baseball

They Named the Field After Him

Posted on by Phil Corbett

I wrote this post 9 years ago. I repost it as a memorial to a man who influenced so many lives as a teacher and coach and continued to do so in retirement. 

Reeves passed away.

Just a few short weeks ago, I was fortunate to talk with Reeves at the Staples-Motley Athletic Hall of Fame celebration. His 1983 State Champion baseball team was inducted into the HOF. At the reception held after the program, Reeves was in rare form telling stories and telling jokes. The table he was sitting at was full, as was the standing room around it, by those who were impacted by him. There was a great deal of laughter and joy, and probably feelings of thankfulness for having him as a coach so many decades ago.

I imagine his funeral will be quite full, as well. Maybe more tears than laughter, but still feelings of thankfulness, and maybe some wondering of how we were so fortunate to have Reeves cross our paths in life.

I sure hope everyone has a Reeves in their life

What does it take to get your name on a ball field?

Well, in the current professional and big-time college sports arenas, getting your name on a sports venue takes big-time cash. Just in Minnesota, we have Target Field, Target Center, Xcel Energy Center, TCF Bank Stadium, and – take a deep breath – the Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

In a small town, it takes a lot more than cash – it takes a lifetime of dedication, commitment, passion, and service to the sport you love.

Last week, I took a short daytrip to my hometown of Staples. In addition to visiting my parents, I attended the ceremony naming the high school baseball field after the coach for whom many of the high school baseball players graduating from Staples High School had the pleasure of playing.

From now on, when players and fans step onto the Staples-Motley High School baseball field, they will be walking on Jerry Riewer Field, though they could have also called it “Reeves Field”, because Reeves is what all of us call him.

Reeves was very successful as a coach, with a state championship and a runner up in baseball, and a state championship and a dominant program in cross country. He has been inducted into numerous halls of fame and has a cross country meet named after him. I could list all of his awards and his coaching stats but that information is available to anyone interested in looking for it.

I am more interested in sharing what he accomplished that is not written down in any record book.

I am more interested in the impact he had on those of us who played for him.

What is not written down is the fact that Reeves coached every level of baseball, from Little League to Legion, and sometimes all in the same summer.

What is not written down is the number of sandlot games Reeves organized so we had more opportunities to play baseball.

What is not written down are the countless phone calls Reeves made to us, asking us to show up to the game early, and with a shovel, so we could get the field ready to play a game.

What is not written down is how Reeves modified his van by taking out the back seats and building benches along the sides so he could drive the entire team to away games. (By the way, the benches had removable seats so all the equipment could be stored underneath.)

What is not written down is the memory of Reeves dragging the all-dirt infield at Pine Grove Park with his ’55 Chevy, using the springs of an old mattress as a drag.

What is not written down is the number of his players who teach their kids how to play baseball by saying “Reeves taught us…”

What is not written down is the care he took to prepare the field, no matter if it was for a high school tournament or a Pee Wee game.

Finally, what is not written down is the love of baseball so many of us have and pass on to our kids because of being coached by Reeves.

Twenty years from now, when future generations step onto Jerry Riewer Field, I hope someone takes the time to share with every fan and every ballplayer why the field is named after Reeves and remind them the impact one person with dedication and passion can have.

Congratulations, Reeves, and thank you!

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Molding Dreams

Posted on by Phil Corbett

Contrary to what you may have read or heard, teaching is not the noblest profession in the world. Any honorable profession in which someone works hard and does his or her best to make a difference is as noble as any other. Watch my mother-in-law serve her customers and you will understand what I mean.

It would be difficult, though, to find many professions having a greater impact on the world than teaching.

Recently, I finished rereading Molder of Dreams, by Guy Rice Doud. Guy was the National Teacher of the Year in 1986. In the book he talks about some of the struggles he had in school and how some of his teachers truly made a difference in his life. He mentions Mr. Card, his 6th grade teacher, who was one of the first teachers to give hope to an overweight, always-picked-last, discouraged kid (Guy). Mr. Card was one of Guy’s dream molders.

The book is touching and a very good read. I recommend it highly. It is also special to me because I have a several connections with Guy. Guy grew up a half a block from my family. He babysat my siblings and me. He also organized a successful picket line when a neighbor would not return the foul balls that landed in her yard from the neighborhood sandlot baseball games. (I think she promised to give the balls back as long as the story about the protest stayed out of the local paper.)

Most importantly, Mr. Card was also one of my dream molders. Mr. Card was my junior high wrestling coach. After years of playing basketball, I decided to join wrestling in 8th grade. I had a pretty good year for being new at it but I wasn’t too sure I would go out the following year. I was thinking I might try swimming, since that was the sport my brothers were in. Mr. Card, though, molded my dreams by taking the time to write a few personal lines of encouragement in the season summary. Because of the handful of words Mr. Card wrote, I decided wrestling was the sport for me and I can honestly say it was one of the most important and impactful decisions of my life.

Mr. Card was not the only molder of my dreams. Mr. Hoffbeck helped sculpt a bit, too. He was my senior high social studies teacher. He was liked and respected by the potential scholars and the potential dropouts because he showed genuine interest in everyone. Mr. Hoffbeck cultivated my interest in psychology and the human condition and was the main reason I chose education as a career.

Tom (T.K.) Keating, the 2004-2005 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, was also influential. I had the pleasure of interning with T.K. and his colleagues and was able to witness what can happen when an adult shows a sincere belief that all kids can be successful and takes the time to show he or she cares. T.K. tragically died way too soon but his funeral was a testament to his life’s work, with students from all walks of life in attendance. You could tell T.K. molded their dreams, too.

Of course, dream molding is not just reserved for teachers. Any and all of us can be dream molders. It is just I have been fortunate to have a career in education and work alongside, and witness the talents of, so many molders of dreams.

The list of those who helped mold my dreams is far too long to print. I am grateful for each one of them. I like how my life is because of them. So Mr. Card (if you ever read this), Mr. Hoffbeck (I know you read this), T.K. (I hope I told you), and the rest of my dream molders, I say “thank you!”

I encourage everyone who reads this to take the time to appreciate the molders of dreams in your own lives and do your best to mold the dreams of others.

I am not being humble when I say I do not think I could ever have the impact on others that my dream molders have had on me. I know, though, if I can even have a tenth of the impact, I will be doing okay.