree. Rick is an assistant coach under Tom Broderick, his son-in-law. And Tom's young son, Brock, scampered around the diamond on Monday, perhaps foreshadowing future days when another member of the Steckley family will be playing the game. TC Christian's athletic director said the new complex will allow the school to give back to the community and return the kindness of others. "Right now we play baseball at the Civic Center, soccer at the TBAYS complex and home tennis matches at TC East Junior High," White said. "When this is complete, we hope we can open it up to the community and give something back." Of the baseball diamond, White said the name "Legacy Field" is appropriate. "This is a story of love - the love of a son for his father and a father for his family," she said. "It represents their passion for baseball and their passion for family. "It's an incredible story."
|
|
Record-Eagle/Greg Undeen
